Can Smaller Gauge Wire be Used When Connecting 2 Trailer Batteries Together
Question:
I just bought a used 2002 Alaska truck camper and am adding another 12 volt deep cycle marine battery. The batteries will be about 5 feet apart. One on each side of the camper. The wires that connect the current battery to the camper lights, heater ect. are rather small but seems to work fine. Its much smaller than the cables on the truck battery. Question is can I use the same size wire to connect the two camper batteries as is used with the one camper battery now?? All the viedoes I have seen suggest using large regular battery cables.Thank
asked by: Gene H
Expert Reply:
You could maybe get by with 10 Gauge Wire # 10-1-1 (which is good for up to 30 Amps) but I definitely don't recommend going any smaller than that. It is better to use the thicker gauge wire when connecting 2 batteries because there will be a lot of "traffic" (for lack of a better term) on those wires constantly so you want something that can handle that much power and won't overheat.
We have wiring kits with higher-gauge wiring but for shorter distances as if the batteries were right next to each other.
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