2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

Could you wire two 6V batteries in series and charge them with 12V battery charger??

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

Yes

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

Yes if both are similar capacities and state of charge. Otherwise, no.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

I have a heavy old charger that charges at 12,24, and 32 volts. I have hooked 2 12 volt and one 8 volt in series and they charged fine with charger set to 32 volts. I figured it was the only way to charge my 8 volt battery.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

An older 6-volt charger will just barely charge an 8-volt battery but then those are for golf carts. I'd never use one on a car. 32-volt was popular on farm homes back when wind generators were keeping a few lights and a radio working in the old days. A lot of golf carts were 48-volts and maybe still are. I have an old Schauer charger that charges 6, 12, & 24 so I can keep the aircraft batteries charged up. It can charge two 12-volts in series or two 6-volts in series.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

yes, as long as they are both lead acid.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

The wet cell, AGM, and gel cell batteries are all lead acid types but the gel type has silica added to thicken the electrolyte.

The major difference between the wet cell and the others is that the AGM & gel types have to have a slower and lower charge rate than the wet cells can take. A lot of the newer battery chargers have sensors that can tell what type of battery it's connected to so they can regulate them differently. It's best to use a trickle charger on the AGM and gel cell types to keep them alive longer. A tapering charger with a low amp setting will work on them but you can't leave them on there all that long. They should not be overcharged either.

Wet cells can be charged at any rate but they too can be damaged if overcharged at too high a rate so it pays to baby set them when charging or have an auto shut off charger.

My chargers are old school 5 or 6-amp tapering chargers that will charge about any battery that is still in good condition. A person can tell what shape a battery is in with a good charger. With wet cells, a person can take a hydrometer reading on the electrolyte and tell what it's state of charge is (specific gravity reading). The only bad thing about wet cell types is that they can leak so they have to be upright and they require at least a 6-month check up if used regularly or a monthly check & charge if dormant. The others can be positioned about any way a person wants with no maintenance schedule.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

All mine are sealed.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

If I remember correctly, charging multiple batteries rarely if ever fully charges all the batteries without some kind auto or manual isolator, like motor homes/boats use/used.

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

You can't mix battery types as mentioned. If you have two identical batteries in series they will charge with 12v.

It is an interesting question though as you are running 12-14v through a couple of 6 volt batteries. Do they need to be individually charged? I would say no. A 12volt battery is just 3 more cells then a 6volt. They are only the same 6 cells connected but in two plastic cases. In series they are one. It's the same as a new car with hundreds of lithium batteries in series.

The batteries share the energy in series. It'd be easier and cheaper to use a 12volt battery. Obviously it's way more technical if you have a hundred batteries and might need a conditioner type regulator board since you plug it into a 120v home outlet.

Just my thought.

Good link to read...
https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/arti...-tutorial.html

Re: 2nd battery question for electric guru's
 

I had a '57 MG Magnette (4 door sedan). It was 12 volts from the factory, but came with two 6 volt batteries wired in series. I got the car with 37,000 miles and everything appeared to be original. The batteries were under the rear seat and were mounted in what looked like a factory manner.

It still wouldn't start in the winter.:mad: