Carver Owners Forum

i have a Carver 3207 I have a 2 Batteries , bank 1 and 2 on the switch ... I would like to add a Second Battery to one bank and run it in parallel so 1 will be 1 battery and switch 2 will be 2 12 volts run in parallel. running ruffly 200 amp hour my question is does anyone see any issues with this when it comes to charging with the alternators i also have a 3 bank charger i only use 2 leads ? ? ? ? ?

You have to read the charger manual or consult the manufacturer. On some you would only use two leads, but on others you'd hook two of the leads to the same battery and one of the leads on the other battery or the charger won't function correctly (or you lose out on the total capacity of the charger).

Otherwise, don't see any big issues with what you're trying to do. You're just doubling the capacity on one side. If you were going REALLY big, say 4 batteries on that side, then there might be a concern about the alternator size vs the battery bank size. With just two I wound't be concerned.

km1125 wrote:Source of the post You have to read the charger manual or consult the manufacturer. On some you would only use two leads, but on others you'd hook two of the leads to the same battery and one of the leads on the other battery or the charger won't function correctly (or you lose out on the total capacity of the charger).

Otherwise, don't see any big issues with what you're trying to do. You're just doubling the capacity on one side. If you were going REALLY big, say 4 batteries on that side, then there might be a concern about the alternator size vs the battery bank size. With just two I wound't be concerned.

Thank you for your input i will check out the charger info

ataylor233 wrote:Source of the post i have a Carver 3207 I have a 2 Batteries , bank 1 and 2 on the switch ... I would like to add a Second Battery to one bank and run it in parallel so 1 will be 1 battery and switch 2 will be 2 12 volts run in parallel. running ruffly 200 amp hour my question is does anyone see any issues with this when it comes to charging with the alternators i also have a 3 bank charger i only use 2 leads ? ? ? ? ?

Sounds good, just take the power off the other end of the bank from the ground......should be just fine.

Technically, while it's done all the time, you should know that simply adding a new battery to an existing bank that contains batteries already a few years old may reduce the life of the new battery. It's always best to keep all the batteries in the bank the same age and spec. Eventually the old battery in that bank will have a reduced capacity to fully charge. However, until the battery is fully charged to spec, the charger will continue to try and reach the level of charge it's programmed to achieve. While this is helpful to try and get the old battery's voltage up as much as possible, this continuous output will overcharge the new battery. If you're going to go this route, smart charger or not, make sure you have good cables, good connectors, tight connections, AND check battery fluids often, especially the new battery. What type and spec are the two existing batteries, and how old are they?