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Battery Installation
TonyG13
Member Posts: 1,288 ✭✭✭✭
Pulled all three batteries (one house, two starting) due to end-of-life. About to reinstall brand new, but wondering about sequence of cables.
I know you reinstall positive first, then negative. So...
Do I install all three positives first, then all three negatives? Or do I do each battery individually - positive, negative, positive, negative, positive, negative?
I know you reinstall positive first, then negative. So...
Do I install all three positives first, then all three negatives? Or do I do each battery individually - positive, negative, positive, negative, positive, negative?
Comments
To understand "positive first," consider what happens if you accidentally touch a grounded object with the second cable. With "negative first," the positive cable would create a short circuit direct to ground. With "positive first," the negative cable would still complete a circuit, but the current would have to pass through the load -- which is probably turned off, or at least has some load other than a short circuit.
So if you go +++---, you're protected against accidentally grabbing the wrong cable.
Done! And thanks all for the advice. Only issue I had was the negative post of one of the starting batteries is under part of the generator so I had to connect that negative cable while it was out of position, then slide it into the box, then I could install the house battery and connect everything else up. Except for that one I did connect all positives first, then the negatives. I did all this while laying on my stomach with my head upside down in the engine bay. Now I know how Batman feels.