I hate to ask a dumb question but- How do you hook up a battery charger to a 24v system(2-12v in series). I assume i can use a standard battery charger for this. I assume I do not need to disconnect the batteries. I thought surely someone before me had asked this but could not find anything using the search. Thanks, Greg
If its a 24V charger then hook up the pos to pos and neg to neg. If its only 12v then you must connect the batteries in parrallel. So connect the batteries pos to pos and neg to neg. Then connect the charger. Only problem with this is that the charger must first bring the batteries to the same level before it charges them equally. It still works though.
If all you have is a twelve volt charger you can only charge one battery at a time. You need a twenty four volt charge to do both at the same time without unhooking the batteries.
You can hook 12v charger, just like the other battery wasnt there, when charged, put on other battery and charge
Just to make sure your clear on what MitchSA is saying, if it's a 24v charger its the positive on batt. #1 and negative on batt. #2.
So how would you hook jumper cables from a 12V pickup truck?
Same way as using a 12V charger on a 24V system Greg, one battery at a time. Connect your booster cables to the respective pos/neg terminals of battery #1, charge it for a spell, then connect booster to pos/neg of battery #2 and charge it. You've got to understand that the batteries themselves are 12V no matter how they are hooked together, i.e. series or parallel. You will always and only get 12V on an individual battery in any configuration. The only thing that would be different would be the master positive and master negative connection of a battery configuration, that being the terminals/cables that actually power the machine. This holds true for any battery unit, two 12V in series making 24V for equipment, or four 12V in series making 48V for an electric scissorlift. Each individual battery is 12V, the master positive and master negative is the only part that would be greater than 12V.
Just to make sure- The battery cables do not need to be disconnected to either charge with a 12v charger or jump from a 12v vehicle. Is that correct? I appreciate ya'll, Greg
That is correct IF, AND ONLY IF you are only charging one battery at a time. You can charge one battery by hooking it up just like the other battery did not exist, then move the charger or jumper cables to the other battery. You cannot charge or jump both batteries at the same time from a 12v source without disconnecting them. Looks like I'm following ATCO around again, I'm glad the ford solenoid fixed your backhoe, you're quite welcome. Mitch504
Hmm, it does appear so. Stalking maybe? bah ha ha ha :tong Greg, just for your comfort, I take it you are in fact talking about a 24V system using two 12V batteries in series. Ok, take a plain old multitester that tests DC voltage. Do not disconnect any cable connections. Place your red lead on the postitive of battery one and the black lead to neg of battery one. You will read 12V (+/-) no more. Go to battery two, same thing, red lead on positive post, black lead on neg, once again, 12V. 24V only happens at master positive (positive cable to starter) and master negative (negative cable going to frame ground).
AAAAAAAAAAAAhhhh not COMPLETELY true mitch. You can jump both batteries at the same time from a 12v source without disconnectiong them " as long as the 12volt source is not the same source for both batteries....bah ha h ha gotcha. See what ya get for following that old buzzard atco around.......lost!!!! bah ha
I leave trickle chargers on my equipment, if you are running a 24v system with 2 12v batteries, just hook up the chargers as you normally would, 1 for each battery just like you normally would, no need to disconnect any cables. just remember when jumping, parallel hook up (+to+ and -to-) boosts amps, series hook up (+to- and -to+) increases voltage. You would never want to jump start with the jumper cables hooked up in series unless you had removed one of the batteries (like for being bad) from the equipment or you would be pushing 36 volts through and probably fry some electronics
All good advice and a good thing you asked before doing anything. Awhile ago we were having a problem with our 490D excavator. The batteries would run down if it sat any more than a day. And then we had to rebuild the alternator twice in a short time. Couldn't figure out what was happening to it. But later I did find out what was happening to the alternator. I just happened to walk up as they were putting the jumper cables on it. And they were jumping it the wrong way with + on one battery and - on the other battery, this is a 2 battery 24 volt system. I immediately yelled at them to stop as I was walking up, and then showed them the right way. I later talked to they guy that rebuilds our alternaters, etc. and he said this was probably the problem. So far he is right and we haven't a problem with it since. Also the discharging problem ended up being a bad relay. And like I told the guys if you don't know ask, and don't be afraid to ask it won't make you look stupid and is how I learned everything.
if one uses 2 vehicles to boost the 24v system do not let any part of the 2 vehicles touch the equipment being boosted. one WILL not like the results. been there done that
I believe I understand. But jumping 2 pickup trucks to 2 batteries that are tied + to - still seems kinda wrong. For some reason this still sounds like another one of those times my neighbors feel the need to call each other because everyone needs to see this to believe it. Thanks, Greg
charger took me a while to get used to the idea. as long as one hooks one truck to one battery only + to - and the other truck to the other battery + to - it does work. BUT if the truck body or any part there of that is hooked to the + 24v hot lead ever touches the body of the piece of equipment things get smokey big time.