Don Jordan Posted October 10, 2009 Report Posted October 10, 2009 I am going in for knee surgery which will keep me out of the garage for about 6 weeks. I have a little trickle charger. Question - can I hook up two batteries together and plug the charger on one and have both batteries charge? I'm sure some of you old pros are laughing at this but I don't want to mess anything up. Better to ask. Quote
greg g Posted October 10, 2009 Report Posted October 10, 2009 Yes, first I would remove or disconnect the batteries, removal is easier since you can do it on the floor or bench. Just connect the first battery as you ormally would to the charger, then jump pos to pos and neg to neg of bat two with wires. You can make us a little set out of aligator clips and 12 gauge insulated wire. Wait for aother aswer icase this is wrong....................... Good luck with your surgery and recovery. Quote
48mirage Posted October 10, 2009 Report Posted October 10, 2009 assuming both batteries are 6 volt and you have a 6 volt charger. Connect + to + and - to - on the batteries. Then with your trickle charger, connect the positive lead to one battery and the negative lead to the other battery. This assures flow through both batteries. Quote
Jim Saraceno Posted October 10, 2009 Report Posted October 10, 2009 I agree with both of the above posts but riddle me this... If one battery is good and the other bad, would the charger try to charge the bad battery and burn out the good? If both batteries are in the same good condition I can see no problem. Quote
claybill Posted October 10, 2009 Report Posted October 10, 2009 good luck with the knee....total or just a 'clean-up? had both mine done.......you'll be in the garage in 3 weeks, maybe less. keep bending, keep bending...keep bending...keeep beeeennndiing...keeepppp beeeeennining... bill Quote
Don Jordan Posted October 10, 2009 Author Report Posted October 10, 2009 Excellent!! Thank you very much. Both batteries are relatively new Optima. I am sure your advice will help. BTW: after putting it off for too many years I am having one knee replaced. It is bone on bone with a touch of arthritis. With all the talk about health insurance I figured I should get it done while I'm insured. My heart goes out to all the people with no insurance or who are under insured. I'm not trying to start anything here just wanted to state my good fortune. I am appreciative. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted October 10, 2009 Report Posted October 10, 2009 I agree with both of the above posts but riddle me this...If one battery is good and the other bad, would the charger try to charge the bad battery and burn out the good? If both batteries are in the same good condition I can see no problem. If the battery charger is a constant output and not auto shutoff..the batteries will continue to receive current..albeit low current..that is not that big a problem is the current is low JUST WATCH the aicd level in the batteries and keep them at level..the biggest problem with overcharging is the los of water.. I keep the motocycle batteries topped off with a 300mA 12 volt charger as normally found on computer speakers etc...you can find these in 6 volt also..250mA will keep a good battery at charge and limit the boil off of electrolyte Quote
Young Ed Posted October 11, 2009 Report Posted October 11, 2009 For only 6 weeks I don't think you really need to charge them at all. My truck sits for 5months and in the spring I just hook it back up and start her up. The place I store doesnt permit battery removal Quote
greg g Posted October 11, 2009 Report Posted October 11, 2009 Why not just disconnect the ground cable and let them sit. You can charge them when you are up and around. Quote
Don Jordan Posted October 11, 2009 Author Report Posted October 11, 2009 I'm just trying to get all the little things done in the next week while I can. It's just a little trickle tender - I figure it can't hurt anything. And it's going to start getting cold soon so this way the batteries are in the garage. I'm guessing summer is over. Thanks for all the input. Quote
RobertKB Posted October 11, 2009 Report Posted October 11, 2009 I hear it is better to store a healthy battery in the cold, rather than in the heat. Less chemical activity is my guess. Quote
martybose Posted October 11, 2009 Report Posted October 11, 2009 I hear it is better to store a healthy battery in the cold, rather than in the heat. Less chemical activity is my guess. Quite true. Interestingly, when a battery is working they are better off being warm. I learned that while running a Telco switch facility, because the electronics were kept at about 60 degrees, but the battery room was air-conditioned to about 85 degrees. It made for an interesting shock to the old body when you opened the door to go into or out of the battery room. Marty Quote
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