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So I have a 12 V solar system (panels produce 20 V but batteries are 12 V. I also have a set of 5 batteries. One of these batteries is a marine deep cycle battery and the other is a group of five lead calcium batteries.

I read a lot about how PbCa batteries are Lead-Acid, so is it okay to connect these two dissimilar batteries in parallel to maximize usage?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

  • Solar charge rate: 7 A max
  • Solar charge voltage: 20 V max OC
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  • \$\begingroup\$ Most probably yes. Peak charge voltage may differ ever so slightly. Check the datasheets for each. What's your present voltage regulation setpoint? \$\endgroup\$
    – winny
    Commented Nov 27, 2020 at 13:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think its 15v for sealed PbAcid, 14.4 for flooded PbAcid. some other value for gel batteries. \$\endgroup\$
    – Couch Mango
    Commented Nov 27, 2020 at 17:41
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    \$\begingroup\$ 15 V is seriously high. You will boil the water away. \$\endgroup\$
    – winny
    Commented Nov 27, 2020 at 21:04

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Does your solar panel controller have the ability to select the type of battery in the system? The controllers I have will alter the bulk, absorption and float values depending on battery type. The battery manufacturer should be able to provide recommended voltage values for charging the battery. If the values differ significantly between battery types, I suspect one of the types will not get fully charged.

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After doing some deep research, I've answered my own question.

enter image description here Thanks to this guy

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    \$\begingroup\$ Seems like a bit of cherry picking the information. Last para It is for these reasons that you are advised to use batteries of the same brand, voltage and capacity. Failing to do so (if you don’t have the knowledge and tools to check what you are doing) could create a potentially dangerous circuit. \$\endgroup\$
    – StainlessSteelRat
    Commented Jun 27, 2021 at 21:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ @CouchMango Please provide a source for the image. \$\endgroup\$
    – Voltage Spike ♦
    Commented Apr 23 at 15:40

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