Adding an extra battery

I'm always impressed by the knowledgeable answers I get in this forums, so I am going to ask a question not to do with metros but with batteries.

I have a deep cell battery, and an extra 12 volt battery for my metro. I would like to permanently wire one of these into my vehicles electrical system. It's going to hit minus 30 here this week, and I could use the extra power of another battery.

My thoughts is to put it in the hatch and use old booster cables to hook it up.

Jai

I live in Maryland, on the east coast. I can't even imagine -30 degrees. I know how sluggish my metro starts at 20 degrees. If I had that kind of temperature here I would have both a block heater and a battery heater. Do you use these up there? Yes I would say putting another battery would help but I think in my head all the wear and tear I'm doing to my engine when I start it up in cold conditions. Loud lifters, oil not moving, bearings not being lubricated. If I were you I would invest in a block heater if you don' already have one. Actually if I were you I'd move,..SOUTH! I don't know how you guys survive up there. Good luck...bbbbrrrrrrrr.

You don't go anywhere in the winters in Edmonton if you don't use a block heater. When I bought the car used eight years ago, it had come from Toronto. No block heater. I was amazed. Anyway, yes, block heater I have. Battery warmers are used here too.

I've only had a few unsuccessful starts. Mostly, the problem is when it is so damn cold, I am driving with almost every electrical component drawing energy. The alternator has a hard time keeping up. On warmer days, I am hoping that the extra energy will go into an extra battery to be used on colder days. I already have a 5 watt photo voltaic panel adding energy to the battery, but 5 watts isn't much when the sun barely comes up before it goes down again.

Jai

I was under the impression you were having a hard time starting. With that said I don't think adding another battery will help you. If your maxing out your charging system with one battery it will be worse with two. Your still going to be using the same components as you did before, only now you will have the load of keeping another battery charged. Unless you upgrade your 50 amp alternator to something bigger ( which will put more load on the motor ) your only going to get 50 amps output. ( any more and you will blow the main fuse under the hood ) Which while I'm on that subject, check your connection at that 50 amp fuse. The connection overheats and will decrease the allowable current to pass through.