dstock
Explorer
That's the one I have, also known as the "7622" being referred to above.
IBS or Blue Sea?
- Thread starter jaricbrown
- Start date
That's the one I have, also known as the "7622" being referred to above.
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
I have the T-Maxx system, which as far as I can tell, is identical to the IBS, except much cheaper, and the the solenoid isn't quite as good. I got about two years out of the original solenoid then replaced it with a 200A Cole Hersee solenoid for an additional $40.
The included cables were also a bit small for my usage so I chopped up a pair of 2-gauge jumper cables and used the included cables for lower-current runs elsewhere in my rig.
The included cables were also a bit small for my usage so I chopped up a pair of 2-gauge jumper cables and used the included cables for lower-current runs elsewhere in my rig.
jeffjeeptj
Adventurer
I reccomend do it yourself with a Bluesea automatic relay. You get to choose cable sizes, fuse blocks, etc. since you have done the work you listed, you have more experience than many doing this. It is just larger diameter wire. Just remember to keep fuses electrically near the batteries. Use good quality lugs for the cables. I have an ARB 50 qt unit and have run a dedicated socket (with 8 gage wire) located very close to where the fridge sits in my Sequoia. Runs fine, but like all the other fridges, does not like voltage drop.
jaricbrown
New member
This is the option I'm leaning towards. I'm going to try to get 4 AWG wire from a local shop and see if they'll crimp the ends for me. From what I've read, you need a special tool to crimp wire, since the wire is so thick (please correct me if I'm wrong).
So here's what I'm thinking for my system... a 4 AWG wire comes off the starting battery to the Blue Sea 7622 ACR. Positive from it goes to the auxiliary battery (with breaker/fuses at each battery). Negative 4 AWG comes off of the starting battery to a Blue Sea negative bus, which then goes to the auxiliary battery. The negative from the ACR goes to the negative bus. From my understanding, those are the only cables that have/need to be hooked up from the ACR. Everything else is optional... is that correct?
From the auxiliary battery, I'm going to run another wire (maybe 4 AWG?) to a Blue Sea SafetyHub 150 somewhere inside the vehicle. I'll run the negative wire from the SafetyHub back to the negative bus connecting the two batteries. Off of the SafetyHub I'll run the fridge, my inverter, and possibly a 5 channel amp at some point in the future. That way, all of those devices can use just one wire back to the auxiliary battery instead of multiple wires.
Does that sound like a good idea? Anything I should do differently? And of course, all wires will be fused as close to the battery as possible.
Does anyone have any suggestions on a battery? I'm leaning towards an Odyssey (but I've read that there's been some problems with one of their batteries) or a Reliant/Trojan.
I have a couple of recs, especially since this is your first system.
I would save some $$ and install the 7610. It does not sound like you are planning a super complicated system, and especially if you are using 4 gauge wire. That's really too small to carry winching or starting currents, and since the 7622 is desirable only because of those two capabilities, I'd use the 7610. Unnecessary overkill is an expo trait, but not better.
Even with a 7610, I would recommend 2 ga wire. It can carry fairly large loads (and winches come with 2 ga standard). The 2 ga cables from the positive terminal of each battery need to be fused with a 150 amp fuse right at each battery.
You don't need a ground bus unless you want one.Just connect the negative terminal of each battery together-that's your ground bus. Then ground the ACR with the recommended small fused wire.
You don't need a "safety hub". Just an ordinary fuse panel is perfect and much less expensive. The Blue Sea panels are sort of the gold standard. If you are just running normal loads, like a fridge, radios and some chargers, 8 gauge will be sufficient to supply the panel. Just make sure the 8 ga wire is fused right at the #2 battery.
Regarding batteries-Again, this is your first set up, don't go overboard. A normal RV/Marine deep cycle battery will work great for many years. There are more reasons not to use Odyssey batteries than to use them. If you've been reading here, I don't know why you would give them a second thought. All batteries eventually fail and there is no data to suggest that one is better or longer lived than another, I'd use a less expensive flooded battery. I am running 6 of the RV/Marine batteries in 3 vehicles from Costco with good results.
I am a big fan of the high quality fixtures from Blue Sea. Their fuse blocks, panels and other components are very high quality. But if you set your system up as I suggest, you'll save $300 or more and preserve all the functionality you want.
