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21-11-2021
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I just registered
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Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 7 What Jeep do I drive?: WK2
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Dual battery noob question
Hi all,
First post, great to meet everyone one the forum.
Been researching about the pros and cons of either getting a) dual battery setup or b) getting a portable box set up.
Currently going down the pathway of a second battery as it makes the best use of space alongside better functionality.
Reading through various threads, to set one up is it correct that
- isolator
- agm deep cycle battery
Purpose is to run a fridge on my 2011 WK.
1) What I couldn’t find the answer is given there is a 12v cig lighter in the boot, do you actually have to run additional wiring to the boot? Or is it just setting up the isolator?
2) anyone Had experience in DIY for the isolator setup? Wondering is it simple enough to DIY or bring to an auto electrician
Thanks in advance!
Will
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21-11-2021
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MonsterMoose
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: QLD
Age: 70
Posts: 8,843 What Jeep do I drive?: WK2
Likes: 4,390
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Well welcome to the mob, the first thing I would ask is can you put your vehicles details in your signature, like where mine has 2015 WK2 etc, this way when you ask a question we don't have to go digging to see what you drive, the WK2 covers over 10 years of various models , gearboxes and 3 engines and even they have versions...
Okay, your question about an aux battery, in these everything electric jobs I would be going for a DC-DC charger to charge an AGM battery of about 110ah mounted in a box so its portable and to get it out of the way when not needed, I think isolators and such are old hat nowadays, and with the load on these alternators being very high especially if you run all the gadgets and the possibility of alternator failure common, a DC-DC charger lessens that load, draws power only when engine running, won't damage the battery plus you can plug in a portable panel if camping, or if you fit a panel to shed/garage roof you can plug it in at home, win, win............ I like the Cetek D250S good functions and not overpriced like some brands.....
I would advise against using the rear cig lighter or any cig lighter socket for powering anything other than a USB or a light, light gauge wires = big resistance and power loss.... run some decent 8 B&S cable from the jump start points under the bonnet to wherever you want to plug in something like a fridge etc....
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2015 WK2 CRD Laredo( ZG, WG 2.7 )
Your Never Too Old To Learn Something Stupid.
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21-11-2021
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I just registered
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Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 7 What Jeep do I drive?: WK2
Likes: 1
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Thanks drover for the quick reply mate!
Sorry mate, good pointer - updated my signature!!
I see what you mean, redarc DCDC are in the $600/$700+ range vs $250-300 range. Even a Redarc isolator is circa $150
Is it right to assume the cig lighter is at the back is currently rigged to the main battery, therefore if you wish to link it to the secondary battery the DCDC would be rewired to do that?
Do you run your battery from the second battery box under the car seat?
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Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo WK 3.6L V6
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22-11-2021
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MonsterMoose
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: QLD
Age: 70
Posts: 8,843 What Jeep do I drive?: WK2
Likes: 4,390
Liked 3,927 Times in 2,318 Posts
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That other battery under the pax seat is your stop/start battery, I wouldn't tag that for anything as I could imagine the ECU having a hissy at varied voltage and stopped at lights with no start or something, my rig doesn't have stop/start thank goodness.....
Using a basic battery box or making your own and just adding a maxy fuse and anderson plugs is more economical than some of these fancy boxes that are just gimmicky....and using a DC-DC Charger its set and forget...
My plan to fit my Engel in the back was to fit a Ctek out of the way in the back it would be fed from the jumper points and also have an anderson connection outside for a solar panel feed, it would have an anderson to plug into a simple battery box which would be portable so it could follow the Engel when camping and I don't need it stuck in vehicle...... my Engel is 43 years old but takes up too much room in the back when we tour so I leave it at home nowadays, van has a huge fridge.
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2015 WK2 CRD Laredo( ZG, WG 2.7 )
Your Never Too Old To Learn Something Stupid.
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22-11-2021
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Newbie
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Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 41 What Jeep do I drive?: WK2
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I agree with Drover, DC-DC chargers are definitely the way to go, run nice heavy duty cables to reduce voltage drop, and don't forget fuse everything.
On my 2011 WK2, UK spec, the main battery is under the drivers seat (Right Hand Drive), and the area under the passenger seat is basically unused, so I fitted a Sealed Lead acid "invalid buggy" battery under there. It lays on it's side, as the resess is not as deep as the drivers side one.
I ran a 16mm2 cable from the "Jump Start" post under the bonnet, via a 80a inline fuse, through the fire wall to under the back seats. I then fitted the 40a DC to DC converter under the rear seat, returning a 16mm2 wire via another 80a inline fuse to the battery in the passenger under seat well.
The DC to DC charger is wired to only come on when the car is running, and I also have an isolation switch in the dash, to manually turn the DC-DC charger off, when the main battery is low, so all the charge goes to that.
I use Anderson and Powerpole connectors, as these make great connections, that are easy to pull apart when you need to.
In my case, I have then run all of my gadgets off the second battery (Towbar electrics, Cameras, Lights, Digital PMR radio, Amber Beacons, Freezer socket etc), using bypass relays to get any feeds from the Jeeps canbus wireing I need, so I have no extras (other then the bypass relays) connected to the Jeeps wiring. This has been a great comfort when I recently had issues with the TCCM, as I knew it was nothing to do with my work, as by pulling a few fuses to the Bypass relays, and unplugging the DC to DC converter, the Jeep was back to spec for fault finding.
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Only a man who has a second hand car, knows how hard it is to drive a bargain.
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22-11-2021
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Established Member
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Wagga
Posts: 243 What Jeep do I drive?: WK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Surnturf
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Nice setup. Did you bypass your dc/dc to go to your external Anderson plug?
I’m considering the same setup, but will use the passenger under seat spot.
Will be supplying my camper and probs with bypass the dc/dc for the car 2nd battery and use another dc/dc in the camper.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Black 2020 JGC Summit 3.0 TD. Chief products fanboy
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