Dual Batteries for dummies

Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby Surfermax on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 11:24 +0000

Hi,

As I have a 160w foldable Solar Panels and the 102Ah deep cycle battery, if I run the fridge off the car during the day and leave the battery to run the fridge and lights etc at night will this work?

Of course the solar panels would be charging the battery during the day.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby HK1837 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 2:08 +0000

If it was me using a lead-acid aux I'd fit the following (assuming the solar panel voltage is compatible with the Victron unit):

Victron 75/15 (Smart Solar has inbuilt Bluetooth so you can see what its doing on your iPhone).
https://www.victronenergy.com/solar-cha ... #downloads

Projecta 150.
https://www.projecta.com.au/dual-batter ... c-isolator

150A fuse at the aux battery (doesn't have to be this brand).
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/pro ... 56602.html

Others will have other ideas but this is what I'd do (and have done on my car). The only difference on my Hilux is I put the aux battery in the engine bay using one of these brackets at the end of the post (mine is stainless though). The reason is this allows you to avoid running a long pair of very large cables to the back, they are very short when the battery is in the engine bay. Then I just ran a figure 8 double insulated about 8-10sqmm to the rear through the chassis rail to the solar regulator mounted right next to the fridge. The solar panel sits between the roof rack rails on the canopy and feeds straight down to the regulator. In your case you'd just run the solar infeed to an Anderson plug and plug your solar into it. You can run smaller cables from the Projecta unit to a battery in the rear if you like but you won't get the added benefit of being able to start your car using the aux battery if the main goes down.
Note the Projecta I just mounted using the bracket supplied right in front of the starting battery. The bracket simply gets held in place by the main battery. The 150A fuse I mounted up on the vertical side piece of the aux battery tray. 0V lead from aux battery goes straight to the 0V post on the inner guard where the starting battery 0v lead goes to. 12V lead from the aux goes straight to the 150A fuse, and then a short lead to the Projecta, and the other side of the Projecta has a short lead to the starting battery 12V post. I also mounted a 35A fuse carrier and fuse on the side of the aux battery tray and then ran the figure 8 to the solar regulator in the back.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DUAL-BATTER ... rk:27:pf:0
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby Richiesupercharged on Mon, 14 Jan 2019 5:03 +0000

I’m currently using a Redarc SBI12 isolator but now have a Redarc BCDC 1225D, should I leave the isolator in system before the bcdc 1225D or will the 1225D do the job of the SBI12 anyway?
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby dave g on Mon, 14 Jan 2019 8:10 +0000

Take it out the bcdc well do it all
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby Richiesupercharged on Mon, 14 Jan 2019 8:51 +0000

dave g wrote:Take it out the bcdc well do it all


Thanks mate
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby fracturedranga on Tue, 15 Jan 2019 6:19 +0000

You can't use the bcdc to jump start your cranking battery from your aux, so if that's a function you want/need leave it in and wire it to a switch so it only come soon when you switch it on
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby martynvella on Thu, 07 Mar 2019 10:57 +0000

This is a follow up on a system i installed a few years back and mentioned in this thread somewhwere.
It simply changes the load from the acc battery to the start battery when the ignition is turned on to allow the full output of the BCDC unit to charge the acc battery.

It has been working well for a few years but recently randomly the fridge would go into fault mode flashing the low voltage code, no pattern and getting more and more frequent. I checked everything for voltage drop expecting a corroded join somewhere but everything tested ok including the 2 batteries, it was driving me nuts.

Finally i come up with a theory that has proven correct.
If the fridge was running when the engine was started it would have changed its supply to the cranking battery, and it is quite normal for the battery voltage to dip down momentarily when starting as the start battery ages a bit and this was below the selected low voltage cut out of the fridge.

After testing the theory by running the fridge off the acc battery only for a couple of months without a problem i have fitted a delay timer to the change over relay so it doesnt change for 30 seconds after starting.

