How To Install A Secondary Battery, Isolator, Inverter In Your Van
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2024
- Walk through of the steps we took to install a secondary deep cycle battery in a 2002 GMC Astro van for powering additional appliances and electronics, including mini fridge, fan, and inverter for living in your van while on the road.
(Yes, we added grommets)
Wiring diagram available at end of video.
Your video was one of the most well explained detailed instructions for running Isolator Inverter and second battery that I have seen. I have stranded myself more than once talking on my CB radio with a amp in my truck, this sounds like the answer, my stuff is all DC powered so the Isolator is the trick for me. Well done...
Finally, a video showing cables from battery to battery. Thanks.
EVERY hole the positive wire goes through should have grommets ! Even if the holes are in plastic, they can rub through and something grounded touches it and voila ! You have created fire .
Other than that, the fuse and isolator were right next to the battery, well laid out and executed .
Grommets were added
I appreciate your 3yr old how to put isolator, battery, inverters, fuse box, etc on a Van. I wish it showed how to get under the A/C enable relay to put the ignition wire to the isolator...🙄 This is all new to me? I’m headed off grid this Friday... Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Great instructional. Thanks! Also, I have learned from other sources that it is important to make sure you have a sealed battery if you are going to install it inside the vehicle. Toxic gas emits from vented batteries.
Yes, a sealed battery is a must when installing inside the car. This is a sealed battery in this case
Great video guys, thank you. Really appreciate how you took the time to create a diagram with the parts on it, very helpful.
Outstanding men, you've done a bang up job on the video and the diagram, a child can understand what you have done, great job.
Hello Mike, very good DIY instructional video. I must comment on one thing... I will add an AGM charge regulator on the alternator circuit in my Astro van so that my deep cycle battery can last longer. These like a slow and low charge compared to your crank AMP battery. VanLife!
This is something I want to do to my van and your video is great! Thanks so much for making the video and posting the schematic. I still find this incredibly intimidating as a project, but this information helps so much!
AGM batteries are sealed... Any agm battery will be fine to mount inside the vehicle.
I would highly suggest you protect the positive cable even more from the exhaust. Also there the wire runs through the body you should insulate there too, Over time vibration will cut the insulation and if you are lucky it will blow the fuse.
Thought I was the only one to see that...need a grommet in those holes.
I just subscribed to your channel and you explained your work and how to hook it up so well and with clarity even to the point that I enjoyed even listening and learning from how you just with simplicity showed us how to hook it all up. Thank you very much I look forward to watching you more
Very clear and well-explained. Thanks.
great instructions...thanks...just started work on my vw t2 1969.....from Mauritius
Great video looks awesome.
Wire loom so the positive doesn’t short out
Enjoy the open road it’s a beautiful country.
Stay happy healthy and fluid
This is really brilliant and helpful, thank you! Especially the diagram at the end.
Thank you for the diagram!!! Also the great explanation.
I know right he really explained it very well
about to add this exact set up on my f150 camper sleeper setup..thanks for the video..wish me luck..
? so the aims inverter is grounded to the frame and not back to the slave battery? there is a third post marked ground that i dont need to hook up?
the03mach1 the aims inverter is grounded to the frame as well as the slave battery and your primary battery. Running a negative cable back to your slave battery is unnecessary, but you can do that if there is no good grounding point otherwise or you don't want to drill a hole
hooked up for 3 months..camped with this set up for 6 weeks straight i dont have the refregerator ...i have a sleeper camper and use electric blanket in winter and fans in summer..charge electrics and interior and exterior lights..got most stuff off amazon..will list prices soon for watchers..thanks mike
@@the03mach1 What year is your ford and did you also install the relay solenoid?
@Save My Bees 2006 F150 stx..and yes i instslled the isolator..i wrote an amazon part and price list in the comments of what i used on my 06 f150..i lived in it for about 2 and a half months...and am now puting it in a GMC Regency conversion van..
had to do some searching for the right video, good job man.
Nice I think the only thing I would do diff are grommets in the holes you had to drill in the frames to run the wire .
👍 u speak like a teacher
Great video without all the excessive talking , straight to the point. Are you going to add a solar panel and install video ?
