Dual Batteries
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: On a farm in Alberta.
Dual Batteries
Ok i have a 95 F-150 and i'm running underglow, neon inside the cab and ourside the cab. thats not the problem i have with drawing power, its my system. i have 2 12' subs, an 850watt amp, a 500 watt amp an indash dvd player, satalite radio, ipod, power converter, and Xbox all running off my single battery, when i have my truck off the battery goes dead in about i'd say 15 minutes from full charge with all that stuff on and the music cranked! i need dual batteries, what the best set up do you guys think and i need a diagram to wire it in. also should i run anotehr alternator or just run a huge one when i runn dual batteries? or should i even run 3 batteries?
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: conroe tx
get a battery isolator kit, and step up to something like either a marine, or an optima yellow top
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...010098/c-10107
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...010098/c-10107
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From: Virginia
You would essentially have a very large battery. Advantages to this are; It's obviously cheap and easy. Disavantages are; You need to buy both batteries at the same time so they are a matched set in age and performance. One old battery paired with a new battery, will only perform like the older battery. When the older battery goes bad, it can shorten the life of the new battery.
What two batteries will do for you is prolong the time it take to run them down. So if you get 15 minutes out of it now, then with two batteries you will get 30 minutes. You will get double the time, but in the end you still end up with two dead batteries that will not start the engine.
With a isolator, it will keep the starting battery isolated from the loads of the other battery, so when the other battery or batteries run down, you can still start the vehicle. And with a isolator, the aux battery can be a deep cycle type, which can take the abuse of being run way down on charge. Several deep discharges on your regular starting battery shortens it's life tremendously.
What two batteries will do for you is prolong the time it take to run them down. So if you get 15 minutes out of it now, then with two batteries you will get 30 minutes. You will get double the time, but in the end you still end up with two dead batteries that will not start the engine.
With a isolator, it will keep the starting battery isolated from the loads of the other battery, so when the other battery or batteries run down, you can still start the vehicle. And with a isolator, the aux battery can be a deep cycle type, which can take the abuse of being run way down on charge. Several deep discharges on your regular starting battery shortens it's life tremendously.
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