See how it goes this time.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby CHUTCH on Thu, 25 Apr 2019 9:07 +0000

With the ctek unit, it stats that the red wire needs to be plugged into the ignition so it picks up the alternator?


What would be the best place to hook into?
The unit will be going (hopefully) behind the glove box.

Below is a pic of the fuse layout driver side, could i use fuse 11 and use on of those piggy baggy fuse holders

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2983309232


Image

Image


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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby martynvella on Thu, 25 Apr 2019 9:31 +0000

If it is an SR5 it will have a fuse and relay panel behind the glove box. I used the blue wire there as an ignition supply for my system.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby CHUTCH on Thu, 25 Apr 2019 10:31 +0000

martynvella wrote:If it is an SR5 it will have a fuse and relay panel behind the glove box. I used the blue wire there as an ignition supply for my system.



Yeh it is mate, will have a look tonight. How did you mount the ctek


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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby martynvella on Fri, 26 Apr 2019 3:33 +0000

I have a redarc housed in the well under the back seat lhs.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby CHUTCH on Tue, 21 May 2019 6:30 +0000

I ended up mounting the ctek behind the glove box,plenty of room behind the fuse’s. i used velcro tape to stick it the the rubber lining. Worked well.


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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby Terror on Sun, 03 Nov 2019 5:22 +0000

Can anyone recommend a battery? just running my 40l engel in the tray, hoping to get 1.5 to 2 days stationary.

So far I've found the century N70T (mixed reviews?)
https://www.autobarn.com.au/century-n70t-battery

Supercharge Allrounder (is this kinda a dual purpose battery? would it have the same performance as others?)
https://www.autobarn.com.au/all-rounder ... v70-760cca

Adventure kings 98AH AGM deep cycle (bit on the heavy side)
https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/produc ... -98ah.html

Any other recommendations?

Ive got a projecta 100A isolator and a battery tray and I might get the Kings foldable solar panel too https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/produc ... #gallery-1

Will this all work together?

Cheers.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby martynvella on Sun, 03 Nov 2019 6:04 +0000

Depends if your going on rough tracks, if so AGM will be better, if not, a calcium will be fine. Either way you will need a BCDC type charger to properly charge it.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby Terror on Sun, 03 Nov 2019 6:51 +0000

martynvella wrote:Depends if your going on rough tracks, if so AGM will be better, if not, a calcium will be fine. Either way you will need a BCDC type charger to properly charge it.


I do a lot of corrugated roads, so the kings battery would be better suited? or another brand I haven't come across yet?

I've already got the 100A isolator which was given to me for free, so I'm just going to use that for now and see what kind of time I get out of the battery. Trying to keep it simple and cheap :D
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby martynvella on Sun, 03 Nov 2019 7:30 +0000

The isolator will work to a point but the battery will be cycling a lot lower and will lead to a much shorter battery life.

As for what brand, all brands have good and bad depending on how well all the manufacturing processes went, luck has a lot to do with it. If they arent being charged properly none will last long.

If you go with just an isolator consider a solar panel to top it up the last 20 percent.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby TOYZX on Sun, 03 Nov 2019 11:22 +0000

Listen to this guy Terror, he knows his stuff!

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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby Terror on Sun, 03 Nov 2019 2:51 +0000

TOYZX wrote:Listen to this guy Terror, he knows his stuff!


He seems to!

There is so much conflicting opinions and info on the internet about this topic its so hard to figure out what to do. So I'm just going as cheap as I can with a freebie isolator/wiring kit, battery tray was already in my vehicle, adequate wiring and anderson plug already run to the tray, all I need to actually buy is a battery and probably a solar kit and if it's not up to scratch then I haven't lost much $ if I need to upgrade something.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby martynvella on Wed, 06 Nov 2019 4:26 +0000

Thanks for the vote of confidence Luke.
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Re: Dual Batteries for dummies

Postby TOYZX on Wed, 06 Nov 2019 11:11 +0000

[emoji869][emoji869]

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