Painless auxilliary fuse blocks

[What_the_heck_did_I_do]

I bought my first diesel at end of April and want to install a camper on the long bed. I have the tow package and am aware

of the additional trailer connector just forward of the rear bumber.

However, I really want to run larger gauge wire for the 12v power, directly from the batteries through an isolater, and then

to the camper disconnect. I would like this power to be ignition switched. I searched the forums, which led me to the Painless

auxilliary fuse blocks at Geno's Garage. Several models of these fuse blocks advertise a combination of switched power and constant power terminals. These look like my solution, except

I don't know how they perform the switching function. I assume

they need a switched source from the truck to trigger a relay or

something. I want to mount the auxilliary fuse box near the factory installed fuse box, located in the engine compartment next to the drivers side battery. Is there a switched source

near here?



Can someone provide any advise ?



Also, I want to say the TDR website has been extremely

helpful to me. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[PKleine]

To get the switching function you want you would need to connect the painless circuit to the accessory side of the ignition switch. That way, you are only charging when the truck is running or in accessory mode.



A simpler way might be to use a battery isolator such as the Hellroaring Technologies BIC-95150B. They have a very low voltage drop across the isolator (about . 005 vdc). Essentially, these things work by sensing the increased voltage when the alternator kicks in and allow the aux battery to charge. When the truck is shut down, the voltage drops and the unit automatically isolates the truck from the aux.



I would put a fuse or circuit breaker in the line that you are running from the battery. Try to locate it close to the battery.



I'm not affiliated with Hellroaring Technologies in any way, but that is what I'm using and it works good.



Welcome to the TDR.

 

[Bill Stockard]

When wiring up for my slide in truck camper, I used 8 gauge wire for the 12 volt camper battery charge line and ground wired directly to the driver side battery from the camper receptacle. I put a 40-amp circuit breaker in the positive wire. The wiring in the Painless Wiring Kit from Geno's, while an excellent product to power your in cab accessories, isn't large enough to effectively charge the batteries or operate the fridge on 12 volts DC, if you have that option.



My Lance slide in truck camper has a built-in battery isolator so I don't need a relay to isolate the truck's cranking batteries from the camper battery.



Bill

 

[rweis]

I have the 7 circuit Painless wiring block. The circuits are 10 amp maximum. I run my gauge lights, and a transmission fan (takes 3 circuits) through it. 1 of the circuits is a 3 amp fuse to trigger the 2 @ 40 amp relays. 1 relay runs 4 @ 10 amp circuits, 1 relay runs 3 @ 10 amp circuits.



I agree with Bill Stockard that it is not near heavy enough to do a camper power system. Great for accessories, 10 amp fuses.



Bob Weis