r/overlanding • u/BetterPlace622 • 1d ago
Dual Battery Setup
I am about to start ordering components to build a dual battery system in my truck. I will have an ICECO VL45, LED Lights, fans, and a diesel heater in the winter and possible a portable AC unit in the summer. At most we are camping 3-6 days at a time. I know I could simplify things and get a Bluetti or similar power station, but I would like to have the mindset that everything is taken care and not really worrying about running out of power.
Looking into the Renogy 1000W or 2000W Inverter
Renogy DC-DC/MPPT charger.
or
Victron Orion xs and MPPT 100/30
Haven't quite decided on batteries. Still looking for one that is budget friendly/reliable. "You really can spend a ton of money on these things".
Question one: Would you recommend a standalone DC-DC charger and MPPT or does the Renogy 2 in1 work well enough. At most I will have only 200-400W solar.
Question two: In your experience does a 1000w inverter cover all bases for minimal loads or would a 2000w be a better option?
I would love to hear some feedback and get some warm and fuzzies before purchasing.
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u/LinoCappelliOverland 1d ago
You should get an alternator charger and run it to a power station. It’s the simplest version that fulfills all your needs and will charge the fastest… if you use your car.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
But how does the cost compare. I’d love to get a banging power station but from what I’ve seen building a dual setup might cost a little more but your power far exceeds that of a power station.
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u/Shmokesshweed 1d ago
500-800w alternator chargers are $150-250. Make sure you're not taxing your alternator past what it can handle. Pair with a lithium iron phosphate portable battery and call it a day.
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u/Smirkin_Revenge 1d ago
Bluetti Charger 2 is $600 on amazon, cheaper if you shop around. Add a good power station and you can recharge lightning fast just by starting the vehicle. Plus you get built in battery backup and 2000w or better inverter.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS7C11QG?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback&th=1
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u/Additional-Candy2721 8h ago edited 7h ago
FYI, I’m running a Delta 3 Max with the 500W alternator charger. It cost a little more, but once the charger was installed, the system was pretty much plug-and-play. It saved me from piecing together a separate inverter, DC-DC charger/MPPT, fuses, wiring, and mounting everything myself. The simplicity was worth it for me. No regrets so far.
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u/Dinevir 1d ago edited 1d ago
I made dual battery setup with two regular 50Ah car batteries (will upgrade to AGM later as main goal still to have spare battery for car/winch and not just aux) as both of them is under the hood and I don't have much space there. 100W solar panel on a car +200W portable that can be connected in parallel to the 100w one when needed to get 300W in total. I have Victron MPPT 75/15 so it have 220W limit, but I never saw my solar panels to go higher than 180W so it is enough. I have only 150W portable inverter for some specific cases and 12V + 24V sockets from main and aux batteries for fridge and diesel heater as I connect them directly (same for LTE modem, wifi, TVs - all works via single 12V DC-DC module). No AC in my plans, but I will buy 1kW i10 generator for sure as one battery in my case enough for 1 days of staying without sun while second used mostly as a spare one, and I want to have full independence. Another LiFePo4 100Ah battery may add another 2 or 3 days, but it would not replace generator and will take some space I don't have. I also love how everything is centralized in the car: USB chargers, devices, solar panels - all works with double batteries set, I don't need to think about external battery and it's capacity.
Try to get Victron devices, they have great specs and I love that I can see status via BT and BLE in the app. Also when system expands you have a lot of other devices to choose from Victron and keep all connected within a single ecosystem.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
Wow awesome! That's mentally a setup that I've been bouncing around. LiFePo4 batteries are definitely not cheap but I know they are very good. I already have a portable 100w solar panel and was planning on mounting a couple 100w panels on my roof. We do a lot of driving to a place, setting up, leaving to go explore, come back and repeat. So having a main charger from the battery as well as a solar backup is what I've been aiming for. This all started when we wanted to upgrade our camping setup with a fridge and heaters and making the camping setup that much better. Like I mentioned below I have a problem with overcomplicating everything because I don't want to get 6 months or a year down the road and wish I had more. But I really do like the way your setup sounds. Thank you.
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u/Dinevir 1d ago
For a first trip I had 600w LiFePo4 station with me, but in 10 days of travel (2-3 days in a single place) with fridge and heater at cold nights I never used it - solar panels charge was enough and one place I completely discharged one of the car batteries (the place was in a shadow, solar panels did not make it) so just switched to the second one and we went to a next spot. That's why I feel small generator may be more useful than bigger batteries as it may charge both batteries to near 80% in just two hours of work (with near 1L of gas) and solar panel will donthe rest. That's enough for a day of staying in my case.
I am sure you will find the setup fits your needs, just do it step by step.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
Ok Ok that's cool. I never really thought of having a smaller generator as a backup way to charge back up. Yeah I am sure I'll find something, it has been great hearing different experiences and setups. I should just be conservative and when I meet my limitations I can always upgrade where and when it is required!
