Battery Isolators???
6th Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,936
From:
I could be wrong as I have not worked with any REALLY big systems requiring multiple batteries, let me see if I can explain the way it was explained to me(long ago).
When using multiple batteries it is important to isolate one battery from the other to keep the potential difference between the two from causing performance problems. Say on battery is at 13.0v, and the other at 12.9 and you hook them up with no isolator. What will happen is that the difference between the two will cause a shift in current from the stronger to the weaker battery to balance the two batteries. Problem is that the two batteries no matter if they were made at the same time on after another will have slightly different charging and discharging tendencies so they will never be perfectly balanced. The potential difference between the two will cause them to go bad sooner then if they were isolated because even when the car is off they are fighting to balance each other even when the car and everything is off.
As I said I might be wrong here.
isolators save batteries. You will still need a HO alt to support the two of them.
When using multiple batteries it is important to isolate one battery from the other to keep the potential difference between the two from causing performance problems. Say on battery is at 13.0v, and the other at 12.9 and you hook them up with no isolator. What will happen is that the difference between the two will cause a shift in current from the stronger to the weaker battery to balance the two batteries. Problem is that the two batteries no matter if they were made at the same time on after another will have slightly different charging and discharging tendencies so they will never be perfectly balanced. The potential difference between the two will cause them to go bad sooner then if they were isolated because even when the car is off they are fighting to balance each other even when the car and everything is off.
As I said I might be wrong here.
isolators save batteries. You will still need a HO alt to support the two of them.
Thread Starter
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 282
From: Alabama
you still need a HOA to run an isolator?
6th Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,936
From:
an isolator is nothing more then a switch that will disconnect a battery from the other. There are two basic types, one is a relay and the other is a diode. The isolator is not what dictates the high output alternator, it is the 2nd battery.
When you slap a 2nd battery on an alt, you create a hell of a load that the alt was not made to handle(unless you have a heavy duty truck). If you had a generator(alternator) hooked up to the bicycle charging a battery and then slapped a 2nd one on while you were peddling you would feel that it would become harder to pedal. At that point you could consider that the alternator is towing the load of the 2nd battery to try and keep up with it and just like you would need a heavy duty transmission if you were towing alot of loads behind your car, your alt will need to be HO to fill the demands of the batteries.
When you slap a 2nd battery on an alt, you create a hell of a load that the alt was not made to handle(unless you have a heavy duty truck). If you had a generator(alternator) hooked up to the bicycle charging a battery and then slapped a 2nd one on while you were peddling you would feel that it would become harder to pedal. At that point you could consider that the alternator is towing the load of the 2nd battery to try and keep up with it and just like you would need a heavy duty transmission if you were towing alot of loads behind your car, your alt will need to be HO to fill the demands of the batteries.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
logan409
4.6L (1996-2004 Modular) Mustang
10
Sep 26, 2015 07:43 PM