Isolating a Car Battery

[Ross365]

I don't think a solar charger will work in this instance; the car is normally parked under a carport and I think the grubby 30 year old UPVC roof will reduce the light level too much and there's also a substantial tree close by that will provide the coup de grace.

 

[stuvy]

I don't think a solar charger will work in this instance; the car is normally parked under a carport and I think the grubby 30 year old UPVC roof will reduce the light level too much and there's also a substantial tree close by that will provide the coup de grace.

Put it on top of the car port and make the lead longer

 

[mr haynes]

Do a solar install write up with outdoor fittings, plugs etc.
Be like an offgrid EV setup

 

[tom2207]

fit a low volt switch and forget it ,,, simple box that goes onto the battery , if the voltage drops below 12.3 or what ever the battery gets disconnected , you then have a car with no battery connected , but not a flat battery ,,,, come out and car wont start , lift the bonnet press reset and off you go ,,,, if you do drive the car before the battery is flat , it just starts as usual ... either that or fit a charger and plug it in. All depends on how often it sits and for how long and how much effort you want to put into it all.

 

[awemawson]

I had one of those isolators on my big 110 kVA generator that has 24 volt starting. One day it blew up with an enormous bang as it couldn't take the starting current of the admittedly large Dorman diesel engine.

It was rather dramatic though

 

[MoreWellie]

Fitted these to landrovers, never had a problem.
If it can be located inside it will also be more convenient than lifting the bonnet.

Slightly late to the party but....
A slight caveat is that a switch like this mounted inside (admittedly better for corrosion) can get kicked/knocked off usually by an excited passenger. If this happens whilst the engine is running it can kill the alternator
been there, done that, haven't fitted an isolator like this since

 

[not done it yet]

I think

Slightly late to the party but....
A slight caveat is that a switch like this mounted inside (admittedly better for corrosion) can get kicked/knocked off usually by an excited passenger. If this happens whilst the engine is running it can kill the alternator
been there, done that, haven't fitted an isolator like this since

I think that was when the alternator voltage was battery sensed. Most (or all?) are now machine sensed - so that problem should no longer arise?

 

[James1979]

Slightly late to the party but....
A slight caveat is that a switch like this mounted inside (admittedly better for corrosion) can get kicked/knocked off usually by an excited passenger. If this happens whilst the engine is running it can kill the alternator
been there, done that, haven't fitted an isolator like this since

Bet it wasn’t as fun as when an ex girlfriend mistook the hand throttle in a land rover for the heater lever!

That was not fun in a traffic queue

 

[Wallace]

I’d like to be able to isolate the battery on a car that is not in frequent use. The problem is the slow discharge caused by the central locking and security circuits. I‘ve just bought this device.

View attachment 353561

I’ve used one of these before and found that it was a casting and it cracked, which is not what you want if you on the outside lane of the M40 in rush hour.

Any suggestions for good alternative ways of doing this?

There are good quality brass and cheap plated zinc versions of those switches.