I would save some $$ and install the 7610. It does not sound like you are planning a super complicated system, and especially if you are using 4 gauge wire. That's really too small to carry winching or starting currents, and since the 7622 is desirable only because of those two capabilities, I'd use the 7610. Unnecessary overkill is an expo trait, but not better.
Even with a 7610, I would recommend 2 ga wire. It can carry fairly large loads (and winches come with 2 ga standard). The 2 ga cables from the positive terminal of each battery need to be fused with a 150 amp fuse right at each battery.
You don't need a ground bus unless you want one.Just connect the negative terminal of each battery together-that's your ground bus. Then ground the ACR with the recommended small fused wire.
You don't need a "safety hub". Just an ordinary fuse panel is perfect and much less expensive. The Blue Sea panels are sort of the gold standard. If you are just running normal loads, like a fridge, radios and some chargers, 8 gauge will be sufficient to supply the panel. Just make sure the 8 ga wire is fused right at the #2 battery.
Regarding batteries-Again, this is your first set up, don't go overboard. A normal RV/Marine deep cycle battery will work great for many years. There are more reasons not to use Odyssey batteries than to use them. If you've been reading here, I don't know why you would give them a second thought. All batteries eventually fail and there is no data to suggest that one is better or longer lived than another, I'd use a less expensive flooded battery. I am running 6 of the RV/Marine batteries in 3 vehicles from Costco with good results.
I am a big fan of the high quality fixtures from Blue Sea. Their fuse blocks, panels and other components are very high quality. But if you set your system up as I suggest, you'll save $300 or more and preserve all the functionality you want.
jaricbrown
New member
Thank you for your feedback! This is precisely the kind of info I was looking for.
I can definitely upgrade to 2 gauge wire. The only reason I was going with 4 was because that's what the IBS system used... I was using it as a blueprint. I don't have any plans to add a winch, but I do like the self jumpstart feature... although I do always have jumper cables and could manually connect the two batteries if needed.
The only reason that I planned to use the SafetyHub was because of the amplifier that I want to add in the future. My last amp used quite a bit of power, and I didn't think a regular fuse block could handle it. With that said, I have no clue how much power the amp that I want uses, so I am a bit ignorant in that regard.
Optima batteries are available locally... would a yellow top be a good choice? I know they're much less expensive than Odyssey.
Thank you again for your input. It's greatly appreciated.
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
The current generation Optimas seem to have worked through their quality issues and are OK again. I have been running Optima Red, Yellow, and Blue off and on for about 16 years, and Odysseys for about ten years. Currently have a pair of Optima Yellows in one truck and a pair or Optima Blues in another truck as house batteries, and they have been fine. Optima will cost less than Odyssey but will generally have a little less capacity. In Grp 34, I'd rather have Odyssey if budget allows, but I'm happy with my Optima 34s. Have Odyssey 34s in a couple of other trucks and they have also been trouble free. In a Grp 31, go with Northstar for the best battery or Optima for the best value. All this assumes that you want an AGM.
jaricbrown
New member
That's exactly what I've noticed... the Optima's seem to have a lower capacity. I'll look into the Odyssey and see if that's a viable option. I know there was a certain size that was known for giving people problems. Besides that, I've heard nothing but good things about Odyssey batteries. Thanks for your input!
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
That was and is their Grp 31 2150/2150 Extreme, also sold by Sears as the PM1. I am on my fourth one.
jaricbrown
New member
Thank you sir. I'll be sure to stay away from that one.
dstock
Explorer
All the Diehard Platinums have been discontinued, I had 2 group 34's and the first one last less than 3 years. I now have a yellow top Optima in it's place. When the second one goes, I will probably replace with another yellow top. Kind of done with the fancy batteries for now.
Rezarf <><
Explorer
Also, your amp will have circuit protection built into the unit via a replaceable fuse. If you're building from scratch I'd bump up the gauge wire to 2ga. as the cost difference is nominal but the performance gains are quite significant for the system overall.
I'm building my own system with the Blue Sea components and a couple of Optimas, a Red Top for starting and a Yellow for auxiliary power. I intend to add solar down the road to run my fridge full time. I went with the Blue Sea 7622 ML -ARC, 150amp breaker, and 12 slot fuse panel. My system will run my winch, stereo, lights, HAM radio, fridge and camp lights. I'll use welding cable as I can source it locally for a good price by the foot. All in, I should be in a few $100 less than a compatible off the shelf unit, and know the system inside and out.