Running Multiple Batts?

[Anonymous 10+ year member]

I have heard so many different things from different people regarding this issue. Some people say that you need a relay or isolator because the batteries will drain from each other and other people say that you don't need to run a relay or isolator just run all the batts in parallel. Which method is correct? My front batt is a regular batt and 3 back are 3 Deka deep cycles. Reason I ask is because I had a 250A Mechman alt that just shit on me an I was not running any power, the only thing that was hooked to the alt was the batts.

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[Anonymous 10+ year member]

anything is helpful. btw I dont know if the back batts are deep cycle I just know they're sealed agm batts, and the one front batt is a normal batt from auto zone

 

[S.B.C. 10+ year member]

Never ran a isolater or relay

Unless your gonna listen to your system with the car off..

Coulda just been a faulty alt..

 

[Enellz 10+ year member]

Either way if fine. Run the iso if you keep the car off and listen to music. If you only listen while driving toss the iso. Your alternator just crapped out, that's all.

 

[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

i dont run an isolator

 

[natisfynest 10+ year member]

2005 member and you havent seen this answered a million times??????

It really comes down to personal preference i dont prefer a isolater so i dont run one the next guy mite so he will

 

[Chrispy 10+ year member]

No isolater here either.

 

[Crownvicon28s 10+ year member]

use to use one. took it out.

 

[DNick454 10+ year member]

Best way to avoid any problems is to buy the batteries at the same exact time and try to match brand. If you have several new batteries you put in, but there's a faulty one, under the hood lets say, then the batteries you added are going to try their best to top that battery off. And if it's a bad cell, then that one bad battery is going to drain the others.

-Have all the batteries tested

-Make sure you have sufficient wire connecting them

-Good grounds

-Solid connection to alt

Since they're all hooked up right now, the voltage will be level. Unhook them and check their voltage individually, one might have a significantly lower resting voltage and is not helping, but instead putting a strain on your other batteries and alt in an attempt to level the lame battery's voltage.

 

[vitveet 10+ year member]

Why do you have 3 nice batteries in the back but a cheap autozone battery in the back? Makes no sense to me....upgrade the front battery as it'll only help!

V.

 

[DNick454 10+ year member]

Why do you have 3 nice batteries in the back but a cheap autozone battery in the back? Makes no sense to me....upgrade the front battery as it'll only help!
V.

No, you make no sense //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

But yeah, I would get a battery to match. I bet the resting voltage of those batteries in back is significantly higher than that cheap (and old I'm assuming) AutoBone battery in front. There's a chance it could be taxing your batteries in back via a dead cell or something.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

2 Kinetik HC 2000's...no isolator...no problem. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[BusaRyda2504 10+ year member]

I Have An Optima In The Front With An Isolator On The Run Back To The Other 3 Optimas In The Back That Are Ran Parallel Works Flawlessly

 

[Anonymous 10+ year member]

Ok so dont need the bs relay? The batt upfront is brand new and the reason I got a traditional batt up front is because I did have a Exide/Rockford Fosgate 1100A Deep cycle batt and it did not last as a starting batt.

 

[smoka 10+ year member]

Ok so dont need the bs relay? The batt upfront is brand new and the reason I got a traditional batt up front is because I did have a Exide/Rockford Fosgate 1100A Deep cycle batt and it did not last as a starting batt.

It doesn't matter on the location of the batt. When you start the car it will pull current from ALL batts.

The Exide probably didn't last because as DNick454 said its not good to run different types of batts on the same system.

Front or back, when hooked up in parallel its all just one big battery bank.