Wyoming B.S. Thread

Yes, very common outside the us. Not sure why you think it would not be safe, diesel doesn't explode like gas or propane. I'm guessing you're not familiar with how they actually function? No a lighter would not work. Look up the Wallas XC Duo. That's my stove/furnace. Convection top diesel stove.

 

I thought diesel won't ignite with an open flame. Needs to be vaporized right?

 

A paper towel on fire will start a diesel bon fire, allegedly.

 

I've heard the same

 

@Blackdawg the stove works by having a combustion chamber that vents to an exhaust outside the van (you'll see it by the factory exhaust pipe.

That combustion chamber transfers heat to the convection stove top. With the lid closed, a fan blows air across the stove top, heating the air and acting as a furnace for the van. With the lid open it functions as convection stove top. See the video below to see what I mean.
https://youtu.be/7a5zTwq1Wn0

 

I wanted to circle back to some of this information as I think the thinking here needs to be more granular. There are two different charging phases that are done by both the CTEK and my Magnum inverter (and it is now configured for AGMs). The phases are Bulk/Absorption and Float. Both the CTEK and Magnum will Bulk/Absorption charge at 14.7V which is what you want and alluded to as a requirement for AGM battery health. However, your concern of the 13.3V occurs at Float charging, the tail end of charging and used to maintain the voltage in the batteries using a minimal amount of current. The CTEK will float charge at 13.6V, my Magnum will sit at 13.3ish. To me, it is telling that both components float charge AGM's below 14V. And it also man's that outside the RECON function of the CTEK, I wouldn't gain much by using it over my Inverter from what I see other than a slightly higher float charge voltage.

Curious what you think on this as I still learning. CTEK numbers are from the Manual. Magnum are from what I've observed.

Also working down the path of my isolator and circuit breaker. The diode on the isolator are looking to be working but the shortstop circuit breaker seems dead so hopefully getting that replaced will allow for charging off the alternator when driving.

 

I realize you have that solar setup, but this is the first mention of the alt not charging the house batteries when the engine is running.

That certainly was a factor in the health of the old batteries. The draw from 'van life usage' had to be greater than what the solar could replenish so as soon as you unplugged from your shore power, if there was any draw, the voltage levels would start going down. Longer days with more sun may have mitigated that somewhat, but the replenish from the alt appears to be essential to your setup.

In the context of the 13.3 volt discussion, it wasn't clear that was only the float voltage.

 

Yeah I read a lot this weekend, diving into first trying to determine if i have an isolator, then attempt to determine it's functionality. That wasn't necessarily clear cut. The assumption is that I should see the higher voltage reading on the magnum when the truck is running, which is not currently the case.

Certainly not having the ability to charge while driving is not great and starts the clock right away. Still, with 100ah to work with, I should have longer on the batteries sans solar. Otherwise, I have a draw of nearly 10amps going when only running the fridge..

Sorry I wasn't clear on the float voltage. It seems to always be on float. The old batteries would barely stay in absorb before going to float no matter how dead they were so the voltage I almost always saw was the lower float charge.

 

The isolator is critical in a dual battery config. I recommend one of these. This is what many of us are using. I realize there are many options that cost less, but as you are finding out, dependability and longevity are critical.

Put it between the batteries (house and starter), near the alt.

When the engine is running and the isolator is not isolating (battery banks linked) the voltage at the starting battery and the voltage at the house battery should be identical. If they are not, if the house batteries are lower, something is causing a voltage drop, either the cabling or the isolator or both.

 

Skip the isolator and install a DC-DC charger.

That way you can get a proper multi-stage charge on those AGMs.

I really like my Renogy with built in solar capabilities.

 

Once I can confirm the system is working I will go through and upgrade the isolator and breaker. The diode type isolator robs significant voltage from the power from the alt headed to the house batteries.

How many times have you used the manual over ride? I think that's the only difference between the 7620 and 7622 model.

Did you wire it up to your starter wiring?

Found a good load of information that's helped me understand this all better located here:
https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f20/battery-isolators-separators-and-switches-7991.html

 

I actually use the manual switch more often than I thought I would. Thankfully, I've never had to self jump and only experienced a total alt failure one time. But it is comforting to know it's there if needed.

The unexpected usage comes when the system is running at a voltage that is lower than the normal output voltage of the alt. Extended winching time is an example. Or when having to run the ARB twin for more than just my 4 wheels. Both of those situations are using a lot of amps from the alt. Keeping the voltage up helps those systems function more effectively. I also use that switch when I want to force the MC-ACR to keep the batteries separate even though the engine is running.

