Jeepstin12

good to know. What model do you have?

Wrangled

Cole Hersee Smart Isolator 48530

bobwohlers

Great discussion here. I have installed the WirthCo "Doctor" isolator in a couple of 4WD vehicles, along with other isolators, including the Cole Hersee units. Most seem to work as advertised. The WirthCo plastic body seems a bit "weak" to me, plus it's smaller than you might imagine. The Cole Hersee units are mostly aluminum and in my opinion, a bit more hardy for off-road/backcountry. But this brings up an expanded discussion... "Isolators vs Battery Management Systems." Battery management systems are, in my opinion, better for backcountry environments - overlanding for extended days/weeks. Isolators simply isolate a primary battery from a secondary (except the Battery Doctor also allows you to "tie" the two batteries together when winching, jumping, or other high Amp activities). Battery management systems have readouts, allow for auto and multiple inputs (alternators AND solar panels). If you ever plan to use a solar panel to keep your batteries topped off while camping, using a refrigerator, ham radio, etc., then you NEED a Battery Management System (BMS), NOT simply an isolator. Two BMS's I like are the IBS - ibs-tech.ch: Home - and National Luna - National Luna. Between the two, I run the IBS system in both my Jeeps. Yes BMS's are expensive. You get what you pay for and what you "really" need. If you are day-jeeper, then you only need an isolator. Buy one and be done with it. If you are a multiple-day camper/overlander, you will eventually purchase a BMS and throw out your isolator.

GJeep

Please don’t repeat my mistake...
I used heavy-duty marine environment isolators, and they failed in my previous Jeep one after the other. Then, I studied the issue... and found that electronic battery isolators are simply not as reliable as solenoid isolators, especially in the hot engine bay of a Jeep.

The sticker on the one you refer to, says 150 Amp.
Max Amp isn’t even mentioned in the specks webpage. No serious company would fail to include the max or peak Amp in the specs.
150 Amp is too low anyway, so it will fail.
It should be comfortably above the alternator specs (170 Amp), so you need an isolator which is at least 200 Amp continuous. Momentary peak would obviously be higher than that.

The most reliable ones I found (not necessarily the only ones), were Cole Hersee and Red Arc – the solenoid type, which is 200 Amp or more.
Both are also smart chargers, and both allow connecting a self-jump-start switch.

I chose the RED ARC, # SBI212, 200 Amp.
Zero problems. It's made for - and well proven - in the extreme Australian outback.

_______________________

Note -
The change of the word 'alternator' into a link to Amazon was automatic, not my doing.

Jeepstin12

Thank you guys! This helps. I didn't even consider the alternator output and how it could affect the isolator. I definitely don't want electrical damage. I've been eyeing all options and definitely have the mindset of being too poor to buy cheap. In other words, spend a little extra up front and it being less in the long run. But damn, the genesis kit doesn't need to be $550. Well made? Certainly. But just hard to justify the significant price as compared to other pieced together options.

I also have multi day excursions and like the idea of a BMS. I know the genesis kit has an additional meter so you can monitor the battery status as well.

Add into this mix, I've also considered a solar panel to be tied into the system in the future. Looks like a good bit of research will be necessary for the best set up.

Mark Doiron

Pretty sure that alternator output for a '12 JK isn't 170 amps. I think the '07s had a 170 amp alternator, and later models had a smaller one (140 amp?). Regardless, none of the alternators really put out that much current even under a reasonable load. Regardless, I prefer the solenoid isolators. You can get one from Amazon for $103 (includes shipping) ...

http://www.amazon.com/Cole-Hersee-48.../dp/B00LMGPHW2

GJeep

Some are with 140 Amps, others more.
Mine, an export model Rubi, came with a 160 or 170 Amp, I'm not sure which, but no less than 160 Amp.

Even if it was 140 Amp, I wouldn't go for less than 200 or 250 Amp smart charger solenoid.
When a winch gives the battery a hard time, the alternator works hard, which is exactly when we don't want the solenoid to overheat and trigger the thermal protection, or fail for good.

RodCyn

FYI.

I didn't have much experience with battery isolators/management systems and while on a budget, found the T-Maxx. The kit was complete, priced right and installation was straight forward.

This was coupled with the M.O.R.E. battery tray and a couple of Sears Platinum Batteries. It has served me well for the past 2 years.

http://www.amazon.com/T-MAX-47-3800-Dual-Battery-System/dp/B0026JCNJE

Mark Doiron

I agree, preferring to over-spec and engineer for safety. Didn't mean to sound like I was disagreeing before.

GJeep

Hey Mark, you didn't want to sound disagreeing, and I didn't want to sound argumentative - just to elaborate a bit... that's the kind of things which get lost on the internet, vs face to face