Adding a Battery for the amps

[chrisschweda]

I have a optima sitting in my garage and was wanting to set it next to the garbage can on my G23 and run the stock amp wires that are switched to the battery and run new wires directly from the optima to the amps kid of like having a capacitor. has anyone done this? I figure the wires from the main Batteries would keep the optima charged and give me extra play time when not running.

[Paxdad]

As long as the battery you are adding is parallel with one of the other batteries it will give you more play time. I will not matter which battery (parallel set) you run the amp to since they are parallel. Same voltage but double the ah.

[Tallredrider]

Mixing an AGM with a wet cell battery is generally a good recipe for early demise of one or both of the batteries. They have different resting voltages, so one is constantly discharging and overfeeding the other. It will work for a while, then you will blame Optima for making a crappy battery when it dies a premature death.

[nauty220]

Im always a fan of adding more batteries with upgraded sound systems, I think most are underpowered. IMO there are a lot better places for you to put that battery than next to the trash can. Maybe think about hiding it in the floor compartment. I have tucked 6 stinger batteries in there in my 2013 G.

[chrisschweda]

when the boats not being used I would have the Battery switch off so the difference in voltage would be fine I think. Yet I have only run the batteries down 1 time in a year last week when I installed less through whole boat and I listened to radio for 5 or 6 hrs so I may just hold off till I need new batteries and just go as big as I can at that time.

[swankster]

Im always a fan of adding more batteries with upgraded sound systems, I think most are underpowered. IMO there are a lot better places for you to put that battery than next to the trash can. Maybe think about hiding it in the floor compartment. I have tucked 6 stinger batteries in there in my 2013 G.

Can you post a picture of this?
Thanks

[nauty220]

[Tallredrider]

Did you have to do any serious mods to be able to get those in there? It looks like it is pretty much stock, but just the batteries are wedged in better. Nice work!

[SuperSquirt]

I'm curious about this, I am thinking of adding a 3rd battery to my normal factory dual battery setup (with perko switch). I am planning on hooking up a 3rd in parallel for my amps, but my question is about where the amps' power/ground lines connect to?

Should they be separated on the two batteries (like following the parallel design), or connected to the terminals of just one of the batteries?

[MLA]

Squirt,

If you have left the amps wired to the common post of the OEM Blue Sea 1/2/BOTH/OFF switch, then adding a 2nd house battery is as easy as just wiring them in parallel. Nothing with the amps cabling will change. Once the 2 batteries are wire together, they become one, so it wont matter which one the amp's B- is connected to. The only thing is to not stack too many cables on one post. Spread them out between the 2 batteries.

[SuperSquirt]

I actually just have the amps directly connected to one of my batteries (#1). I don't have the amps running to the battery selector switch. I'm just curious if my amp wires should stay on one battery or split up the power/ground between the two batteries that are in parallel.

[8urchvy]

Good question...I added a battery in parallel. I have all three amps running to the one battery and the other battery is parallel.. I'm assuming it is preferred.