Battery Isolator suits Vehicle

Why choose Home of 12 Volt Online for your Vehicle Isolator? 

What is a Battery Isolator? 

A battery Isolator is a device that will act to isolate the starter battery from a charge line or secondary battery. 

Commonly used in Dual Battery systems, there are many different types of isolators on the market, but the two main types are explained below: 

1. Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR): 

The Voltage Sensitive Relay is one of the most common types of Isolators on today's market. Many DC Battery Chargers act similar to the way in which a VSR will operate. 

A Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR) will require the main start battery to reach a voltage of approx 13.2 ~ 13.4 Volts in order to activate the VSR and allow charge to start transferring through to the secondary battery/charge line. 

When the vehicle's ignition has been switched off, the voltage of the starter battery will fall. The VSR will disconnect all power loads when the voltage of the starter battery has reached 12.5 ~ 12.7 Volts, acting to isolate the starter battery away from all loads in the system. 

This type of isolator is perfect for vehicles that maintain voltage outputs >12.7 volts when the vehicle is running. (Note: Later model vehicles may encounter problems with charging via a VSR alone and may require the use of a DC Battery Charger). 

2. Ignition activated Relay / Isolator:

Unlike the VSR above, the ignition activated relay is designed to provide power immediately when the ignition has been switch ON, and isolate immediately when the ignition has been switched OFF.

This type of isolator is wired directly to a ignition activated power source within the vehicle to trigger the isolator to engage and disengage with the vehicle's ignition. 

This type of isolator is common in all types of vehicles that may experience low voltage issues and is also popular with the use with DC Battery Chargers when the override option has been wired. 

Charging a Lithium Battery? 

Home of 12 Volt Online would recommend the use of the DC Battery Charger when charging Lithium batteries, regardless of the output voltage of the vehicle. 

Lithium Batteries require a higher rate of charge compared to the traditional Lead Acid chemistry and therefore would benefit from the use of charging via a DC Battery Charger. Home of 12 Volt Online offer a extensive range of DC Battery chargers to suit your needs.

The DC Battery Charger will also act as the Battery Isolator (unless used with an over-ride, in which case we would recommend the use with the ignition activated relay). 

How do I know what type of Isolator will suit my vehicle? 

Home of 12 Volt are specialists in the 12 Volt industry and we are therefore here to help guide you on what best suits your individual set up. If you are unsure on what type of isolator best suits your vehicle, we would recommend contacting our team directly on 08 8391 3121 or via the CONTACT US page for more help and advice.