Very good video... Well done! I have a minibus that I use for a Construction office. I have wanted this setup for temp power to run a small window unit, laptop and printer for in the field. Thanks
Super awesome and thank you for such a great breakdown/ basic schematics and more
Mych appreciated and thank you!
I don't know about about other makes BUT GM vehicles may have a Hall Effect current sensor that requires both battery negative poles to be connected directly (not to frame/body). Check before wiring.
Word up to that tid bit of info
Speaker wire and wire through holes with out grommets. You need grommets in those holes friend. The vibration will cause the metal to cut into the wire casing. Also. You need to be running cable, not large gauge indoor wire. Other then those. Great little system.
Y cant you run large guage indoor? So you're saying you need stranded copper cable not solid copper indoor grade?
@@dw4940 yes, the solid would break down.
Great video dude for real super educational ypu broke it down in lay mans terms thank man subscribing.
I would suggest black tyewraps they are resistant to UV light and last longer.
Excellent video, thanks for posting.
Thanks. I have a 1972 Dodge mini RV I'm trying to wire two deep cycle batteries to. With a 5,000 watt inverter.
Grommets, man. Grommets.
yes, should have had grommets on every hole drilled
The fuses should be sized for the wire not the load, because that is what you are protecting the wire from being over loaded by the load and starting a fire. Of course the wire should be sized to handle the load to begin with. If you size the fuse to the load it will not help anything if the wire you are using is undersized to begin with. Say you have a 20 amp load and you're using a 25 amp fuse but a wire that's only rated for say 15 amps you're going to be in trouble that circuit is going to allow the load to pull up to 10 amps more then the wire is rated for. This is why you size the fuse for the wire being used not the load.
Thanks Mitch for pointing this out. This is the only weakness I found in the video above else it was an awesome effort by Mike.
Awesome video extremely helpful!
About adding to the auxiliary fuse box . Once it is set up ,it's a fuse box . No place for a 2nd in cable . Grounded is grounded . Already have 2 fuses (circuits) as long as the in (Red) can handle the In (load) . Just add fuse and wiring to what ever PLUG type needed . A fuse box is the sameis the same > wiring wise < DC 12v or AC 110 . That's why fuses have different ratings .
I really appreciate your dictatorial
installed this similar set up, except refregerator and dc fuse box, for camper sleeper 3 months ago..super pleased...will list amazon prices and items soon...thanks mike..never needed my solar backup for 6 weeks straight road trip..electric blanket..charging electronics. .fans..interior and exterior lights..used minkota battery box for extra dc outlets that has battery power tester light button ...so no dc fuse box needed..any queston on my set up let me know....
You don't happen to have a schematic of your set up that I could take a look at?
no i dont..but i used the excact schematic (same isolator, cable gauges,waterproof inline fuses,aims inverter) as mike's except i didnt hook up a dc fuse panel. ..and my slave battery is inside a minkota accessory batery box that has 2 dc outlets and outside posts..
don't rely on the zip-ties, they will snap eventually with all the vibration and heat cycles, use proper Rubber Sleeve P Clamps.
Nice very informative and well put together
Very fine explantion of setup. Thanks...
Advice switch out the fuse for a circuit breaker.I have seen fuse holder melt and the fuse not blow. Also nothing worst then to be in the middle of nowhere and lose a fuse
If I am running my second battery in the back of the vehicle what gauge wire do you suggest? If I am going to be using a 2000 watt inverter off of the 2nd battery, and using 1000w devices while driving for extended periods of time, does that affect the gauge wire I should use between the two batteries? I imagine it would because the batteries are connected and the high draw from the inverter will be getting shared between the two? Correct? I know from 2nd battery to inverter needs to be a hefty gauge, probably 1/0. If you could explain how this works I would appreciate it. I am attempting to understand electricity better. Another question, I've seen a lot of people run the negative all the way back from one battery to another. And if I decided to skip the 2nd battery and just have an inverter direct to starter battery I see most people run negative directly to battery, some dont do this and ground to the body. Any reason you would do one vs the other? Thanks!
Basically the cable you connected to the ac enable relay is a positive, you can do the same connection from the positive of the battery or bridge the positive connection you already did to the battery relay.
