Dual Battery fun.

[utherjorge]

I've been reading up on dual batteries here, thanks in no small part to Ryoken's endless information. Thanks to all and Ryoken for the knowledge that has been uploaded.

However, I have a couple of additional questions that none of the topics or diagrams seem to address.

1. If I put the second battery in the back (I'm thinking an Optima, FWIW), and I run a cable forward, how do I secure that line without putting a carpet down? I'm thinking of Rhino Lining/Blackshelling/etc the floor and leaving that all out to clean easily. From my experience wiring houses, I would try to bury it someplace, and in this case, it would be under the floor. Should I then get essentially some narrow tube and run it down and under the floor to the engine compartment and then up where the fun continues? In essence....merely lengthening the same wire from the diagrams?

2. What gauge wire would I do that with anyway?

3. If I ran any other wires in this tunnel/tube/pipe forward or backward, would the electrical line cause interference? Or...is it better to set up a buss in the back to run all of that stuff from (12V outs, one 110, maybe a line for a compressor and so on)? I worry I might still have to run audio lines forward or back for speakers.

I know that this is an elaborate question and topic, but I swear, wrapping my mind around this is already aging me, and wires don't scare me, but I have zero current faith in what I'm doing electrically in my K.

Sorry for the head scratcher.

 

[shady]

if your running a large gauge wire just go under the body along the frame. small gauge could be done the same way if you wont have carpet. you can run them in emt conduit if you want and secure it to the body or frame. as for interference. just dont run signal wires (speaker, RCA's, etc.) with power wires.


on a side note, If you ever parallel 2 batteries they have to be identical and purchased in pairs or they will fight each other and kill themselves prematurely.

 

[kdoske]

Just curious why you are putting the battery in the back? Weight I guess? Someone has a drivers side battery tray in the classifieds section for 20+shipping. Quality 0 or 1 guage battery cable wire to run from the back to the front would be at least tripple that cost.

If you do run it in the back I would put the wire in the frame with the fuel lines or on top of the frame. The conduit is overkill in my opinion.

 

[TerryD]

I wouldn't use conduit either, but split loom is easy to put on and a great way to protect it from nicks and gouges.

 

[Blue85]

I wouldn't want the large wire running past the door, etc. I would drop it through the floor with a grommet and run it up the frame rail. Really we're talking about two large wires. I would think 6 gauge would be bare minimum, unless it's just an auxiliary battery. Remember that batteries produce Hydrogen gas.