Difference Between Wiring Trailer Batteries In Series Vs. Parallel

Updated 07/26/2017 | Published 07/25/2017

Question:

I I have a 2000 Beaver coach 425 Thunder and had someone try to change the connectors from battery to battery and now I find myself with something I know nothing about. I have a bank of 4 six volt batteries that need to be wired to make 2 12 volt batteries and then connect the 2 12 volts to make a 12 volt battery with more amps for the coach. Can you help?

asked by: Michael H

Expert Reply:

We can help. There are two different ways to wire up batteries and battery banks to either keep the voltage the same or double it.

If two batteries are wired in parallel, the positive terminals of each battery will be connected together, as will the negative terminals. Assuming both batteries are 12 volt, you'll have a 12 volt output but there will be more capacity.

If the batteries are wired in series, the positive terminal of one battery will be connected to the negative terminal of the other. This would double the output of the batteries, assuming each battery is a 12 volt, wiring the batteries in series would provide 24 volts of output.

expert reply by: Jameson C