I have ‘acquired’ 6 x new expedition plus 150 amp AGM batteries, I’m not that worried about the weight so how can I best utilise some or all of them?,
You can fit as many batteries as you want and have room and payload for.
What people always need to think about is how they plan to recharge those batteries.
If you use all that power and have no way to get power back in to them, you are potentially just dragging around a lot of dead weight. If you tend to go somewhere for a while and then go back home, maybe recharging at home is fine; but if you are touring around, you need a way to recharge when away, be it when driving, from
solar or from hookup
I have a single 120 amp
solar and cann’t add to it as my main unit thingy is a Sargent EC328 who say up to a 120 panel in their blurb
To go bigger than a 120W panel (NOT 120A
), you would need to bypass the EC328. No problem, you just connect the new
solar controller to the batteries direct.
Note that Sargent also have a recommendation of no more than around 160Ah or so of Leisure Batteries, so you need to find an alternative way to both charge on the move AND charge via Hookup as well as a
solar controller bypass. In effect, you need to bypass the EC328 Charging System in its entirety and use it as the AC and DC distribution only and not as a charging unit as well.
(FWIW, this is precisely what I have done with my Sargent EC325 unit and my 6 x 100Ah Leisure Batteries).
I would also probably want more than a 120W panel for recharging
so, do I replace the 2 existing 120amp batteries with 2 or 3 or all 6 of the new 150 ones,
If fitting multiple of the new 150Ah AGM batteries, I would not keep either of the two original batteries, but refresh the entire bank.
I was maybe thinking of a big
inverter to take advantage
If you have AC devices you would like to use off-grid - maybe a Microwave, or Induction Hob say - to take advantage of a big bank, then an
inverter can be an effective way to use this. Without an
Inverter, you can still make use of a big
battery bank but it is usually a way to extend off-grid camping time rather than a way to use high-power devices.
Given you would need to improve on the Mains Charger if you want to charge on Hookup, it would make sense to look at an
Inverter/Charger combo unit if an
Inverter is also on the wish list. Mains Charger is an AC-DC device and an
Inverter is a DC-AC device. basically they do the opposite roles but have a lot of similar components, and a combo unit can save space and money as they combine both technologies in the one box.
and would all 6 batteries receive the same charge top up when I’m on hook up or does the last one in line get less juice?,
The answer to the above is YES, but only if the batteries are installed without thought. And this issue would not be limited to charging, but also discharging as well (and ingeneral use, not just when/if using an
inverter).
If you have the batteries cabled correctly, then all batteries will get used equally and charged equally. Exactly what "correctly" translates to depends on if you are fitting 2, 3, 4, 5 or all 6 batteries. There are a few options to cable up the batteries for best practice, but also a lot of ways to NOT get the best out of them by poor cabling.
I don’t plan to do this work myself as I’m an imbecile, all advice gratefully accepted.
Take it logically and it is pretty straightforward for an installer to install to your requirements, leaving them to ensure the cabling is done correctly.
Given the question of how many batteries, what I would suggest is work out where they will go... do they need to be separated due to space? (consequence on cabling), weight distribution?
As an example, the
battery box in my Motorhome will accommodate 2 batteries, so I repurposed that external locker (now a tool box) and use part of the bench seat storage for my 6 batteries. Obviously by doing that I have lost internal storage space, but I accept that and not an issue for me.