If you connect it directly to the positive of the battery it would defeat the purpose of having an isolator
@@MechanicalMike and it'll will always be on, passing power to the back battery even while the vehicle is off. So connecting it to the ac enable relay be like another relay or interruptor or switch on while the vehicle is on, off while vehicle is off, sort of only to have the back battery receiving post from the alternator while obviously the car is on.
@@rodolfoplasencia4953 it is connected to the ac relay because that only supplies power to the isolator when the car is on, which in turn only charges or supplies power to the auxiliary battery when the car is on and shuts off power to the auxiliary battery when the car is off so that the auxiliary battery does not drain your primary battery. If you connected it straight to the battery then it would always be supplying the auxiliary battery, which is what we don't want, thus the isolator.
nice job, and very well explained!! thanks so much, I'm looking to add a batt iso to my van next week! one question, is it recommended to use 0awg wire from the battery to the AUX battery, and then 4awg wire to the inverter and such? at first i thought i should use 4awg all over, but have noticed people use 0awg-2awg from battery iso to rear..
CineSkies good question. 4awg is sufficient to run from primary battery to auxiliary battery. If you want to go with a bigger guage that is perfectly fine, but not necessary. The larger the guage, the less resistance and less heat. In this case I used 4awg to feed auxillary, and 8awg to feed inverter. This depends on how much power you plan to draw from the electronics you have. To determine power usage, add up the wattage rating on the tags of the electronics you'll be using and divide it by 120 for anything that is running off of the inverter. Divide it by 12 for anything running on D/C power. The resulting number will be your amperage draw. If you will be drawing more than 70amps total, you will want 4awg or larger feeding inverter/secondary fuse panel.
Mechanical Mike awesome thanks so much for such good advice. ✌️💯🤙🚐💨
Thanks for the idea of grounding locations. BRILLIANCE!!!! Is that inverter clean enough for clean laptop and cell phone charging?
Good evening and thanks a lot for sharing your work, especially laying down on the ground to show the details. I recently purchased and new battery for my Honda Accord 2004, and kept the old one for additional use / dual use for the basic appliances ie microwave, rice-cooker and electric kettle. At this moment I didn’t purchase any appliances and I want to know from basics: what wires, inverter should I buy to run basic rice cooker, microwave and electric kettle: not necessarily to run all same time at once. Please recommend me the appliances and connection materials so that I can take to an electrician to wire it for me. Although I want to get the electrician to get the job done; I would like to be part of the planning stage and selection of the appliances. The purpose is to support me for RVing.
Thanks a lot
An idea for Down the road. batteryguys.com got a 100 amp hour deep cycle battery for $125. To your door
Thank you so much. It really helps.
What model and product name is isolator used. Plus in diagram at end what is the "AC enable relay" and what is its purpose.
Great video!
I missed it but what size wire you used from the battery to battery
What about the main ground lug on the inverter? ( not the small ground wire) thanks
very informative! thanks guys
Nice vid! Thank you
How much does a set up like this cost?
Very informative, thank you
Very nice. Very clean. I'm trying to do this on my 2000 5.3L V8 Silverado. Really liked the footage on how your ran your wire post relay underneath exterior. Loved the secondary fuse box. What kind of battery are you using for your secondary battery? Looks clean brother! What tools & steps did you use to install that fan?
SLR100 AGM Sealed Deep Cycle battery 100 AH 12 volt. Not entirely sure on the fan. That was a component that Justin installed.
Good job 👍
Man thats so awesome... I want to do something similar in my truck but I would need help... Do you have any suggestions on where I can go to have this done? How much did this set up cost?
There are a lot of travel van and tiny house conversion companies out there now that could probably set it up for you
Would it be possible to set up more power storage and as well maybe a solar panal to charge when I’m parked somewhere
I like how you did not run the negative wires back to the SLAVE battery to ground them. Did you check with an electrician to ensure that you can do that for the van?
Your negative terminal runs through the entire vehicle to ensure proper grounding. If you look at where the main negative wire leads to from your battery, you will see that it usually connects to a point on the motor itself, then from a a bonding strap on the motor to the body. This is why you can connect the negative cable to the engine and positive to the battery when jumping a car. You can run the negative wire back to the battery if you prefer but it's a waste of wire and crowds the terminal.
