The cost of a proper B2B charger might be more than you’re willing to spend on a small campervan battery that you only plan on using for a summer or two.Īlso note that most MPPT charge controllers do use a multi-stage charge, so if you’re getting a lot of sun, you may not need a full charge cycle from your alternator and you can just use it to boost the system while you’re driving.įor those camping for long periods of time without driving, this may be an optimum approach. You may need to replace an AGM or FLA battery after 2 years rather than 4-5 years.įor smaller systems, this is a relatively small cost. All it means is that your batteries will wear out quicker and lose capacity over time. This means that the 13.8V charge is enough to get your secondary battery charged most of the way, but because it will never see a full multi-stage charge cycle (at points needing to be in the 14.5V range), it will never completely charge your secondary battery.įor many van dwellers, this isn’t a huge issue. It’s a great, simple device for this, but it’s not meant to charge up a secondary battery from deep discharge. The van’s alternator is designed to keep a float charge (13.8V) on a starter battery as well as provide enough power to keep all of the van’s equipment running, such as lights and a stereo. What A Battery Isolator Cannot DoĪ battery isolator only transfers power from the alternator to a secondary battery.
SMART BATTERY ISOLATOR CONTROLLER INSTALL
The good news is that you don’t need to do anything special here! You can install this system right alongside your solar system.īoth the alternator in your vehicle and your solar charge controller are smart devices that monitor battery voltage and adjust their current to make sure that your battery doesn’t get overcharged. If you’re on a strict budget and just need a small battery for cell phones and some lights, an Isolator and battery might be the only thing you need to get you started, and you can add solar when you get some more cash. In a van, you’ll likely be traveling around, and it’s great to make use of the already running motor and vehicle electrical system. If it’s cloudy for a few days and you need some juice to charge your laptop, all it takes is a drive to the grocery store or your next campsite to get a little boost in power. Secondly, they compliment solar systems really well. For less than $150, you can tap into as much power as you would get from $1000 of solar. Why You Should Have A Battery Isolator?įirst off, battery isolators are relatively cheap to install. There are many variations of hooking a system up, but they all share one common goal: to “isolate” your secondary battery so that when you’re running all of your electronics you don’t drain the starter battery. Battery isolator systems allow you to charge the secondary batteries in your van when the motor is running.
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