Landrover 3rd Battery Installation

Landrover 3rd Battery Installation

by | Mar 9, 2021 | Auto Electrics, Blog, Dual Battery Systems

Fitting a 3rd battery to a Landrover 

The is an ex-army Landrover we are talking about which comes fitted with two 12 volt batteries fitted in parallel as standard. Landrovers can have many auxiliary devices such as a VHF radio to power up hence the two batteries for extra power output. The second battery also adds some redundancy to the system. However, there are times when even two batteries are not enough. On the right-hand side of the vehicle is a compartment big enough to house a third battery.

Two Primary Battery Housing

Two Primary Battery Housing

 

When the vehicle is off-road there may be a need to power for example a small fridge and you do not want to place extra demands on your two main batteries which you are relying on to start your engine miles from anywhere. This is where fitting a third battery comes in handy and can provide that extra power requirement without placing extra demand on your main battery power source.

 

In this case, we do not want to rely on the main alternator to charge the third battery as this is a very inefficient method of charging the battery and will reduce the lifetime of the battery. The alternator is now being asked to power another battery, a task it was not designed to do in an efficient manner. We solve this by fitting an in-vehicle battery charger in the form of a REDARC Multi-stage auxiliary DC-DC battery charger, 12 volts, 25 amp and this is fitted discreetly behind the driver’s seat.

Dual Batteries

 

Checkout the video

 

The third battery we provide is a Full River DC105-12

The Full River DC105-12 is one of the best 105Ah (Amp-hour) AGM Deep Cycle batteries and one of the most popular batteries in Australia due to its reliability and an incredible lifetime of up to 7 years or more.

 

As the battery is completely sealed and dry, it is not possible to spill acid or to give off gasses while charging. Places you can fit these batteries are under seats in Caravans or Motorhomes. They can be used onboard boats as the house battery. Like all AGM and GEL batteries, we do not recommend under-bonnet installations. 

Deep Cycle AGM battery

Details:

 

Width: 169mm

Length: 307mm

Height: 215mm inc terminals (211 without)

Weight: 30.2Kg Approx

Voltage: 12 Volts

Capacity 105Ah at a 20hour rate (C20)

Screw down M6 terminals. 

The positive (+) terminal is on the left (= red terminal in the picture).

36 Month Pro-Rata Warranty (includes 12 Month Manufacturers Replacement Warranty).

Full River DC Series Product Brochure

 

With the new Full River DC105-12 and REDARC Multi-stage auxiliary DC-DC battery charger, the Landrover is now fully capable of powering the camping fringe without any worry of over-taxing the two primary batteries and alternator. You can now sleep easy miles from anywhere knowing your beers will still be chill in the morning 🙂

 

 

 

Deep Cycle AGM Batteries

Deep Cycle AGM Batteries

by | Dec 4, 2020 | Blog, Dual Battery Systems, Uncategorized

Lithium car batteries

Lithium is the lightest of the solid elements and is the most popular types of rechargeable batteries. The very first lithium batteries were not rechargeable.

It has one of the best energy/weight ratios. The self-discharge rate is also low so when it is not in use it does not lose its charge very quickly.

In fact, lithium batteries were initially unstable and unsafe and around charging times they were particularly unsafe making them unsuitable for the market. This is when they discovered that lithium-ion was the way to go.

Being twice the energy density of standard nickel-cadmium batteries they make an excellent car battery. Lithium-ion batteries do not require much maintenance and on top of this advantage, they do not require memory or scheduling cycling.

Traditionally Lithium Batteries have been used only for Hybrids but they can be used in normal petrol engine cars and especially in 4WD where a second battery is used to power camping utilities such as camping fridges and power inverters. In this case, a normal lead-acid battery is used for the first battery and the Lithium Battery is used for the camping or alternate use requirement. Where you are travelling for long periods you need a second battery so as not to rely on your main car battery essential for starting the engine.

So to be clear the advantages of a Lithium Battery is their weight, they are much lighter than lead-acid batteries. They also cope with the charge and discharge cycles a lot better than the traditional lead-acid batteries. However, there are a few disadvantages which should be mentioned. Compared with a lead-acid battery a Lithium Battery’ output will drop a lot faster when the temperature decreases. They do require proper charging and can have cell failure if not charged as manufacturers recommendations. They are also quite expensive in comparison. A well-designed Lithium Batteries however do not cause these problems such as the EnerDrive Lithium Batteries.

