Battery isolator/portable battery question

outdoorco75

New member
I have been trying to find an answer to this question or "solution". Could you do the following?

-Wire a 12V plug to the bed of the truck directly from the starter battery with a battery isolator inline.
-Then plug a portable battery like a Jackery or Rockpal into that so it only charges when the truck is running.
-Then plug a refrigerator into that battery, the battery is charging from the truck while running and the battery is running the fridge while the truck is off.
-Could you also then just wire a solar panel on the roof directly to the portable battery so it is then charging the battery while the truck is off?

Am I missing a piece of equipment here? It seems to simple so I figure I am missing something.
 

Nukeproof

Member
you were good up till the solar, unless the portable has some sort of solar charge controller built in, you really want a charge controller between the panel and battery.
 

outdoorco75

New member
you were good up till the solar, unless the portable has some sort of solar charge controller built in, you really want a charge controller between the panel and battery.
Ok, so a solar charge controller would take the solar panel and 12v power supply inline and distribute to the battery as needed? What if it detects both charge from the 12V car supply and the panel? Is that what the controller handles? Sorry for the newbie questions.

Does the Dometic PLB40 have a solar charge controller in it?
 

Nukeproof

Member
dont know anything about your dometic power supply. but i doubt it. i will refer to it as a house battery, as thats common term.

your solar, house battery and load all go into the charge controller and it does its thing. your house and start batteries connect directly w/o the charge controller but it does all play together.

your charge controller doesnt do anything with your start battery, per se, it takes power to deliver to the load, doesnt matter if the car is running or not, it just takes power and delivers it to the load.

when the car is off and your generating solar, its sending that power to the house battery AND the load. if the load is more than your generating, then its sending from solar AND pulling from battery to feed the load.

when your generating solar AND the car is running, the house battery is being charged from both ends AND sending power to the load.

hope that makes sense.
 

outdoorco75

New member
dont know anything about your dometic power supply. but i doubt it. i will refer to it as a house battery, as thats common term.

your solar, house battery and load all go into the charge controller and it does its thing. your house and start batteries connect directly w/o the charge controller but it does all play together.

your charge controller doesnt do anything with your start battery, per se, it takes power to deliver to the load, doesnt matter if the car is running or not, it just takes power and delivers it to the load.

when the car is off and your generating solar, its sending that power to the house battery AND the load. if the load is more than your generating, then its sending from solar AND pulling from battery to feed the load.

when your generating solar AND the car is running, the house battery is being charged from both ends AND sending power to the load.

hope that makes sense.

That makes sense.
Would you need a battery isolator in line between the start battery and the house battery like I originally stated and the start of the thread?

 

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