Installing new electrical system.

[dutchduo1990]

I have inherited a 2008 Ford e250 class b.
I want to change the electrical system because it has no charger converter like my old class b. The way it is hooked up now is starting battery running to a house battery and an outside plug for hooking up to shore power.
I cannot afford to have this done by an electrician so I need to do it myself.
I have bought a charger converter, a fuse panel, a disconnect switch, an outside plug in,.
Do I need an isolator. Is there a book I can get my hands on to see how it all needs to be hooked up.
I will have I starting battery and two house batteries.

[folivier]

You should have an isolator or separator at the least so that you don't deplete your start battery while dry camping. Options are manual boat type battery switch, isolator, separator, or battery to battery charger.
Manual boat switch would be the cheapest, but be careful to never turn the switch to off with the engine running as that could damage your alternator: https://www.amazon.com/attwood-14230...s%2C111&sr=8-9

[booster]

Originally Posted by folivier

Yo
Manual boat switch would be the cheapest, but be careful to never turn the switch to off with the engine running as that could damage your alternator: https://www.amazon.com/attwood-14230...s%2C111&sr=8-9

From what I have seen in systems and with our own much larger system, this is likely not going to happen in a system that still has the starting battery tied to the alternator as it will absorb the spike without issue. Even on our 530 amps of alternator and 440ah of battery system, which is wired with two alternators in parallel, I have accidentally shut off the alternator main separator switch at over 100 amps of charging without any problem. On a small system highly unlikely would be a problem at all, but it is always better for everything, especially the switch itself, to have as low a current as possible when the switch position is changed.


It doesn't go into the details, but the switch in the link would likely not cause a spike because it has an alternator field disconnect switch built into it. Normally these shut off the field an instant before the output and when turned back on connect the output first and then the field. You probably wouldn't want to use that switch except for a second standalone alternator as it would stop all alternator output to the engine and starting battery also if the field interrupt was used.