question

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the-tango asked

Does my proposed use of Victron 3-200 Argofet Isolator make sense?

I am planning to install the Victron Argofet 3-200 Isolator in my forbie to provide charge for my Starter and two Auxiliary batteries. Each of the batteries is of a different type, the starter is your typical wet cell albeit an ultra performance Century, the Aux1 battery also under the hood is an AGM and the battery in the rear is going to be a LiFePO4.

I of course want to make sure the Starter battery takes priority and isn't drained by all the devices powerd by the other two Aux batteries and I believe this is exactly what an isolator does.

Next, I want the Aux 2 battery in the cargo to get the best charge (highest voltage and current) which i assume the CTEK Dual 250S and Smartpass will hopefully take care of ie make up for any voltage drop resulting from length of cable from the front under bonnet to the rear cargo as well as getting up to 120Amps into the Aux 2 battery (dependant on input which is unlikely to be anywhere near that dependant on charge of other batteries and alternator output so probably overkill but i wanted to make sure these weren't the limiting factor).

The Aux 1 battery under the bonnext just provides additional power for the UHF radio etc and has a momentary switch plumbed in to join it with the starter in case the starter does actually die.

I also plan to attach the Victron phoenix 12/1200 inverter to the LiFePO4 battery for 240v,

Anyway my question is... Is the use of the Victron Argofet Isolator in this configuration sensible? I thought it looked ok but I have read that it may not be ideal due to there being three different battery types and capacities which may result in the starter not getting a full charge or even eventually going flat when using the Victron isolator in this way.

For clarity in demonstrating my setup I have excluded from the diagram, all fuses and circuit breakers which have been used extensively at both ends.

MPPT ControllersVictronConnectArgo FET Diodeisolators
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1 Answer
the-tango avatar image
the-tango answered ·

Hmmm I don't think I actually need the Argofet 3-200. I can keep the isolator that is hooked up to the aux 1 battery under the bonnet. The Ctek Dual & Smartpass pair can take care of the Aux 2 battery in the cargo. This way I will be taking advantage of Ctek's isolation and potential starter battery assist features which would otherwise be wasted/unusable when using the Victron Argofet 3-200.

Anyone need a brand new Victron Argofet 3-200? :)


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