Sprinter battery bank

[brokcanadian]

Got battery bank installed...2 walmart marine with 4AWG throughout, 2000w inverter...was free, took from the other van

About to start planning the stereo...will hold off on amp until I upgrade the alternator, 150000 miles in it...trying to sort out the pioneer DVD player, backup camera wiring and head unit with screen they wired in...professionally done but they had too many accessories in there, cb too...I'd rather toss the screen for my Bluetooth pioneer, I listen to Internet radio must of the time and the phone feature is crystal clear...and I've got the 27" TV to throw in there....also I've got a galaxy cb that I really didn't use enough


Simple battery cutoff key mounted where I can't hit it, can't even really see it when seated...but easy reach...direct connection to battery positive leaving the empty fuse spot for my amp...inverter securely behind seat, leaving my cab space, power switch an easy reach...batteries mounted in cargo area leaving my 3 skid capacity, same distance from wall as my wheelwell...and best of all free, had everything already, it's lasted thru many vans

Printer is on the floor for now till I build a subwoofer box, somebody so inclined could print border crossing papers at 75 mph with their eyes on the road

 

[scottm4211]

I unplugged my Sirius XM direct connect thing and now stream through Bluetooth from my phone through stereo. Way better sound and pause and show downloads too. Glad to see the garbage antenna connector gone for good.

 

[schwanman]

What are the pro's and con's of using a power switch or solenoid to seperate charging system and spare batteries?

 

[brokcanadian]

I can handle the pros . . . simple, cheap, and I can choose when to place the load on batteries or alternator, eg. I disconnect the alternator when printing, I don't want that sudden 50 amp load on my alternator and reconnect to charge. . . also, in winter, I can leave all batteries connected and crank using 3 to start even without glow plugs if necessary (need metal solenoid on starter) and finally, when I run stuff while parked I know for sure I'm disconnected from starter battery...dont know if the isolators can fail connected, but I knew somebody who had nothing but problems...

Turtle, cons?

 

[Turtle]

The only real con with a manual switch is forgetting to connect or disconnect the house bank to the charging system. You don't want to leave the house batteries in a partially discharged state when driving down the road when flipping the switch would have them being charged. When you're on a really long load and the house bank becomes fully charged at some point (assuming the use of a battery monitor to let you know), then failing to disconnect the charging system from the battery bank can result in overcharging the bank. And the really obvious one, you don't want to leave the cranking battery connected to the house bank while sitting for extended periods of time and putting the same amp draw on the starting battery that you do on the house bank, thereby shortening the life of the starting battery, not to mention the high risk of draining it down too far as the house bank is drawn down.

 

[brokcanadian]

This idea works better with the hybrid deep cycles I bought, specifically because I have no deep cycle battery management. Standard walmart marine starter / deep cycle hybrids, less than $100 each...charging needs are close enough to use the vehicle alternator, no overcharging or starting worries save remembering to disconnect when parked if you're going to be putting loads on them

Last me 4-5 years

 

[brokcanadian]

Here's a con. Mounting an inverter on the cargo partition and getting slammed by your personal freight during a sudden stop. At least I could see the problem in the dark from the sparks...

 

[brokcanadian]

Researching proper grounding, I see a warning about steel washers being high resistance and getting hot with higher loads, possibly causing damage...going thru my install and removing any on the connection, not fastener side...who knew?

 

[tknight]

Invest in this and never look back.....

 

[brokcanadian]

Hmm. Only 2.5 volts thru the washer, 12.7 thru the cable...also found a bad ground, thru a seat bolt that must have gone nowhere...i used my laser printer yesterday (50 amp load) grounding thru the inverter case, that was safe

 

[brokcanadian]

Invest in this and never look back.....

On my list now, I'm getting 3.5 volts from my manual switch with it off

Edit: must be a spring loaded getting weak, it gradually disconnects

 

[tknight]

On my list now, I'm getting 3.5 volts from my manual switch with it off

That's some crappy switch!

 

[brokcanadian]

All done...mounted with bolts not self tapping screws....recommend everybody check their connections and grounds once a year even if working, there were a lot of corroded terminals even though mine was working...using a DMM is a great way to make sure your voltages and grounds are doing what they're supposed to, Internet has instructions