MOST PEOPLE GET THIS WRONG

Most people get the wrong dual battery setup and or dont get all the benefits they should get, in this video the pros, cons, dos, don'ts, battery system types and heaps more advice to help you make the right choice.

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00:00 Introduction
00:39 types of battery setups
03:57 Driving loads vs other loads
05:25 dont ask you dont get
07:37 Circuit Breakers vs Fuses
08:28 DOS and DONTS
13:12 SOLAR
15:28 LITHIUM VS AGM
17:04 PROS and CONS

[VenidiciRobidici]

Thanks Ronny. Been watching you for years and gained a great deal of knowledge. No good deed goes unpunished so here ya go. Just a lil appreciation and gratitude. Enjoy!

[azazeldeath]

Bit of advice from an ex mechanic.

If your in your wiring buying stage use calculators, they have how much amps your going to use, how ling the wire is and voltage drop.

When planning it in the calculator add 1mtr to the wire length. Try go for 1% drop. If you find it's just on the max length it's worth going up a size (down in awg number). Honestly I normally recommend doing that anyway, if something calls for 8g, go for 6 or even 4g. It'll heat up less. Less voltage loss and does allow for some future proofing.

[madmodmotorsports]

Been watching your videos for ages now and it's safe to say I bought a 4x4, got into exploring, camping and touring, because of your genuine character, avoiding all the BS that most people will receive at aftermarket accessory stores. I quickly saw what is necessity and what is just wasted money if done incorrectly, so you have saved me tonnes of money that I could actually use on getting out and adventuring.

Keep up the awesome vids and the no BS straight to the point content. Hard to find genuine characters these days, so stick with your good ethics as I'm sure it is appreciated by many. 😎

[brockstravels]

A comment on the use of crimping. I only use crimps, however my crimping tools are proper tools, not glorified pair of pliers. if the crimp has been done properly there will be no problems. Soldering is only needed if you dont trust your crimping quality..

P.S. my trade is RAAF trained aircraft elec fitter/avionics tech, 50 years experience.

[You-can-fix-it-yourself]

RONNY OLE BOY !!! I'm a 40 yr Master Tech, and this is the BEST video concerning multiple battery systems. You cover everything and you have more safety recommendations and warnings than any 2 other videos combined. This alone is worth the watch for DIYers, but you even cover all the bases (Yank term there). Keep up d'good work.

[hodgoes]

I agree with heat shrink on a crimp.

But not soldering, have seen alot of solder joints fail on aftermarket fitted wiring.

It is easier for a beginner to get a good crimp and than heat shrink it, rather than get a good solder joint.

And whatever you do.. don't crimp a soldered wire, all it does is crack the solder and doesn't allow the crimp to bite in correctly.

[MrGundawindy]

The dual battery in parallel is not too bad, especially if you can isolate one with a low voltage cut out. Team that with a lithium jumper pack just in case you get it wrong and it's a decent weekender system.

[sylvanbowyer]

Well done. I'd also like to add that people don't need to be intimidated by 12v if they don't know anything about it. It's very easy to learn and then you have the skills to diagnose, repair, modify, etc.

[andrewk]

if youre on a budget or only have room for 1 battery a great option is a marine starting battery. its a hybrid design with good cranking amps and better deep cycle capabilities too. get the biggest possible size you can squeeze in there. this gives you high capacity and heavy load capability for winching.
make sure the new battery has equal or greater cranking amp ratings (cold cranking amps included)

[paulspeirs]

Always solid advice. I would however take out the comments around fusing both ends of a cable as it's completely unnecessary, does add some voltage drop (although small) provides another point of failure. Simply fuse the source and that's all that is required. Additionally to that, I'd never recommend soldering multi stranded wire in the car as it essentially turns in to one solid core wire and is prone to cracking and breaking. Done properly, a crimped wire will outlast a soldered wire any day, one of the reasons the main earth strap is crimped for example.

