New house batteries question

[DonKarstedt]

Any idea what the ill effects might be? It seems to me that the worst that could happen would be if the stronger one discharged into the weaker ones as passdad suggested above.

--DonK

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by DonKarstedt

Any idea what the ill effects might be? It seems to me that the worst that could happen would be if the stronger one discharged into the weaker ones as passdad suggested above.

--DonK

Found this which explains it better.

"Imagine a chain with strong and weak links. This chain can pull a small weight but when the tension rises, the weakest link will break. The same happens when connecting cells with different capacities in a battery. The weak cells may not quit immediately but get exhausted more quickly than the strong ones when in continued use. On charge, the low cells fill up before the strong ones and get hot; on discharge the weak are empty before the strong ones and they are getting stressed."

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/a...configurations

[palehorse89]

Originally Posted by TonyDi

OP stated that the batteries were charged and needed to be topped off. They weren't stone cold dead. Even if they were the alternator would have no problem in charging them. If you have a dead battery in your car and someone jump starts you do you instead take the battery out , charge it then replace it? Or do you just let the alternator charge it up?

Hi Tony, a single car battery is one thing for a alternator to recharge, but even for a large alternator, 2 big 12v and 4-6 6 v battery's in a Coach will really heat up a alternator. Folks on here have burned the windings out of theirs recharging a bunch of dead battery's. The converter is a better choice to recharge them. Even a big amp. alternator is designed to "maintain" battery's. To each their own though........
Fact: Alternators are not designed to charge dead batteries | OPTIMABATTERIES

Alternators- basic design and funcion. - Metroplex Alternator & Starter

[twinboat]

Here is a link to some FAQ on the subject Combiner Information

[DonKarstedt]

Thanks very much. The links referenced above answers everything--good stuff.

--DonK