dual battery
so i have removed my storage box, and i am ready to drop in a second battery. i have 2 kicker amps runing in my truck, and they need 14.4v each. heres the delima. im not an electrician...... :(
battery outputs 12v, and the alternator brings everything up to 14v. which is still not enough. i have a single 2 farad capacitor wired to both amps and the battery is still draining bad. i have done some research, and learned that wiring the 2 batteries in series will give you 24v. and parallel will remain 12v, but the second battery will act as a capacitor. both ideas sound appeasing to me, but could the truck handle 24v.? would it be bad for the alternator.? or even the batteries.? :confused: |
You don't want 24 volts. You will ruin everything in the truck and probably get stuck when it quits running. If you must have a second battery go with a parallel hookup. Anyway you should be trying to fix the problem and not just band-aid it with a bad band-aid.
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Add another battery and then you'll just have two of 'em draining,
You need a bigger alternator. Or a second alternator like on ambulance applicatons. Allan |
DO NOT DO A 24V SETUP!!!! You'll be sorry, and are likely to void any warranty you might have on the truck. As far as I know, the only Chevrolet application that (properly) uses two batteries is the Silverado HD with the optional Duramax diesel engine. Diesels require a lot of juice for the glow plugs on cold days, so they come set up that way from the factory. I drive heavy-duty diesel trucks at work and most of them have two batteries. The big rigs have three of them! It does take a lot of cojones to crank over 12 liters of Cummins power, though. |
14 must be ok. No vehicle would b 14.4 all the time.
I suggest not taking the stereo manufacturer too literally. I'm sure they would like to have 14.4vdc, but the system should operate with 14 if it's a decent set up. After all, no vehicle is going to maintain 14.4 at all times. Leave the batteries parallel ( + to + and - to - ). And leave the caps hooked up according to manufacturer specs. If you need an alternator, you'll know.
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thanks for the input. and i know they dont need 14.4, but thats when they would operate best. mainly im trying not to put to much of a drain on my battery.
so, now batteries. i need one with the same cca as the battery i have now. correct? and ive heard alot about red/yellow tops. whats the preference and why? |
i found the difference. red tops are mainly for starting your vehicle.
yellow tops are for general purpose. starting, and maintaining while the vehicle is running |
Originally Posted by acer9876
(Post 212324)
so, now batteries. i need one with the same cca as the battery i have now. correct?
I don't think you actually have a problem. Go ahead and hook up the amps and see if your electrical system still shows around 14V with the stereo on. If it bounces around a lot you may require a second capacitor. If it steadily drops from 14V after extended use of the amp, then you need a more powerful alternator. I don't think you will actually have either of these problems but if you do they are not too hard to solve, just throw parts at it. |
Originally Posted by Allan In NE
(Post 212255)
Add another battery and then you'll just have two of 'em draining,
You need a bigger alternator. Or a second alternator like on ambulance applicatons. Allan |
Generally speaking, if you add a battery, you don't necessarily have to add an alternator or a high amp alternator. If you have a really bangin' stereo, and the voltage just drops off constantly then yes, you need more charging watts. But don't go there before you have a couple heavy batteries and caps.
That's like getting the buggy ahead of the horse. Personally, I've seen a lot of bad luck with those light weight gel cell batteries. They cost a lot and they have a lot of problems, and they seem to wear on an alternator. |
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