Dual battery 100 or 150 amp?

[X-D22pilot]

Hi, looking at putting a projecta dual battery system in, just wonder what the difference between the 100 amp kit and the 150 amp kit?

here are some specs-

PART NO. DBC100 DBC150
VOLTAGE 12V 12V
CHARGING CURRENT 75A/100A peak 125A/150A peak
CHARGE TYPE Parallel Parallel
CONTROL Electronic Electronic
MOUNTING Surface/firewall/battery side Surface/firewall/battery side
CURRENT DRAW Charging 500mA Charging 500mA
(Standby 30mA) (Standby 30mA)
VOLTAGE DROP None None
SURGE PROTECTION Built in Built in

My way of thinking, the 150 amp kit will charge the aux battery quicker, but im no sparky, any thoughts or opinions are appreciated, cheers

 

[FatBoy89]

Your alternator can not produce even close to 150.
100 amp will be perfect

 

[KraftyPg]

^ What he said, (+ 1 "like button" pushed ) 150 is an overkill unless they have dropped the price to match the 100.

 

[X-D22pilot]

^ What he said, (+ 1 "like button" pushed ) 150 is an overkill unless they have dropped the price to match the 100.

Cheers guys, yeah the price is the same

 

[KraftyPg]

The price of both units is the same?

 

[X-D22pilot]

The price of both units is the same?

Yer this morning I found heaps between $150 to $210 from different outlets, ebay had them listed as $205 for both versions, is there any advantage to the 150 amp?

 

[KraftyPg]

No real advantage in our utes as Fatboy says, but buying the 150 is also not going to do any damage if that's the one you really want.

 

[FatBoy89]

Yer this morning I found heaps between $150 to $210 from different outlets, ebay had them listed as $205 for both versions, is there any advantage to the 150 amp?

I use a 100 in my Nav. Got it for $65.00 or somthing. You can also buy them from
Repco in a kit

 

[X-D22pilot]

I use a 100 in my Nav. Got it for $65.00 or somthing. You can also buy them from
Repco in a kit

Yer that was kit prices I posted sorry, cheers ill go check out repco next week see what they have

 

[KraftyPg]

The kit does come with everything you need, if you don't get the kit make sure you buy the correct cable, connectors and fuses.

Whether you will save money buying the kit comes down to how cheap you can source the other parts but if you are sourcing the parts make sure they are the right ones it's too risky not to have them done right and done once.

 

[Peter ST_R]

If you intend to use the link button to join the aux to main battery for winching or starting with a dead battery then the reassurance of having the larger amperage capacity will come in handy. I have the 150amp projector unit as I think the higher the rating the better in the long run if it is affordable. A lead acid deep cycle will only take about 10% and agm will take about 50% of their capicity as charge current so it is more a case of the current that you draw through the solonoid that will stress it.

 

[Old.Tony]

I have a small problem with kits advertised like that, implying that it can charge a battery at 100A or even 150A.

Let's take the 100A charge rate. Most spiral wound AGM batteries (the strongest, most reliable on the market) should not be charged at over C/2 max, preferably C/3 (that's the AH capacity divided by 3). My D31A Optima yellow-top is a 75Ah - charging it at any more than 25A and I run the risk of damaging the battery.

Lesser batteries suffer much more at high charge rates. Gel batteries in particular generally hate being charged at high rates. At high charge rates the electrolyte fizzes - and in a gel, that means permanent bubbles that not only don't move or burst like bubbles in fluid, they cause an electrical separation between the plates = dead battery!

If you're getting a charger that can charge at rates like that, you need a battery that can take it. Normal lead acid batteries should be charged at between C/5 to C/10 (and C/10 is better) - so you're shopping for a 1,000Ah lead acid battery. Even more ridiculous is the gel - which should be charged at no more than C/20 - you're looking for a 2,000Ah battery.

You can relax a bit - your alternator only puts out its maximum current at high rpm. At cruise, you're covering your ECU & other onboard instruments, head & tail lights and have a few amps to spare. Those few - which would be lucky to be 20A in the day when your lights are off - are going to go through the charger. If that's 20A, you need a battery that can handle that, so normal wet cell deep cycle of 100Ah or more, a Gel of 200Ah or more, or an AGM of 60Ah or more.

 

[houndour]

I have a small problem with kits advertised like that, implying that it can charge a battery at 100A or even 150A.

Let's take the 100A charge rate. Most spiral wound AGM batteries (the strongest, most reliable on the market) should not be charged at over C/2 max, preferably C/3 (that's the AH capacity divided by 3). My D31A Optima yellow-top is a 75Ah - charging it at any more than 25A and I run the risk of damaging the battery.