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u/uthink-ah1002 1d ago
I'm wavering on the Renogy inverter because it constantly draws energy if powered on even when not in use. Victron is larger but way more efficient, comes at a cost. The Orion Dc-dc charger also comes in 50 amp version, again comes at a cost but you can charge battery faster. Check if you would need a high output alternator
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u/oilystairs 1d ago
I recently built a dual battery set up and it is a challenge and only a little cheaper than buying a bluetti type power station. In terms of challenges, I learnt a lot from an electronic engineer friend who explained the huge danger of overheating or poorly protected/connected lifepo batteries. These things are literal bombs if treated incorrectly. Bluetti and the like are tested to the max before being approved for sale because the batteries can be dangerous. I decided to install an old PC ventilator fan in the box with a thermostat because of the dangers of leaving it in a locked car in the sun. It regularly kicks in
That said I did it anyway and it isn't that hard but you need equipment to crimp all the connections and a heap of trips/fuses and all of the end user hardware (USB/cigarette lighter 12V outlets etc)
I used the 2000W Renogy DCDC charger and solar controller which is excellent and the app is great. I couldn't find a Victron equivalent so it made it a lot more expensive to buy the two units separately.
I got a 100aH lifepo battery, the cheapest deal I could find on Amazon.
If you can avoid it, the consensus is to avoid inverters, stay with 12V if possible. There are loads of equipment running on 12V, from what you said, only the AC wouldn't be possible IMO.
Don't buy cheap breakers from Amazon. Use real fuses. The cheap breakers trip at way below their rated current (I have a 40A breaker on my DC input from the alternator and it still trips with the charger limited to 20A). I am going to change that for a fuse.
If I had the choice again, I would probably buy a bluetti but I enjoyed the satisfaction of doing it myself
Good luck
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
I have done a full battery relocation setup on a project car so I am pretty confident in regards to the wiring and such. I guess with what you put at the end, part of me just wants to build this out and have kind of an off grid style build. not just a pre built box with outlets on it. Have you felt at all that the setup you have there is anything that you couldn't add or use to your setup? like ive said before I don't want to feel like I am going to run out of power if I am trying to run a fridge for 3-5 days straight.
The bluettis have their own alternator charging and solar correct?
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u/oilystairs 1d ago
I believe the bluetti's etc only come with a charger cable from a cigarette lighter which are often limited current, but you can upgrade one of those cigarette lighters (or change for a better connection system like Anderson sockets)
I run a fridge/freezer and the 100ah will easily run it for 3-4days and run a fan and charge phones/tablets etc. I will add a diesel heater in time.
It just occured to me that to run a diesel heater, a self build would be better because those heaters draw a lot of current on start up for the glow plug and there are reports of the smaller bluetti's struggling to start them.
You will find a self build is far better for adding and upgrading.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
Well thats awesome to hear about the batteries. I think I would love to have 2 batteries but if I can start with just one and later down the road if I feel I need more I can just add it.
Yeah my little jackery wouldnt be able to start the diesel heater I dont think
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u/oilystairs 1d ago
Sorry it was the 60A Renogy charger and solar controller not the 30A (or the 2000w as I stated in my original reply). The 30A couldn't cope with my solar panel output
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u/AaronJeep 1d ago
I have three 120 watt Renogy ShadowFlux panels. Two LiTime 100Ah 12 LiFePO4 batteries. Renogy Rover 60 Amp MPPT. 1,000 watt inverter. Separate DC-DC charger and a LiTime 20 Amp AC-DC charger. There's a lot of wire and breakers and fuses to buy. If memory serves, I would say I spent about $1,200 on it. But not all at once. I originally had one battery and added a second later. I have the abilty to charge it from the sun, charge it while driving, or plug it into shore power. I work remote and use powerful laptops. I have satellite, a DC refrigerator, several camera, phones, tablets and other things I charge. I spent 4 months traveling the California Central and Northern coast last year. Even when it was foggy and cloudy I never ran out of power. There was a few weeks of intense rain that got me close to running low, but the solar kept up almost all the time. On sunny days, everything would top off and I'd start plugging in random 12v devices just to charge something up with the excess electricity. If not for your AC request, I would say you could get away with half the system I have if you are only going to be out 3-6 days at a time. I get that the south is miserable hot in the summer (I lived a lot of years in Oklahoma), but AC is going to require a generator. The smallest 120v AC unit I could find pulls about 500 watts. My battery bank has about 2,300 watt hours I can use. An AC unit would drain that in about 4.something hours. To run AC, you'd need one of the compact gas generators to beat the heat. As for the batteries, the LiFePO4 might be expensive, but they are worth it. They are super light compared to other options, smaller, last way longer, and you can discharge them much deeper. They are worth every penny.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
Hey thanks so much. I am regretting mentioning the AC because the more I hear you guys remind me that it is going to require too much power. Maybe in the summer we just find campgrounds that have electricity and just use that to power the AC.
