Battery Wiring / Shutoff

[tk254254]

The wiring on my keystone is all fine / original.

Before I hook up to my pickup batter / alternator system, I wanted to install a shutoff in the camper. I was also wondering if there is any concern from an overcharge / etc. Is there an economical manual shutoff switch that also has some sort of overcharge protection, or am I just being paranoid?

Thanks

 

[pods8]

Overcharge is low likelihood but some sort of solenoid, automatic charge relay, isolator, etc. would be advisable if you want to isolate the camper from the truck when its not running.

 

[Desert Rancher]

To expand further on what Pods suggests, a voltage sense relay is about the best way to go:

http://www.bepmarine.com/home-mainmenu-8/product-269/125-amp-voltage-sensitive-relay-vsr-

They can be found for about ~$75.

"Isolators" are less, but use a diode which will produce a voltage drop of ~1/2 volt, which does not help the aux battery to reach a full charge. When you only have 12-14 volts to play with, every little bit counts.

Overcharge can happen, but undercharge is more likely.

 

[ntsqd]

The alternator's regulator, while not terribly sophisticated, will prevent an over-charge condition as part of it's normal operation. Any sort of battery kill switch (for race cars) or marine battery switch will allow manual disconnection.

Some links:
Marine battery switch

Battery "Kill" switch

But I too would suggest going with one of the ACR/VSR relays. Should be searchable here, I've used that term in previous threads.

 

[tk254254]

thanks guys!