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Old 12-29-2018, 06:37 AM   #4
DavidM
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City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,785
First your batteries got hot due to internal sulfate sloughing off the plates and building up enough to short the plates. This was caused by chronic undercharging, probably because you relied upon the single voltage regulated alternators.


I don't agree with taking a light duty alternator and requiring it to put out 80 amps continuously by having an electrical shop provide an external regulator connection. It won't last very long in that service. Balmar and other high output alternators have heavier windings, better cooling and heavier diodes to let them put out high current continuously.


So yes, I would replace one of the alternators with a high output, externally regulated one.


GCs are much better at deep cycle use and 4 wired series/parallel will give you 440 amp hours or about 220 AHs useable. Whether that will run your appliances is a tough question. Maybe, maybe not. Try it and see. If the battery voltage drops to 12.0 or less overnight before you can charge then that is too low and you need to reduce load, increase batteries or increase the charging frequency.


Also a 100-200 watt solar panel even in the inside passage would help top off the batteries during the day.


David
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