Can I separate two pairs of batteries?

[Stevebellevue]

I apologize for posting an RV question here, but you all seem very smart about this stuff and I'm getting really mixed answers from RVer's. I hope you'll indulge me and give some thought to the following question which I suspect is highly relevant to boaters as well. Here goes:

I recently purchased a 10 year old Class C Bornfree. On the drivers side there is space for two deep cells, but no more. I'd like to add two more deep cells. There is a storage bay on the passenger side of the coach that I am going to put a Magnum inverter in. I'd like to add two deep cycles so that I would have a total of four. My plan would be to buy 4 new 6 volt golf cart batteries. There would be about 6 feet of separation between the two sets of batteries. The problem is that I am getting answers all over the map about whether this is a good idea. Several RV tech and sales people have said I can do it if I use suffeciently heavy wire. The Magnum tech guy told me that it is not a good idea because even with really heavy gauge wire, the batteries would drawn down differently.

What do you all think? Is this something that can be done in such a way that I am not harming the battery set and in such a way that I am not reducing the power available from the battery set?

Thanks,

Steve

[btrayfors]

Steve,

It's no problem at all. I have six T-105 golf carts on my boat: two on the starboard side and four on the port side. There is about a 10' separation, all are connected together in series/parallel to yield one 675AH house bank, and they've been going strong for some 5 years.

The trick is:

1. use heavy cable and very good lugs and connections; for your 6' separation I'd say no less than 1/0 guage; 2/0 would be better; and

2. hook them up so that the positive load comes off one end of the chain, and the negative off the other.

Good luck,

Bill

[Pete7]

Steve, as Bill says. This is a good article that explains it well:

SmartGauge Electronics - Interconnecting multiple batteries to form one larger bank

Pete

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Steve.

The Magnum tech guy is technically right; but, as RV tech and sales people have said, the difference in "draw down" would be insignificant if utilizing large enough cables.

[ShaunJ]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Steve, as Bill says. This is a good article that explains it well:

SmartGauge Electronics - Interconnecting multiple batteries to form one larger bank

Pete

Thanks Pete
That is a great resource.