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How many leisure batts ?

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660 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  triffic  
Y
#1 ·
Hi folks last year having had my van fully done it was tested out and my only disappointment was that my 85 ah only powered the van about 24hrs with my use...
So after joining here I gathered info added another 85 ah batt and things got better but not great ,
end of last summer I added solar panel 100wt things better again n no worries of the batts going down over winter T: .
My use tends to be ,from now till oct most weekends off road ,3/4 nights out ,by the end I'm coming up a day short on power so to speak .
Now its a 59 / 1900 , at the mo with solar 100wts top up 2 x 85ah all working great .
??? can I add another 85ah making 3 that seems to be all I'm short ,without probs somewhere else .
Help please I'm close I know I am :D why when you tell people your intended use they stick a small batt on is beyond me but I'm getting there , thanks in advance Adie ..
 
T
#2 ·
Personally, I wouldn't go to more than 2 (in fact I've always tried to stick to one). The problem is that if you parallel them (as almost everyone does) then the weakest battery tends to drag the other one/two down (the better batteries will discharge into the least capable battery until the terminal voltages are equal).

And then you have the problem that the more batteries you have, the harder it is and the longer it takes to charge them back up. Some (many?) chargers will not like trying to charge 3 batteries in parallel, as the internal resistance of 3 batteries together is likely to be lower than they are designed to cope with. Modern power systems will probably cope, but it may cause older Zig-type power units to fail.

A better strategy (IMO) is to understand what is consuming so much power and then look to reducing your electrical load where possible. For example, avoid running items off an inverter, as they are generally very inefficient, and change out all conventional filament lights for LEDs.
 
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