Battery down! And the second battery is no help...

[Disco Dave]

Perfect thanks @Disco Dave and @Znarfgh. I have the two seater commercial so would want a battery box in a similar location. I also have the dual battery and high load wiring. I think there is an ignition trigger wire with 40a supply that is in the battery compartment, which is there to potentially supply a compressor, so In theory I could use that ignition trigger wire if I get the portable battery box as I posted above that has inbuilt dc to dc charger.

Yes, we 2 seater owners are more rare than I anticipated. Here is a photo to display the lack of storage solution.
Lots of pockets, an 2 drink holders.

 

[Logsplitter]

Yes, we 2 seater owners are more rare than I anticipated. Here is a photo to display the lack of storage solution.
Lots of pockets, an 2 drink holders.

We have a similar solution that covers most of the cab side of that cargo barrier. And this in fact was a reason for me having hassle at a police road block in Malawi. I can’t see out of the rear view mirror very well and certainly can’t when full up with camping kit. Eventually I managed to persuade the police that because it’s a commercial vehicle then use of side mirrors was sufficient.

 

[TheDocAUS]

Perfect thanks @Disco Dave and @Znarfgh. I have the two seater commercial so would want a battery box in a similar location. I also have the dual battery and high load wiring. I think there is an ignition trigger wire with 40a supply that is in the battery compartment, which is there to potentially supply a compressor, so In theory I could use that ignition trigger wire if I get the portable battery box as I posted above that has inbuilt dc to dc charger.

Depending on what DC to DC charger is in the battery box, the charger can cutoff from the INEOS batteries at certain voltages (specs do differ), not needing an ignition wire. Or you wire an isolator between the INEOS batteries and the battery box. We have many choices in Australia for battery boxes, not sure what you have in the UK.

This KickAss battery box even comes with the ignition wire already wired in. The Anderson plug has 3 pins, not the normal 2. The third being the ignition source. That triple pin plug only works on a KickAss BB, as a triple plug is not standard. EDIT: I just noticed HardKorr are also offering the 3 pin plug.

Buy a battery box that allows you to disconnect the charger from the battery when not in use, or it will drain the battery over time. They have a built in On/Off switch, like the HardKorr Battery Box below. The KickAss BB linked above also has an On/Off switch. You can buy a Mini VSR (isolator) for that HardKorr BB. VSR stands for voltage sensitive relay.#

#website states "The VSR acts as an isolator, allowing the auxiliary battery (inside the box) to charge directly from the crank battery while the alternator is producing at least 13.2V (i.e. the engine is running). When the ignition is switched off and battery voltage drops below 12.7V, the VSR automatically cuts the link between the auxiliary [in the battery box, not the INEOS] and crank batteries to prevent the crank battery from being discharged."

 

[TheDocAUS]

I wired a BMPRO DC to DC charger inside the lid of my HardKorr BB and removed the Mini VSR. I can take the BB in the Grenadier if I wish. I can either use an ignition wire or not. I did not, so the charger will automatically disconnect from the car battery at 12.6 volts (pg 12 of the charger manual).

It was originally made for my trailer or the Patrol if I needed more power. Now I can just plug it into an Anderson plug wired from the Grenadier's aux battery.

 

[TheDocAUS]

I have listed a few of the common battery boxes in Australia here. To give you an idea of what is available and the various features they have. Once you have some ideas, locate UK/Europe based suppliers.

Thunder BB are marketed by NAPA. It is the BB in this video:

View: https://youtu.be/mv00WVH18kA

 

[vandal_sk]

As I read this thread, it dawned on me that the battery status on the display is not the backup battery status but a total?

I was under the impression that it was showing the backup battery and not the starter battery. When I turn on power, I thought I was using the second battery.

I’m surprised, as I just installed a solar system with a Victron MPPT, expecting it to charge this battery since I've been at 45% for several days in a row.

If I understood the discussion correctly, the batteries are connected continuously and discharge simultaneously.

Wouldn't it be better to use a Victron DC-DC charger instead of the Ctek, along with the Victron Energy BP-220... battery isolator for the primary battery?

 

[TheDocAUS]

As I read this thread, it dawned on me that the battery status on the display is not the backup battery status but a total?

I was under the impression that it was showing the backup battery and not the starter battery. When I turn on power, I thought I was using the second battery.

I’m surprised, as I just installed a solar system with a Victron MPPT, expecting it to charge this battery since I've been at 45% for several days in a row.

If I understood the discussion correctly, the batteries are connected continuously and discharge simultaneously.

Wouldn't it be better to use a Victron DC-DC charger instead of the Ctek, along with the Victron Energy BP-220... battery isolator for the primary battery?

With the INEOS factory dual battery option, they run as a single bank of batteries. If you want individual charge data use a cheap a battery monitor like the BLE.

 

[Quartermaster]

The batteries are only connected when
- the alternator is running
- the starter battery is under ~12,2 V, then the secondary is trickeling the starter battery when strong enough
- the starter battery needs a jump start (connection for max. 10 sec)

There is no consumer on the "service" battery at all

 

[Quartermaster]

The problem with my car is, that it is randomly discharged heavily, maybe like @bemax told before. When this occurs, i can hear a quiet high frequency sound from under the hood. Unfortunately, i cannot localize it exactly. Anyone had this ? Thanks to the BLE, i can no see it and that it corresponds.

Starter battery:

Secondary battery:

Heavy drain from 5 pm, trickeling from 23 pm (in my view)

At 9 pm i unlocked/ locked the car to see if it changes anything.

 

[Mitchell300]

My Grenadier, collected in June 2023, is a 2 seat utility, vin number 890 with dual batteries.
I was on holiday for 4 weeks.
Before I went I noted the SOC to be 76%. After 4 weeks the SOC (state of charge) was 66%.

What I took from this is an acceptable drop over that time. Also the CTEK unit appears to have stopped trickle charging the main battery, as I think it should. Recover was also good as below.
I know these voltages don’t relate correctly with the SOC to any of the charts I’ve looked at but I’m happy with the practical situation without worrying too much on the theory.

Before I started the vehicle I measured the battery voltages.
Main was 12.13v steady (ie settled out, not falling)
Secondary was 12.35v steady.
On starting charge rate (at engine idle) was as follows :-
40A initially falling to 17A after 2 minutes. Then 10A over the next minute before stabilising at between 5A and 6A for the next 12 minutes. Adding 2% to the state of charge.
Shut off engine and measured battery voltages. Both batteries were at 12.9v steady.
After about an hours drive SOC was at 76%, didn’t measure voltages.

 

[Braydo]

I’ve just been away for 3 weeks and during that time I stumbled upon this thread. It caused some concern as the car was not parked at home and I really needed it to start when I got back to it. So I’ll share my experience as one more data point for this discussion.

I left the car with SoC at 84% and I left the dashcam active, but everything else off. After 3 weeks the battery was at 76%. Happy with that result.

Mine is a Trialmaster with standard dual battery system. Build date Feb 2024.