Battery Isolator
Warn Industries 28022 120-Amp Dual Battery Isolator
Tekonsha 7000 12 Volt 3 Terminal Battery Isolator
What is a battery isolator?
A battery isolator is a very important part of a car’s electric system, especially to those that use several batteries. This part is designed to split the electric circuit between several batteries in order for the car to have a backup electric source.
What this means is that the battery isolator makes sure that the electric system in a vehicle will draw from only one battery at a time and switch to the next one if the current one is left without power. When you start the engine the battery isolator will also connect the dead battery to the electrical system so that it can be charged back up.
The battery isolator is a very complex piece of electrical hardware, with sensors that detect the charge level of all the batteries in your car, if you have more than one, of course. Usually, a normal car has only one battery, the ones that use more than one are utility vehicles, like ambulances, ice trucks and those large concrete mixers. Other than that, today you can see a lot of cars using multiple batteries for ICE systems (In Car Entertainment). So, when you hear some car blasting some rap music it is probably fitted with a battery isolator as well.
Basically, you will need a battery isolator of one of two types. The first is based on a diode, the basic version which is used for most utility trucks and vehicles. There is the advanced type, based on a solenoid, which is used for multiple batteries and for advanced electronics, such as the ICE systems I’ve mentioned above. Now, depending on where you purchase this product from, you can expect to pay anything from around 50 to 600 dollars. I really think that if you have expensive equipment the investment is worth because the battery isolator will protect it in any situation.
