Can You Wire Different Voltage Batteries Together In Parallel or Series?
Question:
if I have two 12 volt batteries wired in series can I run a 6 volt battery wired in parallel to that conglomeration. or. would it be better to run a 6 volt and a 12 volt battery in series and then jump a 12 volt battery off of that in parallel
asked by: Melvin
Helpful Expert Reply:
I'll start by saying that you can't wire batteries of different voltages together in parallel. Wiring the 6v and 12v batteries in parallel will cause a loss of voltage to the larger batteries and overloading on the lesser battery. The could end up damaging the battery and potentially causing a dangerous situation for the user.
Your best bet is probably just to wire all 3 of the batteries in series for a 30v output, depending on the voltage output you're trying to achieve. If you're trying to get a higher capacity on the batteries, while still adding the extra voltage, you'll need to wire the 12v batteries in parallel and then wire in the 6v battery in series after those 2 which will provide 18v.
If you need a battery charger for your 12v parallel series, you can use the NOCO Genius UltraSafe Battery Charger and Maintainer - AC to DC - 4-Bank - 6V/12V - 4.4 Amp # 329-G4 to charge both the 6v and 12v batteries. You would need to separate out the batteries for charging, but the NOCO # 329-G4 has the capability to charge up to 4 banks at a time.
