Battery Conditioner and dual battery system question

[Cape Town]

Hi all

Have just put in a second battery in my Prado.
Am also just about to go overseas for a few months. When I do this I always use a battery conditioner, so the battery does not go flat.

What do I do with 2 batteries ?
If I attach the conditioner to the main battery, will it also look after the second ?
Or do I need 2 conditioners ?
Or disconnect the 2nd battery ?

[Kudus]

Hi all

Have just put in a second battery in my Prado.
Am also just about to go overseas for a few months. When I do this I always use a battery conditioner, so the battery does not go flat.

What do I do with 2 batteries ?
If I attach the conditioner to the main battery, will it also look after the second ?
Or do I need 2 conditioners ?
Or disconnect the 2nd battery ?

If your second battery is isolated from your starter battery the second battery will not be charged. I am no expert at all but would think if you bypass the isolater then both batteries would be looked after

[DC Polokwane]

If it is 2 or 3 months then I would disconnect them, full charge them and leave them like that, recharge when you return.

If its more than 3 months I would remove them and place them together, fully charge them, then connect them in parallel and put them on a trickle charger till you return.

Assuming its lead acid batteries.

For lithium just leave them at 80% SOC.

.

[Stranger]

How is the second battery connected ?

My Pajero stands a week at a time and I put a 50 W solar panel and PWM controller together. BH connector to the main battery. It has shown to charge the aux battery through the aux system.

[JAPster]

Not sure what dual battery system you have. I have a CTEK D250SA. I just leave the solar panel connected to this unit when parked at home.

Page 4 of the manual states that:
"Trickle charging of the starter battery from a solar panel
The D250SA trickle charges the starter battery from a solar panel at intervals of 3 seconds if theservice battery is fully charged."

Have not seen any specific negative consequences over the past 4 years.

[Damdan]

I connect my 15a victron charger to the starter battery only.
After a certain period of time (not sure if determined by the 5min timer or the voltage level of the starter battery) the National Luna solenoid clicks on thereby opening the line to the auxiliary batteries (I have three) and the charger just carries on happily keeping all of their levels up until one day I decide to take a spin and disconnect the charger.
Im no expert, I might be doing something wrong but it works for me (and my batteries).

[steamer]

I connect my 15a victron charger to the starter battery only.
After a certain period of time (not sure if determined by the 5min timer or the voltage level of the starter battery) the National Luna solenoid clicks on thereby opening the line to the auxiliary batteries (I have three) and the charger just carries on happily keeping all of their levels up until one day I decide to take a spin and disconnect the charger.
Im no expert, I might be doing something wrong but it works for me (and my batteries).

I used to do exactly that with the cruiser which had the NL solenoid system. No problems whatsoever.I quite often heard the solenoid click while working in the garage.

[FourStroke]

first make sure 2nd battery is fully charged
then put charger onto the starter battery.

[Fluffy]

first make sure 2nd battery is fully charged
then put charger onto the starter battery.

Yep, make sure both batteries are fully charged, then connect them together, put the charger on and leave like that.

Thats a perfect world. Real world, just connect both to the charger and go overseas.

I am however a bit concerned with the word "conditioner". What is that.

Maintenance charger is what you really need.