moosey_fate
New member
I need help to safely charge my house battery off my alternator when my van is running. At issue is the fact that I have a 220A alternator, and I'm having trouble finding an intelligent relay that can handle 220 amps. Furthermore, it looks like I need 4/0 gauge wire to handle a 220A load over a 25' run. Is that accurate?
My understanding of things:
1. A Voltage Sensitive Relay should only be used to connect batteries of the same type and age, so it's not really desirable if I want to use AGM deepcycle batteries in my house.
2. A 220A alternator means that 220 (ish) amps would be going down the wire from my starting battery to my house battery when the relay is connected.
3. A DC-to-DC charger would be optimal for charging my AGM house battery from my starting battery/alternator.
4. There are no DC-to-DC chargers that are rated for 220 amps.
The fact that I'm seeing everyone on Youtube use the 140A Voltage Sensitive Relay with 4 gauge wire tells me I am missing something. What am I overlooking? How can I set up my house batteries to charge off my alternator?
Thanks!
My understanding of things:
1. A Voltage Sensitive Relay should only be used to connect batteries of the same type and age, so it's not really desirable if I want to use AGM deepcycle batteries in my house.
2. A 220A alternator means that 220 (ish) amps would be going down the wire from my starting battery to my house battery when the relay is connected.
3. A DC-to-DC charger would be optimal for charging my AGM house battery from my starting battery/alternator.
4. There are no DC-to-DC chargers that are rated for 220 amps.
The fact that I'm seeing everyone on Youtube use the 140A Voltage Sensitive Relay with 4 gauge wire tells me I am missing something. What am I overlooking? How can I set up my house batteries to charge off my alternator?
Thanks!