Do You Need a “BATTERY Bank”

Whats a battery bank for ?

A battery bank is used to join up a certain number of batteries that may be required to either increase the voltage , or increase the ampage on single application. For example to join up batteries for use of storage from a solar panel system, solarbatteries online, or a bank of batteries may be required for say a house boat , there are many things in today’s World that need a bank of batteries large electrical installations require huge banks of UPSbatteries online, and also computer installations require huge banks of AGMbatteries onlinefor their back up systems in case of a power failure.

When you need more voltage or ampage you will need a battery bank. The are two ways to connect your batteries into a bank 1= Series and the other is 2= Parallel.

SERIES

Series is used to add the voltage of the batteries, but the ampage remains the same, if you join the positive and the negative with a separate lead (known as a jumper lead) and the remaining positive and negative to the application . For your own safety you should not cross the remaining open positive and open negative terminals with each other or it will short out the battery and will damage the battery and could cause harm to you. Your batteries in the bank should of the same voltage and ampage for example 2x 6 volt 10 amp is fine in a bank but 1x12volt and one 6 volt is out of the question.

PARALLEL

This is the second method of forming a battery bank. Parallel will increase the current size, but not the voltage. This method requires a heavier duty cable to join the batteries up, just a thing to beware of. For you to join up the batteries you will have to use one set of cables to join both the positive terminals, and another set of cables to join the negative cables. So you have negative to negative and positive to positive, you then join the application positive to battery positive and the application negative to the same battery negative, I have done two simple drawings that explain better.

There is a third way to connect abatteries online (four and above) but I will do this in a separate blog.