If you use the relay like that. How do you know when the existing battery is too old and time need to change new battery. Because of everytime star the car, the secondary battery is always help to power the first battery everytime
Awesome vdo esay to understand thanks 🤙
To avoid holes and mechanical work. Can i add additional battery both positive and negative to the existing battery. The connection will be like a clip like we use when jump start car. So when i turn off the engine i can take those clips off from positive and negative from the secondary battery. And add the inverter to the battery both positive and negative. Will it be fine ?? Second question is can i add the additional battery directly to the alternator. This way i dont have to worry about disconnecting the battery every time i turn off the engine. I only need enough power to use two 12v heated blankets they have car changing plugs. And i have 2019 ford transit. What size battery do I need to last those two blankets for 8 hours. And i drive about 12 hours every day so the battery you will recommend me will it get change in 12 hours from the van alternator. What size inverter i need. Please and thank you
If you connect the secondary battery to your alternator, it will still drain power from your primary battery when it is off, because your alternator connects to the battery. An isolator would save the hassle of having to open the hood and unclip every time, but it is doable. That can also be more dangerous though if the clip comes loose and a positive touches ground. As far as how much battery power you need for heated blankets, you will have to look at the tag to see how many amps or watts they draw. But batteries never can hold 100% of their rating, so its safe to cut that down to at least 80%, depending on the battery type it can be even less. So hypothetically, if you had two blankets that each used 500 watts, to find the amperage, divide the watts by volts, so if they are 12v blankets that would be 41.6 amps each. If they were powered by a 100 amp hour AGM deep cycle battery at 80% to empty, that means it would last less than an hour. However, if your blankets used AC power and ran off of the inverter, you would dived 500 watts by 120V, giving you a 4.1 amp draw, so it would take roughly 7 hours to drain a 100 amp hour battery, taking into consideration that the inverter will also be drawing power. I would recommend an inverter that is rated at double your total anticipated wattage draw. So if you plan to pull no more than 1000 watts, you would want a 2000w inverter. The higher the efficiency 90%+ the better. Hope this doesn't leave you more confused than before
@@MechanicalMike ok so each is power draw is 60w and amp is 4 each blanket. And I have two of these blankets. They are 12v and plugs in cigarettes lighter plugs. Now if I buy a dc 12v battery and place it in passenger seat and connect it with van battery which is under the driver seat. I can easily connect and disconnect the jumper cables securely. Because the battery is under the driver seat. And take the cable fully off when I am going to sleep after 12 hours drive and put it back on the next day. Can I buy cigarettes lighter female power cord and connect positive and negative directly with the second battery. Will the blanket work because it’s dc to dc. I hope I am able to explain my situation. I just started working and I can’t afford 120v blankets and inverter. 12v dc blankets just work fine for me. At this moment I just use cigarette lighter and keep my van unlock so the power connect and I run for 2 hours a night when it’s extremely cold. Because I don’t want to drain van battery. So should I buy dc 12v battery. Thanks 🙏
With the van running, your battery isolator/relay is switched and the alternator is charging both batteries... Now if you are using accessories connected to the aux battery while driving do you have any issues, or did you install a higher output alternator?
1st time viewer-- where are you Mechanical Mike? I have a battery isolator, but it wasn't fused properly. If you are in the east, I am looking for some help/service. Thanks!
Hey Mike, thanks for the great vid, and commenters for some improvements like grommets. I got a question for ya: I want to do this set up in my 99 Subaru BUT I also want to make it as easy as possible to remove and then plug back in. The reason is so I can use the battery and inverter as a busking rig that charges in my car, so ideally I would want to house the battery and inverter in a rolling suitcase or something similar then be able to snap the system back into the cars main battery. Hope I was clear, any help much appreciated!
Cool idea. I think you could do something like that rather easily. I'd probably just build a small box out of plywood, cut out handle on either side and mount battery and inverter inside so they don't get damaged when moving. Could mount the inverter in a way that holes are cut to access the plug end without having to open the box. I would add banana style plugs for quick connect and disconnect of positive and negative terminals. Make sure you have something to cap off the positive lead coming to the battery when disconnected to avoid grounding out. Hope this makes sense. Would be easier to sketch it out than explain. Good luck
@@MechanicalMike wicked, thanks man. I'll grab some banana plugs like you said and do it ✌👍👍
Question I bought an Stinger SGP38 and will be running a two port 12 volt socket one for my front view facing dvr and one for my cell phone which had 2 USB charging ports. I will also connect an Everstart Plus 400 watt inverter to run my laptop and any secondary equipment such as my AKAI MPC 25 and connecting all of this to an 1995 geo metro 3 cyclinder, so my question is what wire size guage do I use for the battery connection and guage wire for the starter connection and finally on my vehicle which one do I connect the "true ignition source"???
