Mortons battery charging

Found this BLOG:
Link to BLOG
Just the ticket.

The Renogy (or another brand) charging at the 20/25 amp level will not overly tax the alternator or cause excessive heat. I think the existing circuit is fused at 40 amps. I believe you would just mount it near the battery and let it rip.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
2nd alternator is fine as long as the battery internal temps do not rise more than 15 degrees above ambient. Difficulty with an alternator squashed where it cannot get cooler air is cured with a remote full wave bridge rectifier mounted near the batteries. It'll reduce thermal burden about 35% and on a hairpin alternator about 22%

F-350s have a dual alternator option, but from what I understand, they both don't run at the same time. They take turns to avoid overheating, I believe.

The Battle Born device appears to be only for LI batteries. The Renogy mentioned above has an optional temp sensor for the alternator. My F-350 has a 200 amp alternator, so if I do something like this, it will be a modest charging rate. My trailer has an enclosed underbelly, so running wires back to where my electrical stuff is would be hard. The limiting factor is the size of the wires that used to be connected to the batteries on the a-frame. I'll have to pull up the sizing chart and see how much I can safely run through the wires. Thanks for all of the responses.
BTW, I've only owned my F-350 for about 3 weeks. I traded in the F-150 Ecoboost for it. One of it's batteries died this morning, so I replaced both today. The battery that died was original. It was paired with one about 6 months old. Grrrrr. The newer battery appears to be OK. So, I guess I have an extra. I was going to check them out eventually. Our plan is in the spring, after the wife retires, to hit the road for a few months. Pushing the F-150 at it's limit for that kind of trip wouldn't have been good for it. So we traded it in.

2nd alternator is fine as long as the battery internal temps do not rise more than 15 degrees above ambient. Difficulty with an alternator squashed where it cannot get cooler air is cured with a remote full wave bridge rectifier mounted near the batteries. It'll reduce thermal burden about 35% and on a hairpin alternator about 22%

time2roll wrote:
The real issue with charging a large battery in a trailer is the voltage drop in the long thin wire from the alternator to the battery.

Consider a DC-DC charger to boost the voltage:

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-12v-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/

There are other brands available, but check to be sure they have a charging profile that will work with your AGM batteries.

The CTEK D250SA will provide proper charging for AGM batteries at up to 20A. It accepts power from the vehicle charging system and solar panels. When combined with the CTEK SmartPass it can charge at over 100A, assuming you can provide that much power.

Hooking a second alternator directly to a house bank is NOT a good solution for optimal battery life !

The exception to that statement is Battle Born LiFe batteries which have a built battery management (charge controller) !

RSD559 wrote:
There is some smarts built into the BIM. It cycles on and off to prevent the alternator from getting hot. I just want to know where to find it so I can investigate more.

its right from battle born..


clicky

They actually ran 1 gauge wire to a disconnect plug.

There is some smarts built into the BIM. It cycles on and off to prevent the alternator from getting hot. I just want to know where to find it so I can investigate more.

The real issue with charging a large battery in a trailer is the voltage drop in the long thin wire from the alternator to the battery.

Consider a DC-DC charger to boost the voltage:

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-12v-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/

You may need to pull new wire if the OEM fuse is too small. Check with them if a larger rated charger is available soon.

Don't rule out 200 to 500 watts solar on the roof. Solar works rolling or not as long as the sun is on the trailer.