Deep Cycle AGM battery

An alternative to the Lithium Battery is a Deep Cycle AGM battery which is a lead-acid battery but with several differences. AGM is short for Absorbent Glass Material.
So the battery has 6 cells of around 2 volts each making 12 in total. The positive and negative lead oxide plates react with the sulfuric acid electrolyte producing electrons and this electrolyte is suspended by the sponge-like glass fibre maintaining an even distribution with the lead oxide plates.

Although the AGM battery is sensitive to over or undercharging it is basically sealed and needs no maintenance so you can not spill any of the contents. They are mostly shockproof and do not corrode. They also are more efficient at discharging and recharging. It is claimed they have higher starting power. In general, they do cost more.

Another advantage is they typically last sometimes more than twice the regular lead-acid battery. When supplying a twin battery for a camper or 4WD we usually provide and install the DC105-12 Deep Cycle AGM Battery as the second utility battery.

What is the Deep Cycle part of the name mean? Traditional car batteries were not designed for continuous draining and recharge as they are used to start the engine and are then used for small power uses while the engine is running and the battery is continually being recharged. However, if you are using the second battery system as a power supply for your camping fridge you will not have the car running at the time and there will be a constant drain on the battery. A deep cycle battery will have thicker plates which help it cope with constant charging and recharging. The thicker the plates the longer it will last.

Deep Cycle batteries are designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time. Deep-cycle batteries can be repeatedly discharged and recharged without causing damage or shortening their life.

An Inverter and Battery system for Tradies

An Inverter and Battery system for Tradies

by | Sep 1, 2020 | Blog, Dual Battery Systems, Inverter Systems

ePOWER 2000W True Sine Wave Inverter 

As a tradie you may be interested to know that we are installing 2000w true sine wave inverters into builders and electricians work vehicles and yutes. This allows the use of electrical power on-site when there is no other electrical power available.

Features

The ePOWER’s contemporary is easy to use offers reliable power service both AC power and 5V USB power for your tradies work vehicle or caravan and other 4WD or commercial vehicle. A multitude of AC powered appliances can be run via this inverter and the 5V USB power can charge many devices simultaneously. 

For operating motor loads, and to reduce stress on surge protection circuitry, true sine wave output power is perfect and also ensures longer equipment life. There are audio alarm warnings and error codes informing the user.

The automatic shutdown protects overload, over temperature and low/high battery conditions and there is a high surge capacity for products that require more power to start (2 x constant)

Provide are mounting brackets for a fixed installation including heavy-duty DC battery stud connectors and 5V USB port.

Included a 6 Meter Remote On-Off Switch

200Ah Lithium Battery ePOWER B-TEC 12V

We can also install a dual battery system which allows you to utilise your inverter without a drain on your car battery. We are using the 200Ah Lithium Battery ePOWER B-TEC 12V which has a list of impressive features.

This Lithium Battery is available in the range

  • 12v 100Ah,125Ah, 200Ah and 300Ah

The battery is also available in the ranges:

  • 24v & 36v 100Ah,

It is designed and meant for deep cycle uses.

This battery has a management system which provides the following information: Battery Voltage, Current (Amps), State of Charge (SOC), Health (SOH) and Status.

This management system will also show Individual Cell Voltage, Battery Temperature, Cycles, Alarms and other Battery Event Information.

There is also a monitor to optimise individual Prismatic cells inside the battery while the battery is in use which prevents over charge and over discharge, over temperature including short circuit prevention.

In short this battery management system keeps the battery safe and ensures precise and accurate use of the battery system.

These are the size and weight savings, Lithium v AGM scope;

100Ah Lithium = 160Ah AGM

125Ah Lithium = 200Ah AGM

200Ah Lithium = 320Ah AGM

(The figures are based on average discharge depth for both Lithium @80% and AGM @50%

 

Providing 60% more power than a lead battery of equal rates it is also almost 50% lighter in weight and has a 30% smaller footprint. No contest!

 

This battery is great for installing into a tradies work auto in combination with the inverter mentioned above. Come to that it is also perfect camper trailers or four-wheel drive AUX battery.  Caravans would benefit as would communication sites.

