Community Forums

emoney · 02-09-2013, 02:10 PM

So I've got this almost new Class 24 Marine battery in the garage, one of those "dual purpose" batteries held over from the boating days, and it's just collecting dust. Should I add it to the coach battery that's in there? Do I need two? While we're on the subject, is there a need for a second chassis battery? If I need it somewhere, I might as well use it I guess...right?

wa8yxm · 02-09-2013, 05:36 PM

Marine/Deep Cycle batteries are closer to a chassis (Starting) battery than a House (Deep cycle) but ... That said, you can always parallel it in with the house... I mean it's not much, Just under 75 amp hours, about 20 usable, but if you keep it charged and carry it with you it might come in handy.

Fact.. I have managed to run down both house and chassis batteries, and had to go to a isnolated battery that I happened to have, it's small (smaller than your G-24) but it was enough for Mr. Onan, Once Mr. Onan was running the converter kicked in, it kept Mr, Onan happy and fed with gasoline, and then it charged up everything else.. once it had run for around 10 minutes (While traffic cleared so I could pull out) I hit ye-old key-switch and VAROOM off we went.. Kept the Onan on for it's required monthly maintenance run and thus had power till I got to shore power and plugged in .

ahicks · 02-10-2013, 07:03 AM

Personally, I think the idea of pairing it up to another existing battery is not part of a good plan. I believe batteries in parallel should be matched, same age/size. Without that, a weak (older?) battery may suck charge from the better battery and leave you with less capacity than you started with?

If you often find yourself in situations where you could use some extra capacity, then you may have a case for more battery capacity. If you don't find yourself lacking in either area, there's really no use toting around extra dead weight. It's not going to help anything.... -Al

Eddie Foy · 02-11-2013, 03:16 PM

Paralleling non like batteries is not a sound practice.

TQ60 · 02-11-2013, 05:59 PM

IF...

IF you have the space, why not?

Locate your isolator, if diode based add another diode and provide charge path to Battery.

Next, determine what you will use it for, ideas...

Stand alone Battery to inverter for DVD player or compute.

Backup Battery for starting, add knife switch to allow high current connection

Backup Battery for coach, add switch to cut in, turn off existing dead one, turn backup on