Alternator / Lithium Setups
- Thread starter MrSolar
- Start date
TCgreg
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2019
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- 116
Alternator charging is tricky. I decided to go with solar and plug in only.
Not surprisingly most vehicles alternators are designed to maintain the vehicles battery and normal 12v loads, a trailer plus a margin of safety. Throwing on another large load can overload the alternator and wear it prematurely. If you are buying a new vehicle, especially a truck look into upsizing the alternator or going dual alternators. Some manufacturers offer more extreme electrical packages for snow plow or ambulance type applications with oversized alternators designed to produce more amperage safely at idle.
The other issue with alternator charging is voltage line loss. Make sure that you are cabled adequately to avoid voltage drop.DC-DC chargers can help with this as well. There are a few on the market.
A good place to study alternator charging is in the marine community where it is used commonly.
Not surprisingly most vehicles alternators are designed to maintain the vehicles battery and normal 12v loads, a trailer plus a margin of safety. Throwing on another large load can overload the alternator and wear it prematurely. If you are buying a new vehicle, especially a truck look into upsizing the alternator or going dual alternators. Some manufacturers offer more extreme electrical packages for snow plow or ambulance type applications with oversized alternators designed to produce more amperage safely at idle.
The other issue with alternator charging is voltage line loss. Make sure that you are cabled adequately to avoid voltage drop.DC-DC chargers can help with this as well. There are a few on the market.
A good place to study alternator charging is in the marine community where it is used commonly.
This does raise a question for me.
Old 6lt perkins on 24v with an alt of unknown rating which is fed too my sterling charger and provides charge too my 4x lead acid 6v. In times of desperation and low voltage maybe in the small hours of the morning I will start the truck and see a good 45-55amps sometimes peaking at 60. It's been setup like this for a good 10years and to my knowledge has caused no faults so far. Am I seriously depleting the life of the batteries or asking the alternator to keep me hot in winter?
Old 6lt perkins on 24v with an alt of unknown rating which is fed too my sterling charger and provides charge too my 4x lead acid 6v. In times of desperation and low voltage maybe in the small hours of the morning I will start the truck and see a good 45-55amps sometimes peaking at 60. It's been setup like this for a good 10years and to my knowledge has caused no faults so far. Am I seriously depleting the life of the batteries or asking the alternator to keep me hot in winter?
Justin Laureltec
Bay Marine Supply Tech Support Manager
For alt-to-batt charging, I always recommend the Sterling Alt-to-Batt Charger (for instance the AB12120); it has an LFP setting to make sure your expensive lithiums stay coddled as they deserve. Must be sized according to your alternator, of course, so the above example is suitable for a 100A alternator (taking into account a margin of safety).
Then again, a Sterling Battery to Battery Charger like the BB1260 works wonderfully as well (also with an LFP setting), but it's kind of a chunky form factor.
Then again, a Sterling Battery to Battery Charger like the BB1260 works wonderfully as well (also with an LFP setting), but it's kind of a chunky form factor.
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