split charging for defender 110

hi all

I am planning on fitting a split battery system on my defender , I would like to split a second bat from the main to prevent it from running low , if / when I'm using from the 2nd bat to power accessories / charge cam / charge drone / phones / iPads ... and so on while we are at camp ..

I know there are a few ways of doing this , and some seem a bit over kill , and some expensive .. Now I was wondering if fitting a relay between the two batteries was the best solution , relays can fail and worse case is to fail closed and I end up with two flat batt ..

The other way I was thinking was to fit a in line kill switch to manually separate bat 2 from bat 1 ... now this may end up being a pain to turn on and off , but it would allow me to manually disconnect bat 2 which seems less prone to fail ..

Im a little reluctant to use the voltage sensing relay (eBay special type) , as this wouldn't allow me to joint both together should I need to ..

Whats peoples thoughts on split charging and was just wondering what has other people done .. ?

Cheers . .

aevans692 said:

hi all

I am planning on fitting a split battery system on my defender , I would like to split a second bat from the main to prevent it from running low , if / when I'm using from the 2nd bat to power accessories / charge cam / charge drone / phones / iPads ... and so on while we are at camp ..

I know there are a few ways of doing this , and some seem a bit over kill , and some expensive .. Now I was wondering if fitting a relay between the two batteries was the best solution , relays can fail and worse case is to fail closed and I end up with two flat batt ..

The other way I was thinking was to fit a in line kill switch to manually separate bat 2 from bat 1 ... now this may end up being a pain to turn on and off , but it would allow me to manually disconnect bat 2 which seems less prone to fail ..

Im a little reluctant to use the voltage sensing relay (eBay special type) , as this wouldn't allow me to joint both together should I need to ..

Whats peoples thoughts on split charging and was just wondering what has other people done .. ?

Cheers . .

Click to expand...

Fit a second alternator?

https://projectrusty1992.blogspot.com/2018/06/fitting-gwyn-lewis-dual-alternator-on.html

This whole subject was covered only a few days ago, you should do a search, quite often when subjects are covered in very recent days they won't get many/if any responses as it has already been discussed at length

dieseldog69 said:

Fit a second alternator?

https://projectrusty1992.blogspot.com/2018/06/fitting-gwyn-lewis-dual-alternator-on.html

This whole subject was covered only a few days ago, you should do a search, quite often when subjects are covered in very recent days they won't get many/if any responses as it has already been discussed at length

Click to expand...

Not to mention the intro section too.

mick 1986 said:

Not to mention the intro section too.

Click to expand...

I completely forgot

He/she/ze/they/them (gotta respect the pronouns ) could just link their Plenty Of Fish or Grindr profiles

Ok I will have a search to see what has been posted before..

Fitting a second alternator this seems a bit counterproductive, the guy in the post said it had been ok for a few years , and then had a problem .. why not just replace the relay ... ? Because alternators go wrong too ? I’m very much for keeping things simple ...

Cheers ..

aevans692 said:

Because alternators go wrong too ? I’m very much for keeping things simple ...

Click to expand...

Cars break down, busses break down, bicycles get punctures, you could get hit by a juggernaught if you leave the house!

Best you sit on the couch and don't move, you could suffer a heart attack from physical exertion

Dual circuit twin alternator set up is fit and forget with no problems, people don't like it due to cost as it's expensive, i should know, I've got one, but it's 100% stand alone and uses a standard 100A LR alternator so I've maintained a common part that's interchangeable with my main should it fail, your cheap splitcharge means 1 alternator and sheet creek if it fails

Performance, reliability and cost, you can tick 2 out of 3 most times but rarely all 3, my system is superior but costs 3X a splitty from T-Max or 5X other non branded junk from China.

Ultimately, you pays your money & takes your chance

..

I can see a place for dual alternators , but for what im after its a little over kill ..

I have done a search , and only found other people saying to do a search as this has been done to death .. but little info .. lol ..

I think im prob going to opt for a simple relay and add a switch on the dash so I can just isolate both batteries ...