Hey Everyone,
I posed some questions about Alternator load with a DC/DC charger to Easton Ford at Inverter Services. Here is the info I got back from him:
Q: When you install a DC/DC charger, what considerations should you have on the alternator in the Tow Vehicle?
A: What I take into account is how much load you have on the alternator with all of your heavy electrical loads running, then I clamp the alternator wire to see how many amps it is pulling, I then Add 50 amps(DC/DC) and I see if that number is above 75% of the full capacity of the alternator. If its under everything is good. If it is over I would let you know that its over and if you didn’t want to do the DC/Dc I would take it off the ticket. If you still wanted the DC/DC it can be turned down to draw less from the alternator.
Q: Can the Victron DC/DC charger be set to draw a certain amount of power.
A: Yes, the Victron DC/DC charger can be turned down from 1 to 50 amps
Q: My tow vehicle (2024 Nissan Titan XD) currently has a heavy duty 200 amp alternator. For me specifically, what would you recommend?
A: For this vehicle I think one DC-DC would be fine no issues. If you want to have two DC-DCs I would want to clamp the alternator wire to make sure that we are not cutting it close. (2 dc/Dcs would equal up to 100Amps but it is highly programable to set it anywhere from 1-100)
My plan going forward would be to have the alternator load tested and if it's within parameters, fine... if not, I will ask them to turn down the DC/DC charger to the appropriate number until I can arrange an alternator upgrade.
Hope this helps to answer any Alternator questions anyone else may have.
Happy Camping,
Scotty