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Old 20-08-2010, 07:07   #1
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6vdc Battery Bank

How do I wire 4 6v batteries into one large 12v bank?
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Old 20-08-2010, 07:44   #2
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You would connect the positive to the negative for each pair of 6 volt batteries. Once this is done the remaining posts should now be treated as a single 12 volt battery. You can then connect the new paired batteries in whatever configuration you choose. The most efficient set up is to connect all of your 12 volt "batteries" into one large bank. Chuck
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Old 20-08-2010, 07:46   #3
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This isn't the prettiest connection but it will give you the idea.


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Old 20-08-2010, 10:13   #4
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series and parallel

2 batteries in series (negative bat1 -> positive bat2)

2 battery sets in parallel (negative bat_pair1 -> negative bat_pair2, positive 1 -> positive ->2)

be sure to put the charger across the battery bank as well for the most even charge. (charger negative on bat 1 of battery pair 1, charger positive on positive of battery pair 2)

definitely use 6-8 gauge copper wire with screw on connections (never alligator clips or the like)

Also, in my work in solar power we learned that one should never mix and match batteries to make a bank... they should all be new, and of the exact same type else you will significantly degrade the life of the batteries.
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Old 21-08-2010, 15:25   #5
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Originally Posted by Waterwayguy View Post
This isn't the prettiest connection but it will give you the idea.


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Looks good to me. I like your bat box.
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Old 21-08-2010, 16:39   #6
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Looks good to me. I like your bat box.
The current set up was temporary. We are rewiring everything, all new cables, and adding another pair of batteries, moving the bank to the center of the boat, moving the starter battery to right next to the starter and adding a generator where the batteries are now. So we still have a lot of work to do. Chuck
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Old 10-09-2010, 12:28   #7
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here's how we did 8 batteries:
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