Re: Solar Charging Question: Wiring Configuration for two six-volt batteries
Your hookup sounds correct. The two 6V batteries wired in series is a 12V battery, so, that part makes no difference. If you are plugged into shore AC power your trailer converter battery charger will be active. If you have sunlight on the panels the solar controller (another battery charger) will also be active. The sparks may be the result of having the two battery chargers at different voltages (setpoints will always be somewhat different) as you connect them together. It may not be harmful, but, I don't like the idea of having two chargers active on the same battery. While I don't know without understanding the design of the two controllers, I suspect one would cause the other to shut down without any harm (who knows, they might even share the load, seems unlikely though). At any rate, in my trailer I never plug the solar panels into the solar controller if I have shore AC power hooked up and vice versa. It just seems to me to be a bad practice to have the two battery chargers fighting over what voltage the battery should be at. Of course, at night it wouldn't matter ... 8)
Bill
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