Next question

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:12 am

When setting up 12v batteries in series for 24v 36v, must I have all the same size batteries¿¿¿ Amp/amp hours, gel, lead acid

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:09 am

iIn a series wired battery system the amperage draw down will be equal for all the batteries. The weakest battery will go down first. This will cause the current to stop flowing when that battery goes dead. Also, pulling current through a low battery will cause the others to drop more swiftly. It would be in your best interest to have all the batteries deep cycle and close to equal amperage rating. Whether they are lead acid or gel is less of an issue. Be aware that gel takes longer to charge properly than lead acid and allow for that in your recharge procedure if you mix the batteries. Also, use a wire size that is larger than what the system requires. You do not want reistance your cabling. I use 4 Odessy 900 amp 12V batteries to start my flame effects device. They are series/parallel wired as I need lots of amperage and 12 and 24V for the systems. I use 00 welding ground wire for cables. It takes almost 24 hours to recharge each battery, but they will operate my device for weeks and they have lasted for going on five years.

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:34 pm

If you're buying your batteries you can find 24 and 36 volt vehicle batteries now. Also if you go with more than one together you will want to shunt between the batteries whenever possible.

And like dust devil said, get the same batteries. There are ways to track and divert the power, but at that point it's not worth it.

Post by **mdmf007** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:29 pm

Cheapest big batteries are 12 cell tractor batteries from interstate. Go to any truck supplier - and the danker the cheaper. Avoid the kitchy auto parts store and go to the same place the local shops buy from. 70 bucks gets you a battery you can weld with.

When wiring up betteries in a series be sure to use good grade cable, lugs, because thats a lot of amps to run through cable, i have melted plenty of wires with too much juice.

later.