Off Grid Engineering REDARC Dual Battery Install

Install of the REDARC/OGE was very smooth and straight forward. Quality product. Auxiliary battery now directly powers a 50 quart ARB fridge/freezer. A removable rubber body drain plug just in front of the center of the rear console provides 1 1/8” same size access for the threaded ARB 12V power adapter. No drilling required. Removed the rear jump seats and headrests.

Constructed three lightweight shelves using 1/2" Gatorboard, .060 ABS extruded plastic sheet, 7/8" wood dowels, GRK #8x1.5” cabinet screws and 1.25” fender washers. ABS was glued to the Gatorboard with E6000 Adhesive. 12”x18” foam sheets for the underside are from Hobby Lobby. They were trimmed and attached after masking with spraymount.

The shelves are very light and extremely strong. Gatorboard is very rigid compared to foamboard or foamcore.

XRT push button rope locks to secure the ice chest were purchased at Home Depot. Model#140440 SKU:1002249543

Cheers!

 

Very nice. Well done!

 

This is awesome. I have been using a Bluetti EB70 716Wh Lithium Iron Phosphate portable battery to keep my Dometic fridge running. The Bluetti is plugged into the truck's 12V cigarette port. Which only charges when driving and only puts out about 80 watts. Do you know if the secondary battery will run the fridge even when the truck is off? I have been eyeing these dual-battery setups for a while now. That plug in the floor is fantastic, no long 12V extension running to the front of the truck. How did you wire that up? Appreciate you.

 

Thanks for your responses! The auxiliary battery is wired directly to the fridge. I purchased the approximately 18' long ARB wiring kit that includes an inline fuse and threaded power socket from 4 Wheel Parts. Remove the power socket from the plastic housing as it is not needed. The wiring runs from the auxiliary battery terminals down and back along the passenger side frame rail. From there it makes a 90º turn to connect with the power socket. I was careful to keep the wires above the exhaust heat shields with a few wire ties. This wiring setup could be easily adapted to power other brand name coolers. Cut and either solder or use solderless connectors to connect the power to the fridge.

I've been using the OGE/ARB system since June. My wife and I like to camp, hike, kayak and I solo adventure. The fridge was running for as long as three 85º days without starting the engine with an internal temp set to 35º. Voltage dropped to around 11.2v on the aux battery at the end of that duration. You can select L/M/H battery protection on the fridge face controls or Bluetooth app. I set it to low. Both batteries regularly show a 12.8v+- full charge. The two batteries were purchased at Batteries+Bulbs with 10% off when ordering online. X2Power Premium AGM Group 24F (starter) and Group 35 (auxiliary). 48 month free replacement warranty.

Overall I'm very impressed and pleased with the smooth operation of the OGE/ARB components...and I really like NOT having to find and mess with ice!

Cheers!

 

check out the 400w inverter anytime mod. I also use a bluetti eb70 and charge it with the 200w ac adapter

 

Thanks for explaining how you did it. That sounds like a great solution. Did you have to drill through the bottom of the truck to seat and connect the power socket to the ARB wiring kit? So true, not having to deal with ice is a game changer when camping for longer periods of time.

 

Of course! "A removable rubber body drain plug just in front of the center of the rear console provides 1 1/8” same size access for the threaded ARB 12V power adapter. No drilling required."

 

I have seen that mod floating around here. It does seem like a great idea. I tried to solder for the first time, I inhaled a bunch of smoke no matter how much I tried to avoid it. I noped out of that project quickly. Did you have to solder or did you just use butt splice connectors? Do you get close to 200W while charging with the ac adapter in the truck? That would cut down the charging time tremendously when compared to using the DC 12V port.

 

Scrolled back up and saw that you had already mentioned that haha. Thank you!

 

Yes, I did solder all of the heavy gauge wire connectors as recommended by OGE. High heat solderion iron setting, broad tip, flux, heat sinks and Kester 63/37 .031 solder. It's superior to 60/40 rosin core or silver bearing solder, IMO. Unknown on the direct aux battery to fridge wattage.

Kester 63/37 solder:

$13 Kester 44 Solder Wire, 63/37 0.031”, RMA Rosin, 1-ounce Tube

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AVLM4SO?ie=UTF8

 

I have soldered for years and it seems like the smoke goes in your face no matter if the wind is blowing away from you toward you up down or whatever

 

no soldering involved. It was a plug and play kit. Super easy! Yea it’s like plugging into an AC outlet at home, 200w I believe.

https://guildoutfitters.com/products/400w-in-motion-harness-by-redside-electric

 

I'm enlightened. Was unaware of this. Thanks for posting!

 

I just stumbled across this plug and play wiring harness for the 400W anytime inverter mod. No soldering is needed. Saw an install video on youtube as well.
https://guildoutfitters.com/products/400w-in-motion-harness-by-redside-electric.
It plugs directly into an OEM Toyota 120V AC household plug part number(85530-35050-C0).

 

Question, does the redarc work as an isolator as well? So when running both batteries charge off the alternator but when off it isolates accessories to the aux battery and "disconnects" the house battery? Which then puts solar (if you have it) to the aux?

 

Nice install OP!

I also installed Off-Grids dual battery, however I didn't go with the Redarc over just the Blue-Sea system. Looking back, I should have probably gone with the Redarc to easily hook in solar, for one.

Oh, I also keep my fridge in Tacoma, not always on, but I love it! It's a game changer for camping, even just going to the store over lunch.

 

You gotta sell a lot of Omaha steaks out of that rig to pay for those changes. Ha ha

Just kidding.

Nice setup. I have something similar but decided to power it off of a 600w battery pack. It will power the fridge a few days, and recharge with solar in 1 day. But each has its own advantages.

 

RE: REDARC operation. Correct – charges both batteries while engine is running. Both isolated from one another. Power is only drawn from whatever is connected directly to the auxiliary battery when engine is on/off. I don't have solar, but left those connections
available to charge the aux batt through the REDARC if I opt for that in the future.
Checked out Guild Outfitters. Thanks for the tips on the 400W in motion harness! Ordered an illuminated switch for the lower left dash and switch illumination harness to control the on/off of the grill LED lights. There's an excellent video for switch installations and wiring on the site for DIY folks who like to save $$:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5un69_YhPw

 

Very informative video. I will be using it for reference in the future. Thank you for sharing.