Alternator load?

[SDE]

Hey all,

I am wondering if it’s healthy to constantly have 100 watts of load while the Jeep is running.

I drive it a couple of times a week, and that’s typically barely enough to recharge the Jackery power bank that feeds the car’s internet access point and surveillance camera. The Jackery is hooked to the socket in the trunk, and the socket is configured to only provide power when the engine is running.

I wouldn’t think much of this setup, but I had to replace the car’s main battery after less than a year (it’s a 2022 Wrangler), which makes me wonder — perhaps having a constant 100watt load while the Jeep is running doesn’t leave enough juice to recharge the car’s already finicky main- and aux- and etorque-battery setup?

Thoughts? Does anyone know how much power the alternator generates?

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[lashlee]

The rear socket isn't necessarily wired to recharge the Jackery but it can work. The 100 watt charger should only pull 8.3 amps of current but if the Jackery is less than fully charged every time you start the Jeep could cause the alternator to work harder which could lead to early battery failure. But there are a lot of possibilities in this scenario, and it really depends on some testing to nail down what's causing the drain on the battery.

Or it could be that you have one of the many OEM batteries that fail early and it has nothing to do with your Jackery! Just be warned that if the normal battery failed this quickly, the Aux battery may be true cause and you need to replace it as well!

 

[SDE]

Thanks! The dealership said the aux battery is fine — I will probably ditch that altogether and go with a proper dual battery setup once it’s out of warranty.

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