Split charging systems- quality?

There seem to be lots of different split charging systems out there - with a huge variance in price. For eaxmple -

SPLIT CHARGE RELAY- 12V 30AMP SELF SWITCHING DUCATO on eBay (end time 23-Jan-11 03:25:47 GMT)

Now, I only want it to do something simple - stopping the battery going flat if I leave the lights on, or allowing me to have the stereo or floodlight on when camping. Do I need to spend a lot of money, or will a cheap unit do the job?

Hi Kevin,
I'm about to fit a basic split charge system to my Ninety. The second battery is for things like spotlights, stereo, inverter, and so on. I think a 30A relay (such as your link) might be a bit on the small side - I bought a 70A relay off fleabay for less than £10.

I'm not sure how relevant the "intelligent charging" is - sounds like it might be marketing bollox! Did you ever hear of a single battery being "overcharged"? So why would a second battery - doesn't make sense.

I'm not sure what you mean by your examples above - you can't stop a battery going flat if you're using it! Presumably you mean your main vehicle battery - i.e. the one you start the car with. If you connect your other ancilliaries to the second battery, then with the engine not running, your main battery cannot be discharged through those devices. Leave your main headlights on and it'll still run it down.

Not sure if that helps at all!

Ian.

Making a bit more sense - cheers! Think I'll go with a higher rated unit, but not spend too much. Headlights makes sense..didn't think of the main lights being attached to the starter battery, but of course they are!
Got a 65amphr leisure battery which I nicked from my old electric outboard, which should cope with running a stereo and spotlight, and a cheap unit would be preferably as I'm proper skint ATM...

Buy quality it always look after you in the long run.

If you look at the wiring diagram for the X-Eng one (http://www.x-eng.co.uk/Instructions/X-Charge.pdf) you can see how simple a basic split-charge system is. Theirs is the price it is due to the quality of the components. But as long you know what current draw you need to handle and spec your components accordingly, it needn't cost the earth.

Ian.

PS - It is true, you get what you pay for. And if I was running a winch and regularly using it (competitions, etc.) I'd definitely go for something more sophisticated. But for general use of a second battery, there's no reason to go overboard!

You could, of course, always look in our Answers section to find it .

The Mad Hat Man said:

You could, of course, always look in our Answers section to find it .

Click to expand...

but that would mean actually having to do a search and doin summit for themselves

What do you get in an x-eng kit anyway?

They seem to sell x-charge for 40quid and spare relays for 21quid. What do you get in the kit other than the relay?

Meaty wire with connectors fitted.

Im an x-eng fan, I have the winch and lights etc fitted, I cant fault it great bit of kit i have submerged it quiet a few times now and it is still going strong, And i use the winch a lot