The wire you reference is optional. Mine is not hooked up. IIRC, it is designed to protect sensitive ignition system components found in newer vehicles and marine applications. I do not believe it is needed in older vehicles like ours.

 

All good info. That's would be a nice upgrade once I have a good starting point of a working system.

The high amp loads at idle (winching or compressor or whatever) is mitigated on my end using my idle controller. Set high idle and benefit from the higher alt output. More things to break....yay me

 

@m3bassman - I'm with Brett on this one. While I have (and like) the ML-ACR that Mike mentioned, I think your usage profile in the van is different enough for a few reasons that I'd recommend a DC-DC charger:

• You have a battery bank for your house batteries, rather than a single battery. I know that technically, when they are wired together in parallel, they are sort of like having a single big battery, but yours are really meant to be house power vs. ours that are more house power/starting-battery-savers combo.
• You need a DC-DC charger anyway for the solar. Brett likes his Renogy, but if you're replacing what you have, I'd recommend the REDARC BCDC1225D DC-DC Charger w/Solar since that'll replace all the brains of your electrical system and consolidate everything into a single controller. Maybe the Renogy does too, since I know they have some solar stuff (re-reading Brett's, I see his does). The Redarc will probably cost more (just due to brand/reputation); I have no idea if it's worth it, but I've heard good things. Steve (Monte's dad) runs one for his setup.
• A DC-DC charger will - 100% - give you a high enough charging voltage for AGMs, and as you know, is configurable based on your chemistry. That's a lot different than just sending "whatever the alternator" outputs to your batteries and hoping for the best. We're lucky in 1st gen Tacos that it generally works out, but it's not something that's universal (e.g. it doesn't work on 2nd, 3rd gen Tacos)
• With the DC-DC charger, you don't have to run a monster set of cables between your batteries. While it charges at the necessary high voltages, it does so with less current.

There are some drawbacks to a DC-DC charger, in that you can't link your starting and house batteries for jump starting or winching, but I think those are rare enough cases that they don't matter for your new setup. Winching - as you mentioned - you can do with a single battery and an idle controller. Jump starting - well, you don't currently have a problem of running down the starting battery... plus, you can just carry cables and use those if you need them.

Lastly - regarding the draw of your fridge. 10A isn't all that much at 12V - that's a 120W power draw, which is about the same as my headlights or SS3 fog lights. My ARB fridge (50qt) pulls 6-7A at full tilt on a hot day.

 

The Redarc is a great choice for sure!

I went with the renogy because it's cheaper, and it also trickle charges the starting battery with solar when the house battery is full. A sunny day would always result in both batteries being completely charged.

 

Those are great points. I'm looking to get it working, I can upgrade later with some of the options available. I still need to retain the inverter so a DC-DC+solar wouldn't be the end all be all solution. It also didn't appear in my 5minutes of research to be designed to live under the hood. The inverter allows me to run my 110v plugs and utilize shore power hookup. The biggest draw back to everything thought, is I already have parts that work (besides the old breaker that cost $12). It would make sense if I had an issue with my solar and my isolator but I don't currently. So DC-DC really isn't on the table, it would be different if this was starting from scratch build.

As far as your arb pulling 6-7amps per hour, is that at 100% duty cycle? Because that is 7x what arb claims is the average power consumption of the 50qt fridge given the parameters below.

 

Yeah, you totally need to figure out the cost/benefit on getting new parts vs. using what you've got. If what you have works, no need to spend $1K buying new, just to have new.

The fridge: That's why I said it pulls 6-7A at full tilt on a hot day (70-80W). That's totally different than what ARB has there, which is amortized over time. Most of the time the fridge is off (i.e. warming up).

 

That is a little high for your fogs.

SS3 Sport: 1.1 amps @ 12.8V
SS3 Pro: 2.7 amps @ 12.8V
SS3 Max: 3 amps @ 12.8V

http://images.diodedynamics.com/doc...Stage_Series_3in_Worklight_Pod_Info_Guide.pdf

 

Yeah, they are lower than I thought. For some reason I thought they were 40W each, but looks like they are 40W total. Maybe I was thinking of the SS5s.

...they are 45W each. Which makes sense, since they are the equivalent of 2.25 SS3s.

That's pretty amazing actually, given the amount of light they throw forward. Great optics with less power than the HIDs.

 

Wait were you saying you use 6-7amps/24hours? Most 12v fridges I've looked at are 1.25-4ah consumption. Your numbers aren't really adding up.