battery relay?????

[BallinByNature 10+ year member]

i have a yellow top up front and ill be upgradin from my cap to a kinetik 600 or another small batt i under stand that i dont need a isolator but what purpose do these have http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/30046/vpid/3920430/vpcsid/0/rid/123284

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[audioatg 10+ year member]

Ideal for battery isolation, Stinger s high current relays are the most reliable and efficient way to add secondary batteries to your system. Compatible with all types of alternators and charging systems, simply connect these relays to operate when the ignition is turned on. The battery systems remain separate while the ignition is off, preventing system drain. Water resistant black phenolic plastic, 100,000

Looking at it looks like car on both batteries are being used. Car off just the back battery being used for system or other stuff keeping the front battery from being drained and not starting vehicle.

 

[BallinByNature 10+ year member]

is it needed??

 

[jdawg 5,000+ posts]

you wont need one

 

[jdawg 5,000+ posts]

just looked at it and lol, its just a marine solenoid

 

[brian84corvette 10+ year member]

my kenetik 800 in the rear compartment wants to rest at 13+v

and my yellow top under the hood likes to rest at 12.5v

keeping them conected when the car is turned off would do what exactly :

most likely - drain down the kenetik to match the voltage of the front battery.

using the isolator - will only allow the batterys to become conected to eachother when the car is turned on - and the alternator is generating power - thus eliminating the drain from the rear battery trying to equlize with front batt due to alt making 14+ volts

im too poor to buy those relays right now, so I use electrical cut off switches ( manual on off )

theyr a pain in the *** - but they keep my voltage good.

are they 100% nessary ? no

but to me its worth it - to keep your batterys in good condition / state of charge

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

Unless you plan to pound your system with the car off you don't need one.

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

There is no right or wrong when it comes to isolators. Just like with HU and amps, not everyone uses the same stuff. Not everyone has the same subs, so not everyone has the same amps.

So, back to the OP, it really depends on your usage. Do you like to play with the engine off? Do you play until your battery is drained? If yes, then you should consider the relay (isolator). If you don't know what an isolator is or does, it is hard to know why you would need or want one.

Basically, think of any relay (isolator) as an automatic switch. When the engine is on, it is switched on. When the engine is off, the switch is off. The line that you are switching is the power wire from the front (alt) to the rear battery. When you turn that switch off, you are separating the two circuits. So, the front battery is no longer connected to the rear battery.

Why would this possibly be a bad thing? If you have only a small battery in the back and need power from the larger front battery to power your system, then an isolator would not work for you.

If you have a stock (flooded) battery up front and an AGM battery in the rear, you should consider the isolator because the flooded battery rests at 12.6v and the AGM should rest at 13.0v. The lower voltage battery will try to drain the higher voltage battery. This can happen in as little as a week without using the vehicle.

 

[BallinByNature 10+ year member]

im not playin my system with the car off im just addin a smaller batt in the back so i can get rid of my cap

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

im not playin my system with the car off im just addin a smaller batt in the back so i can get rid of my cap

Then I would say that it is not NECESSARY, but it would not hurt either. At this point, it is a personal choice of whether or not you feel it is best for you or not. What I am saying is get a good understanding about what they are and what they do, then you can decide for yourself what is best. Asking some of the people around here is like shooting dice. You tend to crap out over time.