Installation that need single deep cycle battery meeting the amp hour capacity would do well to choose this ePOWER B-TEC 12V 200Ah Lithium Battery

 

Enerdrive is regarded as the leader in the field of lithium batteries and energy systems for Mobile, Marine and Remote applications.

 

It is also worth noting that the B-TEC battery is capable to be paralleled to a second B-TEC battery of the same size.

It is also suggested that no more than 2 batteries should be connected and loads when paralleled should not exceed the current limits of a single batteries BMS.

 

This 200Ah battery can only be used with an inverter with a maximum of 2000W capacity.

There are larger than ePOWER B-TEC battery so look at the Enerdrive Pro Series Power Pack Systems. These Pro series can offer multiple parallel and series connections with Active Cell Balancing Protection across the entire pack

For the full range check out their website and remember we can install any of their products cheaper than you can buy from them:

Enerdrive Range

Dual Battery Systems for Cars, 4 by 4’s and Campers

Dual Battery Systems for Cars, 4 by 4’s and Campers

by | May 8, 2019 | Blog, Dual Battery Systems

A dual battery system is important for anybody who wants power out in the bush without the possibility of running your main battery flat. For example many campers will have a portable fridge, and keeping the fridge running while the vehicle is parked was  simply drain your main power source very quickly.  a camper may have other power needs such as lights radios another electric utensils, all of which need a reliable power source. This is where a dual battery system is essential.

 Some 4 x 4,s  will have included a space for an extra battery in the engine bay which is usually as strong metal tray designed to carry a heavy battery load. However if this extra space is not included with a few modifications we can make space for the extra battery.

 Basically what you want are the two batteries separated, want to run the car and the other to run your Utilities like your fridge and your mobile telephone and your mobile computer. While your car is driving it would be charging up both batteries. While the car is stopped the two  batteries are separated leaving one battery isolated for the car and the other available to  run your fridge and utilities. An automatic solenoid switching unit is usually used for this purpose and in some circumstances the second battery can be used to jumpstart your car by doing so will override the solenoid. There are disadvantages to the system however and a manual switching method may provide a safer system you can rely on.  The manual system would allow your  2 batteries to be either used to start the vehicle or power your utilities and equipment while at the same time completely isolating the other battery which is not being used. This also avoids the risk of flattening the other battery. The batteries can also be used in parallel which can be used to provide the extra power required to operate a winch for example.

 So  in short there are two isolators you can use, a basic isolator and a smart isolator. The basic isolator is really just a switch, a manual switch which connects the two batteries together and is controlled not by yourself but the ignition of a car the basic purpose is to isolate your starter battery which provides a safe way to use the second battery until it’s flat if necessary. The  trouble is when you start your car the flat and the battery also connects and there may not be enough power to start the vehicle. On the other hand as smart isolator works differently and turns on and off depending on the voltage and will keep the secondary battery isolated until your main starting battery is fully charged.

 Some other considerations with your batteries are the two different kinds of batteries you can purchase. The simple starting battery will provide a high shot of energy to easily start your car where is a deep cycle battery does not have as much instant power but will  last a lot longer and is designed to be used where the battery can be almost flat and recover completely after a good recharge. Of course a normal car battery will not provide this kind of power and you cannot run your battery to very low levels without permanent damage.

 Batteries

 Most cars run on lead acid batteries you find them in most vehicles and they are relatively inexpensive and as the name suggests they are full of acid and should be kept in an upright position.

 Another type of battery is the absorbent glass mat or AGM. The way these batteries are constructed provides a leak-proof method of power supply which means that can be installed and fixed at any angle and inside the cab of necessary. The rate of discharge  slow so they can be left for quite a while without being charged but they are not suitable to start a car but they are good for chatting up your utilities your friends your mobile telephone and your mobile computer.

 A gel cell battery is usually a little more expensive then the AGM batteries. They don’t use liquid acid which has been replaced with a gel acid. You can’t spill the acid and they do not need any maintenance. Again these batteries are not really suitable to start your car but are ideal for all your Utilities.

 There are many variations of dual battery systems and our advice is to speak to one of our technicians to discuss your exact requirements. We can provide advice on which system will provide you with the most efficient service, how to look after your batteries convertible how to get the peace of mind you need before you go on a long trip where you may not have the backup and services to keep you going with your power requirements.

Speak to us now

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