Battery Wiring Question

[rutwad]

I have 2 wired parallel and the third wired in series. I don't know enough about it but would it be better to use only 2 batteries?
Also I checked the voltage from the charger again. This time it read 27-28 volts, but I was using a different meter. Other meter shows 34-35 volts.

 

[TomSeller]

I have 2 wired parallel and the third wired in series. I don't know enough about it but would it be better to use only 2 batteries?
Also I checked the voltage from the charger again. This time it read 27-28 volts, but I was using a different meter. Other meter shows 34-35 volts.

That sounds like you do have a 24V charger. (should be slightly above 12v)

Two 12V in series would be the way I'd go.

 

[Ron50]

I had an all electric boom lift with two pairs of 12v batteries. That is 24v twice. 24v ran the hydraulics and to two banks in series gave the electric drive motor 48v. Charger was onboard 24v. Hydraulics would last all day with this setup.

 

[chim]

At the risk of not having this thread reach 25 pages, I searched for info on the scissors lift in question and found:

"POWER PLANT
Permanent magnet DC motor with thermal protection,
4 hp. Powered by four 6-volt 200 amp-hour batteries."

See the linked PDF below. I'm guessing the higher charger voltage measured will drop some when it has a load. If it was only 24 volts it wouldn't charge much.


http://www.hedi.pl/files/b100.pdf

 

[Xfaxman]

I have 2 wired parallel and the third wired in series. I don't know enough about it but would it be better to use only 2 batteries?
Also I checked the voltage from the charger again. This time it read 27-28 volts, but I was using a different meter. Other meter shows 34-35 volts.

Several guys, including me, have said to just use 2. Even if you don't understand why, the fact that no other machines or battery applications in the known universe use 3 batteries wired like you have done, should be reason enough to just use 2 in series.

You won't know the true charging voltage until the charger is connected to the negative post if one battery and the positive post of the other battery.

The other important thing that you haven't told us is the battery amp hours and type.

Are they deep cycle?

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Chim is right. The SM2232 is powered by a permanent magnet DC motor with thermal protection, 4 hp. Powered by four 6-volt 200 amp-hour batteries.

 

[buickanddeere]

This shows 4 batteries, but it had 3- 12 volt batteries when we bought it used. I can get 24 volts from the 3 batteries. But I have not hooked up the charger because I checked it's output with my voltmeter and it read 36 volts. So now that I have the batteries wired for 24 volts, how can I hook the charger up?

As you have been told before . DO NOT connect three 12V batteries to obtain 24V . The lone 12V battery will sooner or later fail due to deep cycling , cell reversal and a hydrogen explosion.
If you must , just use two 12V batteries in series . Only two, set the 3rd battery on the shop shelf.

 

[buickanddeere]

2 12v batteries in series is 24v and a third in parallel is still 24v. How will that smoke the wiring harness?

Just believe us. You don't tell your dentist how to drill out a cavity and fill it.

 

[buickanddeere]

Well I was brought into this situation only recently. Several months back I bought 3 12 volt batteries to replace the ones taken out (not by me). I brought them home and placed them back in the battery tray of the lift. My dad is struggling with medical problems and last week was his first attempt to hook the batteries up and requested my help. He said it was a 24 volt system. I never thought 3 12 volt batteries seemed right so I told him let me look online before we hook them up wrong. Turns out it is a 24v system and I know 3 12v batteries came out of it. I told him the previous owner may have changed something because it didn't seem right to me. But it has worked for years and I was trying to figure out how it may have been hooked up.
I hooked it up as 24v and it works. However I did not hook the charger up. It is putting out 36v. Even if I swap to 4 6 volt batteries I still wouldn't know how to hook the charger back.

Open circuit voltage or 36 while charging ?

 

[joefromga]

Just believe us. You don't tell your dentist how to drill out a cavity and fill it.

You do if your dentist doesn't know what he's talking about and you do.

That won't smoke the wiring harness. The guy told you that's how it was and that's how he put it back. No smoke yet.

I wasn't asking because I didn't know. I was asking because I wanted someone to try and explain it to me. But it can't be explained and I knew that. Like when your boy says "I want some money, you have plenty, dad" and you ask him "where does money come from?"

I know how batteries work. Just trust me.