[RyanYoxo]

very interesting, as a no power on site worker i just went with the basic battery box with built in inverter since most my tools are battery tools, this could charge them and also run my fridge. Didn't cost me more than $1000. still going strong 8-10 years later

[KADSL]

In the old days, I used a dual diode battery isolator. Works great and very simple. The batteries never see each other electrically. Even a simple high current relay that parallels them only when engine is running.

[jameshobbs]

I’m just getting into 4x4 & camping, iv done a 115ah kings deep cycle hooked up to an isolator not a dcdc, a half decent battery box & a second hand 50L kings fridge with a bunnings false floor, the whole set up wouldn’t have set me back more than $800 & it’s all removable with a couple of ratchet straps, does the job for beginners

[PeterStrazds]

Excellent video. It explained things very clearly to me (a novice with car electricals) It showed that my auto electrician friend installed the correct "house"battery system for me.

[Javier-OverlandESP]

Probably One of the best videos about auxiliary battery on a Vehicle. Easy to understand even for people with lack of knowledge about car electricity

Thanks for your channel

[pugnut]

Mostly good advice, but I'm going to take issue with your comment to solder connectors.

I agree, don't just use pre-insulated crimp connectors and call it good...they are great for trackside repairs, but not great long term.

BUT...do NOT solder!

Solder wicks its way up the wires by capillary action, stiffens them up, and creates a hard point where it ends.
Over time, the wire conductors WILL fatigue and crack at that point, and the wire will fail.
Corrugated roads will dramatically increase this.
Proper heat shrink and strain relief will slow it down, but it WILL happen eventually.

1. Use good quality crimp connectors, not the ones in a multi pack from Supercheap...
2. Preferably use open barrel uninsulated connectors, and put heat shrink over the join.
3. Get a good crimper, ratchet type, designed for the type of connector you are using. $50 minimum, not the $5 cheapie.
4. Do some tests with the same type of wire, and use the tightest crimp you can do on that wire without distorting the connector. Properly done, the crimp forms a cold weld that is electrically superior to solder, and is vastly mechanically superior.
5. Use good quality dual wall glue lined heat shrink. The join will be encapsulated, waterproof, almost completely corrosion resistant, and the thick wall shrink gives good strain relief as well.

Properly done crimped joint with glue lined heat shrink will outperform.a soldered joint or a crimped and soldered joint in every way...aesthetically, mechanically, electrically, longevity, corrosion resistance, everything.

[forch]

Greetings from ‘Merica! Found your channel last night at work and this video is hands down one of the best I have seen. I had so many questions about setting up a dual battery in my project 04 Toyota Sequoia and you nailed every single one. I’m so happy now I have hours of content to browse to get more information about what to do with my truck! Thanks again and keep these videos coming!

[olliehopnoodle]

Great video. I put a dual battery in my rig quite a while ago. It's a 'just in case' jump starter that I also use for some accessories like a fridge, small inverter, etc. I used a large solenoid for isolation that I operate with a switch. I use a SPDT relay to direct where the accessories get their power from. When the ignition is off, power comes from the second battery, when it is on, it comes from the main battery/charging circuit. I don't use a DC to DC charger. More recently I bought a portable 'power station' (Jackery). Really, this is the way to go. It charges from a 12v power outlet when the engine is running and I use it to power the fridge and such. What's really great is you can move the fridge/power pack to where you are so you don't have to keep running back to the rig.

[aussienscale]

A handy thing to look for in your DC/DC with MPPT or Solar Charger is the trickle charge funtion back to the crank battery. Then if you mentioned you have a solar input apmerage if camped for a few days that exceeds your fridge, lighting draw ect, when the house battery is full it will also trickle charge the crank battery :)

[stevesmith]

I go simple. I run a small trailer with a 120W panel and 300w capability with external panels. Does not run off the vehicle. I don't go for more than 3 days and it's plenty of power with 100Ah lithium. Runs the fridge lights and stereo easily. Granted, we get about 320 days of full sun. I take advantage 😊