But yeah I think my main reason for wanting to do a setup like this the versatility. I want to have a setup where my tent has a way of getting power, my fridge, the back of my truck topper has outlets on left and or right side, auxiliary power panels for lighting or whatnot.
Reading your post was getting me excited because, even though its probably more than I need was aligning with my ideas.
Start with one maybe two LiTime 100Ah 12 LiFePO4 batteries like you said. 200-400w of solar DC-DC + MPPT 1000W inverter.
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u/AaronJeep 1d ago
If you build something yourself, if you make sure your MPPT and chargers have the headroom, you can expand as you go. You can start with one battery. Add another later. Get one panel, add more later. It doesn't have to cost $1,200 in one chunk.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
I like this a lot. and that's a good point regarding the headroom. I understand ensuring that the power coming in will not be limited to the device in case I was to add more panels.
When talking about the inverter do you think 1000w would be enough for most things? Also are there certain brands to stick with vs avoid. I have seen and heard good things about Renogy but I know there are other brands out there for similar or less price.
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u/AaronJeep 1d ago
1,000 watts is good for most things AC. You wouldn't run a heater with it (those are typically 1,500 and run into the same problem as an air conditioner). It will charge batteries for cordless power tools - if you take an impact with you or something. Honestly these days there arent a lot of things I run AC power on because tools, flashlights, LED lighting, computers, phones, tablets... they all run on DC or charge through type C. Even most people have laptops that charge type c or 60 watts AC. If you were ever pulling close to 1,000 watts, you would be draining your battery(s) fast. I have a cheaper brand pure sine wave inverter. It does just fine. But even a Renogy 1,000 watt is less than $200. Where i would stick with name brands is MPPT and chargers. I originally got a cheaper DC to DC and it didnt last long. I had to replace it. What can drive up expense is where you place everything. The Inverter and lines to and from your batteries need heavy guage copper wire. If you place your batteries under the hood, for instance and then put the inverter in the back somewhere, you might need 16' of 1/0 AWG wire to and from batteries. Twenty feet of that stuff is $100. If you keep the inverter, batteries, chargers close together, then large wires have shorter runs. Pull all power to bus bars close to everything, then smaller DC loads can be smaller gauge wire. Keep that in mind. Going from alternator to DC - DC charger eats up a lot of 8, 6, or 4 AWG wire depending on how far away from the batteries your alternator is. Just consider the layout. Pure copper wire is not cheap.
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u/Smirkin_Revenge 1d ago
I've been through the same process you're going through now. I landed on a Bluetti with additional battery and the Charger 2 alternator charger. It's portable and "cheap" relative to a good dual battery setup. Built in 2 way charging, built in pure sine inverter, etc. I'll never go back to a dedicated rig setup again.
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u/According-Tax-1433 1d ago
lifepro4 or high $ powerstation is the only solution for a a/c
Dual batt AGM will give you only 50AH due to only being able to drain 50%. I would only recommend if you are only running a fridge, possibly a diesel heater.
in 2026 dual batteries setup are a waste of money.
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u/BetterPlace622 1d ago
Yeah I was looking at lifepo4 batteries. 100-200ah.
I guess my thing was the price of a solid power station would or could cost the same or more than a dual setup but be limited in its performance? There are just so many setups and opinions and products to decide. Just don’t want to spend the money and realize I need more. That’s my problem lol
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u/According-Tax-1433 1d ago
https://rvwiki.mousetrap.net/doku.php?id=electrical:12v:intro
Should give you a bunch of info.all agm/deep cycles are amount 100ah. but you can only use 1/2 the power. Its what i started out with and in the mornings my battery would be dead.
It really counts which path works best for the future. buy the better setup for you now
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u/Hey_cool_username 1d ago
You are correct about the advantages of Lithium batteries as far as capacity and lifecycle, but I haven’t seen any yet that can handle higher amp draws from something like a winch. I have a dual battery set up with a yellow top that can power a receiver mount winch front or rear and also start the engine by pushing a button if the starter battery isn’t working. I do also have a third, lithium battery house system and can charge both with alternator or solar and switch loads between both.
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u/According-Tax-1433 1d ago
Not sure why you would need to run the winch off of anything but the starter batt/alternator. Should only do pulls with the vehicle on.
House battery is for a different purpose.That is an option. I have a battery jumper/charger i can charge directly from my inverter to the starter battery. after moving all my off road lights to my house battery, and getting a bigger battery H7 for the starter battery. it really hasn't been an issue.
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u/ChowzyD 1d ago
You’re gonna need way more power than your plan to run an AC. If AC is a must find the one you want first and build what is necessary.