Dual battery installations

there is also a setup (found it on the net) I have it for a few years and works really well.

basically I have a red top optima as a "car" battery, and a deep cycle (yellow top optima) for the winch. both get charged by the alternator, but they get used "seperately" (when the yellow one has drained I still have the red one, and the other way around.)

I don't have a switch to switch between them, the red one is dedicated car battery, the yellow on is dedicated winch battery.

as I mentioned I found the schematics on the net.

R> Looking for thoughts on dual battery setups. I have been running a dual

That wouldn't be possible (if you don't have a switch or solenoid) unless you have a diode isolator between the two batteries. Otherwise, they both would have a common connection at the alternator, and would be in parallel.

Dick

True

JimG

That's a basic isolator setup.

JimG

This page might help you out:

I have to check. I moved to the other side of the country. (I think I printed it and stuck the sheets of paper in teh haynes or chilton manual somewhere.

Ron

twaldr> Do you still have a URL for those directions?

I am not an electrician, So I dunno all the details. But it works and the instructions where pretty good.

There is a battery isolator involved though.

I found the schematic on the web 2 years or so ago, together with the instructions of the isolator it was pretty easy to hook up. The isolator isn't that cheap, it was about $70 or so and it's pretty big.

Ron

Dick wrote:

might be it is called that, for me it works pretty good.

for some reas> That's a basic isolator setup.