In the first part of this series, I outlined the components necessary for adding a 12v house electrical system to a Tacoma (or any other vehicle). This time, we'll walk through the specifics on how to do the actual installation of those components in a way that will stand up to the abuse of truck used for adventure. Just a Bit of Background This is my second take at a house electrical battery system installation in the Tacoma. My first system was based around a 12v AGM battery and worked well for more than 6 years. In fact, it worked…
4 CommentsGuide Section: House Electrical
House battery, solar charging, and fuse blocks to power all manner of gadgets when out on the trail, without worrying about draining your starting battery.
This guide is a little different than most. Since lithium batteries are still relatively new, less well-known technology, I'll cover break the guide into two parts: Background on LiFePO₄, and an overview of the components that I decided on - which work with any battery technology - in order to build out a kick-ass 12v house electrical system. Installation of the components, and important considerations when assembling a 12v house electrical system. Six years ago, when I initially installed my house battery, it allowed me an entirely new sense of calm when I was in camp at night. No longer…
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Sometimes called the "Big 3" or "Big 4" or "Big 5" or even "Big 7" wiring upgrade, the idea is to increase the wire size between high-powered components in the engine bay in order to carry extra current, or to carry the same current with lower voltage loss. This is necessary if you're planning to upgrade your alternator, or if you have accessories - a sound system, winch, lighting, etc. - that require more power than the stock components and wiring can handle. Big 3 - this is the "basic" upgrade; all three of these need to be done first,…
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One of the most critical components in our trucks is the alternator. This little generator creates all the electricity needed to keep our cylinders firing, radios running, and gizmos charged up. Working as hard as it does, it's downright amazing how robust the stock alternators are, even if they only generated 60A-80A when they were new from the factory! In fact, the most common failure I've seen is that the brushes - a wear component - get worn down and stop making contact with the spindle. When this happens, the alternator stops working and the battery light on the dash…
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