Mash5
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Mark
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2020
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 75
- Reaction score
- 74
- Location
- Eldorado County, California
- Vehicle(s)
- 21 Jeep Diesel SportS Gladiator, VW eGolf, Mazda3
- Thread starter
- #1
Where I’m at now-
I have a small AGM aux battery mounted in the bed. All it does is power the Dometic fridge. It is charged by a Renogy DC-DC charger/isolator (DCC1212-20). I have it set up on one of the high current Aux switch outputs, which acts as an isolator, so I just have the D+IGN running to the input lead of the DC-DC. If there is voltage on the Aux line, the charger runs. It’s a simple system, and it works fine-ish. I did it one night before a trip… you know how it is… and it works.
Where I’m going-
I’m upgrading the battery here shortly to a cheap 50Ah LiFePO4. If I find a good deal, I may go a bit bigger, but I think 50 should work fine, and weight is a concern. I want to switch the DC-DC over to direct wiring (no aux switches) and run the D+IGN correctly so that the isolator function works as intended. The main reason will be that the switch has been turned off on a couple of occasions and nobody noticed. This resulted in the battery not getting a full charge, and it takes a few days for it to recover with how marginal the AGM already is. It also uses up a switch and doesn't really need to. The charger needs to be able to pull up to 30 Amps.
My question-
With the Aux wiring, I know the vehicle was designed to provide current through those lines. Other than the Aux switches, where is the correct place to “tap into the jeep” to get power? With past jeeps, I have always just run NATO-style battery terminals and pulled whatever I need from there but I understand that with this highly controlled, smart alternator, duel battery, situations we have now, pulling current from the wrong place could be the source of unintended problems, like causing the batteries to be unbalanced. Does anyone know of a designated spot? Where do the Aux switches connect to the Jeep, for instance?
Thanks for any help.
I have a small AGM aux battery mounted in the bed. All it does is power the Dometic fridge. It is charged by a Renogy DC-DC charger/isolator (DCC1212-20). I have it set up on one of the high current Aux switch outputs, which acts as an isolator, so I just have the D+IGN running to the input lead of the DC-DC. If there is voltage on the Aux line, the charger runs. It’s a simple system, and it works fine-ish. I did it one night before a trip… you know how it is… and it works.
Where I’m going-
I’m upgrading the battery here shortly to a cheap 50Ah LiFePO4. If I find a good deal, I may go a bit bigger, but I think 50 should work fine, and weight is a concern. I want to switch the DC-DC over to direct wiring (no aux switches) and run the D+IGN correctly so that the isolator function works as intended. The main reason will be that the switch has been turned off on a couple of occasions and nobody noticed. This resulted in the battery not getting a full charge, and it takes a few days for it to recover with how marginal the AGM already is. It also uses up a switch and doesn't really need to. The charger needs to be able to pull up to 30 Amps.
My question-
With the Aux wiring, I know the vehicle was designed to provide current through those lines. Other than the Aux switches, where is the correct place to “tap into the jeep” to get power? With past jeeps, I have always just run NATO-style battery terminals and pulled whatever I need from there but I understand that with this highly controlled, smart alternator, duel battery, situations we have now, pulling current from the wrong place could be the source of unintended problems, like causing the batteries to be unbalanced. Does anyone know of a designated spot? Where do the Aux switches connect to the Jeep, for instance?
Thanks for any help.
Sponsored