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In "good enough for the bush" terms - 10 AWG (Amer Wire gauge) is also 10 B&S is also 6. something mm2 is also about 8mm auto cable
The smaller the number in AWG or B&S the thicker the wire
Given the distance you will be running 10 gauge is plenty big enough, 11 is OK and 12 at a pinch.
I would use 10 if I had to buy it... or... 11 or 12 if I had some lying around 'cause I am a tight arse
Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
one last question - what level should i not let my battery drop to - on the baintech it has a volt lcd screen and that states 13.2V when the car is switched off and goes up to 14.2V when the car is running..
one last question - what level should i not let my battery drop to - on the baintech it has a volt lcd screen and that states 13.2V when the car is switched off and goes up to 14.2V when the car is running..
what do i need to keep my volts at when camping?
Lot of answers to that question as it depends a fair bit on the battery and the load.
14.2 is the regulated output of the DC DC converter
13.2 is the surface charge of the battery which doesn't mean much really
The important voltage is the "resting voltage" which is the voltage after the Battery stabilises
12.5 to 12.7 is considered fully charged on a lead acid
That reading should be taken after you have loaded the battery for an hour or so if you are only running a fridge and an LED strip or two.
If you have a good quality deep cycle AGM running a small constant load then 11.75 is about the lowest you want to see on a regular basis.
11.5 will be OK occasionally but definitely charge the battery at first opportunity.
It will take several hours to recharge from around 11.75 so best idea is to keep the voltage up whenever you get the opportunity.
Remember, the resting voltage is the key. Even a dud battery well down on capacity will show 13.0 to 13.2 immediately after charging
Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
The problem with using voltage as an indicator of a battery’s state of charge (SoC) is that as ET says, it needs to be a ‘rested voltage’, & the reality is that this is a condition rarely achieved in a camping situation if a 12v fridge is being used because it regularly cycles on & off. The best way to use voltage as an indicator (only) of the battery’s SoC is to become as familiar as possible with what the ’norms’ are for your system/usage. That way you know if something is ‘different’. I found what worked best for me was to take note of the voltage reading several times a day, but at much the same times each day. Pre-dawn when getting up for a leak was my most consistent.
I’m going to suggest a bit different to ET as to what a reasonable low voltage to keep above should be. (Bearing in mind this is the unobtainable ‘rested voltage’ - it may be that ET’s 11.75v is a minimum voltage whilst appliances are running, if which case I would concur, voltage will rise again when the appliance is switched off).
The following table gives voltages/SoC for rested batteries. Usually advice is not to take AGM’s below 40%. However keeping to a higher minimum will ensure longer battery life.
The Fullrivers in my bus are still giving good service, with as yet no noticeable reduction in capacity at over 8.5 years old. They have been down to 12.3v once, but have generally been kept to 12.4v+. This is possible by virtue of having a larger bank of batteries. The ‘cost’ is extra weight & storage space, not something that is generally desirable (or possible) in 4wd’s. Therefore the batteries get a greater flogging & don’t last as long. For this reason I don’t generally believe it is worth buying the more expensive/high quality deep cycle batteries for single aux batteries in a 4wd. Cheaper brands will likely give similar lifespans. Anyway just remember that the lower you discharge a battery & the longer you leave it in a discharged state the shorter it’s life will be.
Running the motor without driving will charge the battery, but I have never done this having been advised that running a diesel for long periods without putting it under load will end up glazing the bores.
Last edited by Cuppa; 26th November 2014 at 09:26 PM.
2006 4.2TDi ex-Telstra Remote area Camper. 425w roof mounted solar, 360Ah Aux batts, BCDC1240, Onboard hot & cold pressurised & filtered water, (25 litre hot water calorifier), ARB fridge, ARB freezer, Built in kitchen, heaps of easy access storage, 240v, 3” Genie exhaust + dynotune, 2” lift, 3900kg GVM upgrade, second glovebox, ROH Blaktrak steel wheels, Bridgestone D697's (now Toyo RT's), Redarc gauges/pillarpod, Hema HX-1, Icom 450 CB, dual rear view cameras, Onboard 30amp Victron mains charger, second glovebox, dual seat conversion, TPMS, Boss PX7 onboard air with 9 litre tank, 350w inverter, Steel bullbar, Harrop Eaton diff lock (front), Warn winch, Snorkel, Dual spares , 160 litre water tank, 180 litre fuel in two tanks (approx 1200km range) 2010 Tvan Tanami. (incl another 70 litre water tank) with matching wheels/tyres (& 3rd spare) A Nomadic Life (Blog)
its a brand new fullriver 105AMP AGM - do i need to pre charge after installing?
also can i just run the engine to charge the aux or do i need to drive?
will connect the fridge and iPhone up tomorrow without engine on and run for an hour to monitor the charge..
I have a dual battery bank using the same batteries and Cuppa has the same as well from recollection.
They are manuf in China but are world class quality.
They are spec'd at something like 600 cycles to 60% discharge and still having 95% capacity or some such.
My suggestions are as follows;
-The CTEK charge voltage is not high enough for AGM so every 3 months or after some extended camping make sure you wack an AGM charger on the battery that will give it around 14.8 float.
-11.75 on the Baintech is as Cuppa mentioned under a small constant load with at least the fridge and a few lights etc running.
-Agree with Cuppa on resting voltages altho I feel 12.25 is quite OK but, yes, the higher the better
-Agree with Cuppa in that you get used to what "your" system voltages should look like.
Mine are a bit younger than Cuppas at 5 to 6 years old but don't even look like they have lost anything when I do the annual capacity tests etc.
Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
Originally Posted by bishbashbosh
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