Awesome video ty!
I'm putting a slave deep cycle battery in slide in truck camper and figured I'd charge with solar but was wondering if I could run the truck engine and charge through cigarette lighter plug if needed as backup charger? Thx and great vid!
alexzanderarmstrong Solar will only be enougg to keep adequate charge if your aren't drawing much power from your slave battery. You could run power from your cigarette lighter to assist but it wouldn't take too much extra time to just run a wire from your existing battery to the slave. If you don't want to get an isolator / relay, you could just put a manual switch on the wire feeding your slave battery so you can control when to feed extra power to it
thanks! is there some kind of quick disconnect i could put in the line for when i slide the camper out of the pickup truck. I would like to keep battery and inverter in the camper. something like a male/female extension cord set up before power line goes into camper?
Awesome man thank you
Thanks Dudes
In my case I'm turning my suv into a temporary camper, so my question is ; how do you keep the battery from overcharging if not using the battery everyday.? Is there a charge controller that you know of that I could use?
The alternator should have a regulator that switches on and off, though it is intended for the original battery. You can get a charge controller, such as used in solar and wind systems if you prefer. They should be adjustable as far as when you want it to kick in and turn off. Just make sure it can handle the amperage or it might melt down.
if your using the setup mike is showing and not starting your car for days you would be running out of power in your slave battery..alternators 2006 and newer are made not to over charge battery..if you have this setup you should not need solar for temporary camping unless u have the constant running appliance and never start up the vehicle for days..
@@MechanicalMike I've searched for dc to dc charge controllers but no luck, do you know of any?
@@the03mach1 thanks for the info, I've been looking for a DC to dc charge controller but I can't seem to find one that I can tie in to the system.
but the A/C on relay is on if you engine isn't running but the key turned into accessory position right? Dosen't that mean if you are just sitting in your van with the lights on the relay also is on draining your battery charging the secondary without the engine or alternator running? There has to be a relay that only turns on when the actual engine is running I would think. Starter relays dont turn on but for a couple second and then turn back off. I'm having trouble finding a relay to splice into that would do this..
water or oil pump relay seems like a good candidate to wire into since I know it's always running only when the engine is actually turning.
your ignition run position or anything thats only on with car running. the relay does not take much to energize.
Hello and by the way nice video.
I thought you had to connect the ignition terminal on the stinger isolator to an engine ignition relay not an AC relay..I really would like to see the connection you made and how you did it and what method like soldering or quick splice connector because i have a 99 Astro and a stinger isolator im in the middle of my installation and i don't want to make a mistake and burn something out. Please Help thank you for this video.
The A/C turns on with the ignition so we chose that, as it also is not a pertinent fuse, if it were to blow. You dont have to use the A/C if you dont want to but it worked for us. We used a crimp on splice connector
Hey man I was curious I'm running a battery bank similar... Do you have to run a ground wire from your battery to the secondary battery for the alternator to charge it or can you just ground it to the chassis let you would you know your ground I hope I explained that right..?
You can just ground to chassis, same as we did here
Great video. Why diddnt you hook the power inverter to the fuse pannel is there a reason it's direct to the battery.
The power inverter has it's own fuse and creates A/C power for plug in devices. The fuse block is for powering D/C electronics that are built into the van
1:28 How do you know where to get the live (hot +) (when car is running) line for the relay?
4:38 Any power or voltage loss in not running a fat negative to the inverter? Is the inverter grounded to the chassis too?
