JL Rockies wrote:
I'm going to splain it one more time (I pretty much posted this more times that I can remember) before a MOD moves this to electrical...
All power to operate a vehicle comes from the alternator (all power to move a speaker does also). Once the Batt provides juice to start a vehicle it immediately becomes a load on the alternator as does the electrical system and any accessories. If you add another battery, you add an additional load and since the alternator can't generate "more power", it's output is now split again and everyones share is reduced (like a Fed program).
Keep in mind that an isolator system isn't perfect either. There is loss through the isolator itself (reducing the charge voltage) and since the "extra" battery is still connected to the circuit via the chassis (negative return for the whole electrical system) it can still discharge if the main battery discharges as well. Electrons have a nasty habit of traveling to a positive charge when there's a difference of potential. Since there's no isolator on the ground wire, and electrons seek balance you can see the potential for extra batt drainage when you least expect it.
Ohm's Law..... you betta recognize... chilly willy.
Aren't we just engaging in semantics here? If the man puts in a (for discussion purposes) 7 amp-hour battery, then adds a second in series giving him 14 amp-hours, one could argue he has doubled his 'power'. He can now pull 2 amps for 7 hours, where before he could only pull 2 amps for 3.5 hours.
I do understand that there are technical terms that the 'lectricians of the world like to stick to (you know, shop talk when they get all oiled up, nekked and sit in the sauna together) but still...
I agree that he hasn't added any more battery 'horsepower' (voltage), but now he can finally go camping and run that Disco Ball, big screen TV, and electric blanket, 'cause you know, sometimes a brother likes to rough it out there.
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