30 replies to this topic

[radarcontact]

120A alternator on our truck. I used 285 Series 80A breakers with the 6ga. cables running to the camper. Never, ever had one pop.

 

I use the BEP Marine VSR's. The single sensing first one was rated 120A and the current dual sensing is rated, I think, either 120A or 140A. Not that it matters with the 80A breakers on both ends.

 

Is this the one you're referring to?

 

http://www.bepmarine.com/en/710-140a

 

Sounds pretty straightforward in terms of operation.  I'm having some difficulty wrapping my head around the advantages/disadvantages of one type of relay over another.  There are differences.   I think a lot of this stuff comes down to personal preference.  

[radarcontact]

must i ever saw in my gmc 2500 was 90a. which is another reason for choosing the Renogy 40a dcdc converter... a current limited charger. my understanding is that they like their charge current to be below .5C, or 50a in my case

 

The limited amperage is a good feature.  I read the specs on the Renogy, it's easy to understand.  The price is right, and it has good reviews.  One advantage I'm seeing to the ACR is that I can get some charging of the engine battery, when the engine is off, from my solar once the camper batteries are charged.   Having said that, my main reason for replacing the factory battery separator was to improve charging on my camper batteries when the engine is running, so I have to think on this some more.  Thanks for input.

Edited by radarcontact, 23 August 2019 - 03:45 PM.

[Vic Harder]

yes, with the dcdc charger i lose the bi-directional charging ability. not happy about that, as the solar always kept my truck charged during the long cold winter when it was mostly parked for days

[rando]

yes, with the dcdc charger i lose the bi-directional charging ability. not happy about that, as the solar always kept my truck charged during the long cold winter when it was mostly parked for days

 

The issue with no bi-directional charging (which is a biggie for me) and the fact that solar meets 90% of my charging needs is why I have never bothered with a DC-DC charger.    If you really need every bit of charging you can get while driving, then the DC-DC maybe a good way to go, but otherwise the drawbacks may out-weight the cost and benefits. 

[TrapperMike]

Since the original topic was concerning the Blue Sea ACR battery separator, I thought I would post a brief correspondence I had with Blue Sea this past week.  Their response is first, followed by my question.  Probably old news to most, but new to me:

 

Thank you for the question. The set point is 13.0 VDC on our ACR. 12.9 on your meter is very close and within tolerances of both meters. So it would be typical for the ACR to combine at these voltages. If it drops even just a tiny bit I am sure it will disconnect.

Please ask if you have any additional questions.

Best Regards,

Blue Sea Systems Tech Support

 

Subject: Tech Support - 7622 - Small current goes from house to starting battery when engine not running.

 

Tech support query concerning PN 7622

Small current goes from house to starting battery when engine not running.

When the house battery resting voltage is above the starting battery resting voltage, the unit connects the 2 batteries and allows a small trickle (0.6 Amps) to go to the starting battery. Is this normal when set on auto?
Yesterday, the house battery was at 90% charge (12.9 V) and the starting battery was at 12.64 Volts. When set on "auto" it connected the 2 allowing 0.6 Amps from house to starting battery. I can manually put the switch to "off", but should that be necessary when on "auto"?
Otherwise, when engine is running, the engine battery is at 13.9 volts and current goes to the house battery.

[ntsqd]

Is this the one you're referring to?

 

http://www.bepmarine.com/en/710-140a

 

Sounds pretty straightforward in terms of operation.  I'm having some difficulty wrapping my head around the advantages/disadvantages of one type of relay over another.  There are differences.   I think a lot of this stuff comes down to personal preference.  

That is the unit, yes.

 

Some are called "Automatic Charge Relays" and some are called "Voltage Sensing Relays". I'm not up on the nuances of all of the differences. Mostly because this unit does what I want it to do. Maybe in the noise the differences would matter to some, dunno. The dual sensing was the one function/feature that I wanted in the single sensing, but wasn't available at the time of purchase.

[Wallowa]

So...what is FWC currently [no joke intended] installing in new campers?  They install or did, AGM batteries.

[Ruck_and_Roll]

Thom,

This is my winter project.  My reasons for upgrading are numerous (dislike the trolling motor plug, believe my Surepower 1314 is malfunctioning and I am getting some parasitic drain, and DC charging in addition to my 160 solar).  From what I have read on multiple threads on this forum is that this is a very useful upgrade for many.  I have a 2008 Hawk I bought used this summer and I've had nothing but headaches with the trolling motor plug as well as getting consistent charging from DC to DC.  In August I just disconnected it from the truck altogether, installed solar, and have ran off that since. 

 

I believe I have the necessary components to do the upgrade

-25 ft of 6 ga cables

-(2) 285 80a breakers from bluesea

-Bluesea ACR

-necessary fittings/nuts for the copper wire

-Anderson 6ga connector

 

My only questions are 1.  where exactly have you placed the breakers?  Any pictures or schematics/wiring diagrams? and 2. Is it useful to upgrade the battery box wiring to 6ga as well? (currently 10ga)

[Vic Harder]

Thom,

This is my winter project.  My reasons for upgrading are numerous (dislike the trolling motor plug, believe my Surepower 1314 is malfunctioning and I am getting some parasitic drain, and DC charging in addition to my 160 solar).  From what I have read on multiple threads on this forum is that this is a very useful upgrade for many.  I have a 2008 Hawk I bought used this summer and I've had nothing but headaches with the trolling motor plug as well as getting consistent charging from DC to DC.  In August I just disconnected it from the truck altogether, installed solar, and have ran off that since. 

 

I believe I have the necessary components to do the upgrade

-25 ft of 6 ga cables

-(2) 285 80a breakers from bluesea

-Bluesea ACR

-necessary fittings/nuts for the copper wire

-Anderson 6ga connector

 

My only questions are 1.  where exactly have you placed the breakers?  Any pictures or schematics/wiring diagrams? and 2. Is it useful to upgrade the battery box wiring to 6ga as well? (currently 10ga)

I put my breakers 6-12" away from each battery.  Under the hood, that means physically 2-3" away from the battery, screwed into the plastic that hold the fuse box in my truck.  In the camper, right next to the batteries.

 

In the battery box, your wires are all so short that there is no technical advantage (power loss) to running fatter wires.  That said, do be aware of your max currents.  You have 80A breakers, will those 10g wires be subjected to 80A?  That exceeds their rating for sure.

 

The inside breaker is in the upper left of this board in the battery box area of the Hawk I built up...

http://www.wanderthe...-control-board/

 

And this is the battery and breaker under the hood

 

[Ruck_and_Roll]

Thanks for the reply Vic.

 

Maybe I am not understanding or missing the big picture here.

 

I was going to upgrade the wiring from truck to plug in (was going to do the Anderson plug that others have mentioned) with 6ga....

 

I'm not sure of the alternator on my truck, it is a stock 2014 Ford F150.  

 

My current setup is completely off the FWC Kit

-30 amp breaker (mounted under hood)

-10 ga wiring

-Anderson trolling motor connection

 

For Solar I have 

Victron 75/15 controller

Renogy 160 watt panel

 

Everything in the camper is wired with 10ga.

 

Best,

 

Luke