Where did you guys shoot this? Beautiful scenery
Also what song id you attach to the video? Don't recognize it but feels strangely nostalgic
great video! how is your VMAX SLR battery holding out? im thinking of doing a similar gig as yours but heard that AGM batteries do not do well installed how you install them. could you share any advice/experiences with your current battery? i just want to make sure i get the right one. (my electrical needs are pretty much the same as yours)
This wasn't my van, so not sure how it's still holding up. I do however use the same batteries with my wind turbine and they've been holding up well for a few years now. They can keep a charge for a long time without draining
It's been nearly three years since this video was uploaded on TH-cam. I'm curious to know if the positive battery lead to the slave or deep cycle battery had any issues with the cable passing through the drilled holes (in the undercarriage)? Normally in a situation like this grommets are used to avoid damage to the insulation when passing through metal . Moving vehicles or installations where vibration is immanent, chaffing of the insulation is very likely to occur..
In the description is noted that grommets were added to every hole
I am a little confused. Both of my batteries will be under the hood. I would like the second battery to power the interior power outlets / cigaret outlets without draining the main battery.
To do that, you would have to divert wiring to existing accessories on your vehicle to secondary fuse block. The isolator keeps any electronics running from auxiliary battery from draining main
If you want to use a battery selector switch instead of the isolator, would it be wired in the same position?
Are you talking about a manual switch you would have on the dash to turn power on and off to auxiliary battery? Or a switch under the hood that allows you to charge one or the other?
Good stuff boys cheers
Hey I am Nitish from India.
Bro I appreciate your videos coz its help full for me always
But ryt now I have 4, 5 confusion plz help me with that
1. Is alternator need to be changed????
2. Is second battery gets charged with this battery isolator????
3. And it will not transmit the power back to the first battery coz if it is then the fuse box get damaged
4. Is this small fridge is working all the time while driving if it is then how????
5. And is it posibal to add solar panels for charging second battery.
If the ignition is on both battery connect means giving power to other things like self(starter) ,fuse box ryt??
So there is also a chance of getting other electrical objects damage???
Hi Nitish,
1. Alternator does not need to be changed, but it will make it work harder. You can upgrade to an alternator that puts out more amperage if you wanted.
2. The isolator allows the alternator to charge the second battery only when the car is running. It shuts off power to the second battery when the car is off, so that secondary electronics like fridge and inverter do not drain your primary battery.
3. It can transmit power back and forth while the car is running, but it will not damage the fuse box because it is the same voltage.
4. Yes, small fridge works continuously because it is tied into the secondary battery. Any electronics tied into secondary battery will continue to work as long as it has enough charge.
5. Yes, it is possible to add solar panels to assist in charging the secondary battery and I do reccomend this, because it will put less wear on your alternator to create all of the power. If you use a solar panel, you will need to use a charge controller that shuts off power from solar automatically when battery is full, so that it does not overcharge your system
None of the purchase links work below and the fuse in your video is 250 amps, but your diagram says 200 amps.
Justin had a 250 Amp fuse but I would recommend 200A. better a blown fuse than blown equipment. Links have been fixed
How does one install an inverter's jumper cables whilst competing with the car's positive & negative cables on the terminal?
I think I could do it now gracias
Thanks for an Informative vid, Mike !
I’m doing a (slightly) similar build, in that my (Small) Jeep Cherokee XJ is going to be my ‘home’. I’m outfitting it as thoughtfully as possible, especially because the living space is MUCH SMALLER than a van. Virtually ALL ‘cabin’ space is accounted for. Inverter, appropriate wiring, Dometic AC/DC fridge, “House” battery, Isolator/VSR, “Cranking” or Starting battery, and oversized Alternator.
Now, my understanding, albeit potentially Wrong, is that a stock vehicle battery supplies Cranking CCAs until running, then the Alternator essentially powers everything. Since my space is EXTREMELY Limited, would it be reasonable to place a Deep Cycle AGM, High aH, oversized battery at stock location and wire it for “House”, and place a small but high CCA AGM battery UNDER Jeep at framerail ? Like a motorcycle, ATV, or wheelchair battery .... and using that as my Starting battery ?
Yes, deep cycle battery has more amp hours and less cold cranking amps, so I suppose that is doable. You would just have to run your positive wire from starter to the cold cranking battery instead. Also, I'd recommend not putting it too low on the frame where it could be submerged in water or hit by rocks, etc.
