Volvo S60 2002 D5 Battery Dual Setup

[hewking]

Hi
Can anybody advise me please if it is possible to consider dual battery setup for camping in my volvo s60 2002 D5?
I am wondering if the second (leisure) battery should be connected in parallel to the starter battery with some relay to prevent draining starter battery and also allowing leisure battery to be charged when driving.

Any idea how much maximum current can leisure battery 150AH draw from the alternator (if the starter battery is already full)?
Is there any danger that the alternator will be overloaded and brakes down?

Many thanks in advance for any help
Regards

[XC70Bob]

All you are wanting to do is the same as you would if you were towing a caravan which has its own battery.

I would recommend you use a voltage sensitive split charge relay to connect your leisure battery to the car for charging .

This will allow the leisure battery to charge only once the main battery/alternator output has reached 13.7V or higher and will disconnect the leisure battery once the main battery/alternator output drops below 12.8V.

example of such a relay.
https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/volta...-12v-140a.html

[hewking]

Thanks for reply.
What about using inverter on the battery? Any idea how much power can i draw when the engine is running and the battery fully charged ? Can i draw 500-1000Wats?
Regards

[XC70Bob]

If your inverter were 100% efficient then you would be drawing 41A(500W) or 82A(1000W) but they are never 100% efficient so you need to look at the inverter you are going to use to see what current it draws from the 12V at full load. (I suspect it will be nearer 50A and 100A )

I theory you could draw that from the car electrical system but it would put a big strain on it and it would limit what other electrical items you could have running on the car, EG lights heated windows etc.

You would also need the engine running at a speed much higher than idle.

If you intend to run inverters of this power I would seek professional advice as you will need them permanently wiring with suitable size cabling and fusing any way.

edit....
I found this web site that explains a bit more about using an inverter to produce 220-240 AC from a 12V source.

https://www.hortoncommon.co.uk/230v-...nd-motorhomes/

It will give you an idea of what's involved.