Lesser batteries suffer much more at high charge rates. Gel batteries in particular generally hate being charged at high rates. At high charge rates the electrolyte fizzes - and in a gel, that means permanent bubbles that not only don't move or burst like bubbles in fluid, they cause an electrical separation between the plates = dead battery!

If you're getting a charger that can charge at rates like that, you need a battery that can take it. Normal lead acid batteries should be charged at between C/5 to C/10 (and C/10 is better) - so you're shopping for a 1,000Ah lead acid battery. Even more ridiculous is the gel - which should be charged at no more than C/20 - you're looking for a 2,000Ah battery.

You can relax a bit - your alternator only puts out its maximum current at high rpm. At cruise, you're covering your ECU & other onboard instruments, head & tail lights and have a few amps to spare. Those few - which would be lucky to be 20A in the day when your lights are off - are going to go through the charger. If that's 20A, you need a battery that can handle that, so normal wet cell deep cycle of 100Ah or more, a Gel of 200Ah or more, or an AGM of 60Ah or more.

amazing answer! i was doubting about what should i get for my nav, now i know what else look when im at shoppin place(internet or local shops)


greetings!!

 

[X-D22pilot]

I have a small problem with kits advertised like that, implying that it can charge a battery at 100A or even 150A.

Let's take the 100A charge rate. Most spiral wound AGM batteries (the strongest, most reliable on the market) should not be charged at over C/2 max, preferably C/3 (that's the AH capacity divided by 3). My D31A Optima yellow-top is a 75Ah - charging it at any more than 25A and I run the risk of damaging the battery.

Lesser batteries suffer much more at high charge rates. Gel batteries in particular generally hate being charged at high rates. At high charge rates the electrolyte fizzes - and in a gel, that means permanent bubbles that not only don't move or burst like bubbles in fluid, they cause an electrical separation between the plates = dead battery!

If you're getting a charger that can charge at rates like that, you need a battery that can take it. Normal lead acid batteries should be charged at between C/5 to C/10 (and C/10 is better) - so you're shopping for a 1,000Ah lead acid battery. Even more ridiculous is the gel - which should be charged at no more than C/20 - you're looking for a 2,000Ah battery.

You can relax a bit - your alternator only puts out its maximum current at high rpm. At cruise, you're covering your ECU & other onboard instruments, head & tail lights and have a few amps to spare. Those few - which would be lucky to be 20A in the day when your lights are off - are going to go through the charger. If that's 20A, you need a battery that can handle that, so normal wet cell deep cycle of 100Ah or more, a Gel of 200Ah or more, or an AGM of 60Ah or more.

I ended up with the 150 one, mainly because if I wanted to jump start or share the load between to batterys when winching it would pump more power back to the main battery, only just installed a battery monitor now to see how it charges etc, I dont think it would charge any quicker but is capable of using more power from the aux battery when needed.

The bloke at the battery shop said not to get a dedicated deep cycle battery because they dont like the heat from the engine bay, is that right?

I ended up with a hybird cross breed ac delco that is mean to be half deep cycle but can pump out higher amps when needed.

 

[Old.Tony]

I ended up with the 150 one, mainly because if I wanted to jump start or share the load between to batterys when winching it would pump more power back to the main battery, only just installed a battery monitor now to see how it charges etc, I dont think it would charge any quicker but is capable of using more power from the aux battery when needed.

The bloke at the battery shop said not to get a dedicated deep cycle battery because they dont like the heat from the engine bay, is that right?

I ended up with a hybird cross breed ac delco that is mean to be half deep cycle but can pump out higher amps when needed.

There aren't ANY batteries that like the heat of the engine bay - the starter batteries included!

Heat changes the way the battery charges and discharges, both the rate and the voltage required. Some smart chargers have thermal inputs for a termperature sensor that you place on the battery so they can perfectly charge the battery. I would never put a gel battery in the engine bay, but if I had no other place for it, I'd put a flooded or AGM battery in there.

The best place is actually under the tub. It's out in the coolest part of the vehicle (it does get hot in my tub, I've seen 60C+ sitting in the desert). Second best (where I have mine) is inside the tub. It's away from the heat of the engine bay, it's convenient for access, it's close to the accessories that I use it for.

You can get the best of both worlds. Look at something like a spiral-wound AGM. Absolutely rugged construction, used by the military, my D31A Optima yellow-top delivers 900CCA and 75Ah that you can use most of (unlike flooded deep cycle and some gel batteries).

Oh, if you haven't seen it yet, I have a dislike for gel batteries. They're too sensitive to charging voltage - if a bubble forms at the plate surface, it's there forever and will kill the battery if repeated too many times.