11 replies to this topic

[Mike]

Decided to charge one of my batteries with them still hooked up. I have 2 twelve volt batteries positive ground system. My thoughts was to hook the charger to a battery by connecting positive lead to positive side of the battery and negative lead to negative side of the battery and not paying attention to the large cable hookup. Can someone tell me in laymans terms how to hook the charger to a battery correctly. I have made this simple task a real bear. I've been told to think the opposite by connecting my leads neg. to pos. and pos. to neg..... it has not made since yet.


Thanks
mike

[theakerstwo]

Decided to charge one of my batteries with them still hooked up. I have 2 twelve volt batteries positive ground system. My thoughts was to hook the charger to a battery by connecting positive lead to positive side of the battery and negative lead to negative side of the battery and not paying attention to the large cable hookup. Can someone tell me in laymans terms how to hook the charger to a battery correctly. I have made this simple task a real bear. I've been told to think the opposite by connecting my leads neg. to pos. and pos. to neg..... it has not made since yet.
Thanks
mike

If you are going to charge a battery you will connect neg charger cable to neg side of battery and pos charger cable to pos side of battery.You are charging the battery not the truck so it dont matter if it is on the ground or connected to the truck, You are only charging the battery.

[Mike]

Hi Glenn,

This is the method the repair guy told me to connect charger. I'm now wandering why? Thanks for the help. That is exactly the way I was connecting it as you explained to me. But last week I decided to put the charger on for a couple of hours. Before I connected power to the charger, I connected the charger to the battery and got a good arch. I could not understand why the arch. I continued and seemed no other problems occured. I'm hoping the weather here will be good tomorrow. Again many thanks.

mike

[E9V8]

Are you using a 12 volt or 24 volt charger, Mike?
I only have a 12 volt charger, so if I had to charge two 12 volt batteries hooked up in a series (24 volt) I would have to unhook the batteries and charge each one separately - otherwise 24 volts would backfeed into the charger and possibly burn it up. (?)
The two 12 volt batteries in my Ford F-250 diesel were hooked up in parallel, and I could hook the charger up without disconnecting anything.

[theakerstwo]

Are you using a 12 volt or 24 volt charger, Mike?
I only have a 12 volt charger, so if I had to charge two 12 volt batteries hooked up in a series (24 volt) I would have to unhook the batteries and charge each one separately - otherwise 24 volts would backfeed into the charger and possibly burn it up. (?)
The two 12 volt batteries in my Ford F-250 diesel were hooked up in parallel, and I could hook the charger up without disconnecting anything.

Think about this ,if you have many 12 volt batterys connected to each other any way you want to connect them ,then you can pick out any one of them and put a 12 volt charger on it and charge it with out disconnecting it. This is been a thought many people have had thru my working years as a truck mechanic and it is hard for some one to understand i guess but you do nor have to diconnect any battery to charge on any setup. You are only charging into that battery. You can charge it when the truck is rtunning or not running.You can charge it when it is cranking .

[E9V8]

Sorry, but that makes no sense to me.

My rechargeable flashlight uses four 1.5 volt batteries and the charger is 6 volt. If what you're saying is correct, the charger should only be 1.5 volt and the electricity should automatically "know" which battery needs charged?

[theakerstwo]

Sorry, but that makes no sense to me.

My rechargeable flashlight uses four 1.5 volt batteries and the charger is 6 volt. If what you're saying is correct, the charger should only be 1.5 volt and the electricity should automatically "know" which battery needs charged?

I guess i misunderstood you but if you have a flash light with 4 battys in it then yes you wouild need a 1.5 v charger and you would connect direct to the battery you wanted to charge and it will charge that battery still connexted to the other but you ant charging thru the others but direct to the one battery.

[theakerstwo]

Are you using a 12 volt or 24 volt charger, Mike?
I only have a 12 volt charger, so if I had to charge two 12 volt batteries hooked up in a series (24 volt) I would have to unhook the batteries and charge each one separately - otherwise 24 volts would backfeed into the charger and possibly burn it up. (?)
The two 12 volt batteries in my Ford F-250 diesel were hooked up in parallel, and I could hook the charger up without disconnecting anything.

But on this statment here you can charge that 12 v battery with a 12v charger but one battery at a time but no need in disconnecting it becuse you will connect direct to one battery at a time. Then to charge the other 12 v connect direct to it and charge but no need in disconnecting it.

[E9V8]

I think I know what you're saying now, and yes, your method is totally correct - you have to hook the battery charger leads directly to the terminals of the battery that needs charged. (12 volt between two posts of a single battery - regardless of how many other batteries are hooked in series or parallel with that battery)

I wasn't sure if Mike might have accidentally hooked a 12 volt charger up across two terminals totaling more than 12 volts, which could have created an arc.

[theakerstwo]

I think I know what you're saying now, and yes, your method is totally correct - you have to hook the battery charger leads directly to the terminals of the battery that needs charged. (12 volt between two posts of a single battery - regardless of how many other batteries are hooked in series or parallel with that battery)

I wasn't sure if Mike might have accidentally hooked a 12 volt charger up across two terminals totaling more than 12 volts, which could have created an arc.

I understand now i can see. Well electric is hard to understand some time cause you cant see it.But you sure can feel it some times. I like working with air leakes better .It is clean and the air is free and i can hear it. glenn

[Greg Rider]

Is the truck a 24volt truck or is it a 12volt truck with a 24volt starter? The best way is to take the battery out and charge it. It takes time but you will see which battery is really needing charged. If you have a good battery and a so-so one, it will charge them both but the so-so one will create a load on the good one. As for the flashlight senerio, it needs 6volts to charge it. That is the system operating voltage. I bet it uses a 6volt bulb! The batteries are in a "series" setup. They act as one 6volt with more amps available.

[Mike]

Guys I'm using a 12 volt charger on a 12 volt battery with 2 and 6 amp. charge option. I have a 24 volt start system and 12 volt truck. I have the original set-up for my B61 with series- paraell switch.

Am charging one battery at a time still hooked up to it's terminals. Has been working ok. Have not tryed to start it yet. Will do so when the weather is better.

Thanks for the replys!!!
mike