Dual Battery set up, Offgrid-engineering, Adventure Ready or ???

How did you up the voltage? I have the same setup with the two batteries

 

Purchase VFtune... Then use the stock tune file and only adjust the alternator voltage.

Here is a good post with the configuration settings you need to alter

 

I decided to go the PLB40 route, since I like the portability aspect of it. The PLB40 was also great for the PG&E PSPS events, we were able to still have operating fridge inside the house during the entire weekend with the outage we had. I was able to use the battery for 3 days.. on day 4 I had to take the battery out for a drive to charge. If you like portability of moving your fridge car to car then the PLB40 is great.

 

Anyone have experience with the PLB40s in colder climates? From my reading it looks like you shouldn't/can't charge a LiFePO4 battery under 0C which happens overnight probably 9 months of the year here. Are they fine to draw from under that and you just need to make sure to warm before charging? To me the ideal seems to be what @Hstone556 has done, except I would maybe route it behind the rear passenger seat because I don't have a camper shell and don't intend to get one.

 

Probably my next mod!

 

To my understanding any li-ion battery can’t be charged under freezing conditions. Same goes for any flashlight using an 18650 battery or the like. They are fine to draw from however though. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

 

It looks like the Redarc BCDCs now have the ability to hold off on charging until the ambient temp is warm enough, so a cab-mounted LiFePO4 might be an option for my house battery. Most of the time when we're camping it's not crazy cold, maybe 5-10 degrees below 0 overnight and the cab would certainly warm to above 0 when driving.

 

We still love our PLB-40. In fact part of what makes it so handy is the fact that it’s easily moved to different vehicles. For instance I am now running an Alu-Cab Khaya camper which has its own battery system, solar, isolations ect. So we simply moved the PLB over to my wife’s RAV4, plugged in the PLB to the rear outlet in her vehicle and plugged our spare ARB fridge in and boom now her RAV4 has a dual battery and a fridge. Couldn’t be more simple. Sure two group 31’s is great, but really for the cost, weight and space it’s almost impossible to beat a system like this.

oh and no it will NOT charge when cold, in fact it beeps annoyingly. Of course when it’s cold enough to do that do you really need a fridge? I mean it’s well below freezing?

 

Someone may have already discussed this in this thread, but does anyone know if these Tacoma specific options (Genesis or Off-Grid) draw on the main battery while the vehicle sits?

I have the National Luna split charger in a Jeep TJ, which the Jeep sits more than not, and the National Luna solenoid draws on the main battery even with the controller below is turned off. Therefore when the National Luna is connected, I usually keep a trickle charger on the main battery if the Jeep sits for more than two weeks.

 

Not as much need for the fridge then obviously but still need to run lights and charge phones and laptops and things winter camping it’s dark 16 hours a day here so lights are on a lot.

 

No they have isolators.

 

???
Genesis does say: "Smart Isolator automatically handles all charging functions..."
Off-Grid: "...isolate your auxiliary battery from your drivers seat"

 

yep, isolators.... what’s your question? Isn’t that what you asked?

 

Mostly, yes that's true but there are some that can be charged in lower temps such as the Relion batteries: https://relionbattery.com/blog/lithium-battery-cold-weather They're quite spendy though.

 

I misread your answer... Thanks for the clarification.

My original question was if either of these two options draw power from the main battery while the vehicle is turned off? The National Luna's solenoid that I have in a Jeep does, enough that it's an issue if the vehicle sits for several weeks. Thanks.

 

Would the MK4 adjustable alternator voltage booster from HKB electronics work in 3rd gen ?

 

To answer my own question, I found this that the Blue Sea does draw power when in standby:
(Scroll to bottom to see chart)
https://expeditionportal.com/dual_battery_systems_for_overlanding/

 

Answering my own question above. HKB electronics confirmed the MK4 is not suitable for 3rd gen.

 

From first hand experience I can say that off grid engineering makes quality dual battery setups. I have one and have installed 3 other off grid systems in friends vehicles.

Again from first hand experience I have dealt with Adventure Ready and they do NOT stand behind any of the products they sell. Dealing with Tom and Ernesto at Adventure Ready I caught them in multiple lies when looking to warranty a failed RTT.

 

I have to say just the opposite. I’ve had some problems with some products purchased from Adventure Ready (no fault of theirs) and both Tom and Ernesto have been extremely helpful and have gone out of their way to fix the situations. In fact I have purchased over $50k in accessories in about the last five years for three different rigs and purchasing from Tom has been about as good as of an experience as I’ve had.

So sorry to hear about your experiences with them but from first hand experience, they DO stand behind their products. I would not hesitate to purchase from them again.