Appreciated. Yes, IF I were to get a smaller “Cranking” battery to mount underneath, it would be in a Safe custom enclosure. Small is Why I would be doing that, and “reassigning” my OE Battery location for the large Deep Cycle. Been googling for Hours, using different Search terms, and cannot get a definitive Answer on using a power sports/wheelchair battery for Basic car functions.
Alternator output might be a risk to motorcycle-type battery. That seems to be only Caution that I’ve found. Will need some sort of (‘Smart’) Battery Management that is self-contained & doesn’t require AC “Shore” Power.
Thanks !
love the sup pop hat I'm such a fan
Why did you use black wires to connect to the 3rd (last) fuse box? I thought positive wires are red. Just a bit confused. : )
Where are the wires coming from the fridge and fan attached to? I missed that part of the connection. Are they the two black wires that are connected to the 3rd (last) fuse box?
You don't have to use red wire for positive, that is just to help identify which is which. In this case we ran out of red wire and had plenty of black left. Fridge and fan run to the auxiliary DC fuse panel and are grounded straight to the body of the van
Thank you for your reply.
So MM, when does this A/C Enable Relay open the Isolator, when you make a key contact - before starting the engine or after when it is already running? Does your car starter take current from both batteries? If I understood you correctly both pairs are interchangeable, so there is no one-way block in the isolator to prevent current leaking in the wrong direction.
It will enable relay when you turn the key to the on position which allows stereo and blower to work. Car doesn't have to be running. Engine does however have to be running to allow alternator to charge secondary battery. Otherwise you will be pulling power from main battery. Yes, there is no one way. While open the amp hours would be that of both batteries combined.
So maybe it is a better idea to bring the signal from the alternator and not the A/C Enable Relay... Like on this wiring diagram www.12voltplanet.co.uk/user/KnowledgeCentreimages/HD-relay-split-charge-system.jpg
Is your main/van battery also a deep cycle?
see what i did was just used 1 marine battery with a 1,000 watt inverter.Then eventually the battery started draining faster so i thought about hooking up two batteries together to keep the mini fridge on longer.My question is would it be better to use two batteries or just use the 1 battery and hook the 1 battery to the alternator and i realize the alternator only works when the car is running ?
If the marine battery is not currently hooked up to your alternator, what are you using to recharge it? You could add a battery but then it would also take longer and require more energy to recharge. I would suggest adding a solar panel to your roof to assist in recharging the battery so that you are not heavily taxing your alternator. And yes, alternator only works when car is running.
Nice review
The battery isolator i have says you need to also connect it to an ignition source. Do i need to do this?
What are the dimensions on the battery isolator? Need to put it in a project junction box.
hi: when you install the second battery . Both batteries have to be similar in amps or can be different. Example 1 : 12volts/80 amps both. Example 2: 12volts/80amps - 12volts/45 amps? . Thanks
That's a great question. It is ideal to have the same Amp hour rating so that they can charge evenly. Otherwise it may significantly reduce the battery life of both
For the relay ignition wire can I use the remote wire from my amp ? Please help
AC as the air conditioning or which fuse?
Great video.
What size was the wire size that was used?
Ground wire says 4 gauge and looks close enough to the line coming off from battery (+).
1 question....
Will that fan and refrigerator run all night off the deep cycle battery?
(Lets say after 1 hout of consistency in driving?)
Friend i drive about 10 hours everyday and will the batteries cargo in 10 hours to run two 12v heated blankets
The scooters I'm talking about is electric bikes/bicycles called TaoTao Electric Bicycle scooter Moped and a X-treme New XB 504 Electric Bicycle Scooter and a Cabo Cruiser Elite X-Treme Electric Bicycles ? My Question is can i hook up two batteries to those scooters to increase the speed and travel distance if so i want to know the safe way to do it ?
You can add a battery to increase the distance but it wouldn't effect the speed. Your scooters are rated to handle a certain amperage. If you go over the rated amperage you start to damage the electronics. To increase the distance, you want to jumper the two batteries together in parallel, meaning from positive of first battery to positive of second battery, negative of first battery to negative of second battery. The battery you add must match the voltage and amperage of the first battery to avoid damage. Adding a battery does mean it will double your charge time as well though.
I'm looking at these scooters online a website called newegg.com Some scooters says new speed 50 what do that mean exactly.Do that mean it can reach 50mph ?