Frequently Asked Questions

What are postage cost and where do you post to and how long will it take?

All kits have flat rate shipping fees applied dependant on the weight. The time taken depends current weather conditions and how remote the location is.

Most items shipped on the East Coast take 5-7 days, however WA and NT can take up to 3-4 weeks. Please visit AusPost for more details.

All kits are sent with tracking and signature on delivery.

Please contact us for Express Post options.

We also post internationally, please contact us for a shipping quote to your country. Due to international travel restrictions there are major delays with international delivery.

Current Dispatch on all kits: 4-5 Business Days (= up to 7 Days)

Why is the Redarc bcdc charger mounted in front of the grill?

The Redarc bcdc range of chargers are designed to handle Australian conditions, including water, dust, mud, etc. The silicon elastomer that is used to cover the entire electronic PCB internally protects agains dust, moisture and vibration. The unit has been designed for exterior installations such as chassis rails, battery boxes and engine bays. Many applications of this product have been in deep creek crossings and across tough terrain and are tested against high pressure water spray and water submersion with the unit performing excellently under these conditions.

For optimal performance the charger should be mounted in a location with good air flow. The Redarc manual states the unit will decrease its performance when it reaches 55 degrees and will shut down completely when it reaches 80 degrees. So mounting in the engine bay around hot engine components is not a great location and will hinder the units performance.

What size cable do you use?

8b&s cable is used in all our Redarc bcdc 1225D under bonnet dual battery kits, as recommended by Redarc.

However we use larger 6b&s cable in any custom universal kits, and larger 4 b&s cable when using the larger Redarc bcdc 1240D or bcdc 1250D charger.

which Redarc Bcdc charger should i Choose?

The answer to this question is purely based on the size and type of battery bank you are charging. For the answer we are going to break the battery types into 2 categories - Lead acid , this includes all lead based batteries such as agm, deep cycle lead acid etc. and Lithium.

Lead Acid

Always check with your battery supplier as to the recommended charge current of the battery you are using The REDARC BCDC 1225D is the most popular unit and is designed for a single aux battery bank of the standard 80-150ah up to 200ah. Redarc recommend the 1225D for all application up to this size bank. A lot of people think bigger is better and that is true in electrical in a lot of cases such as cable size, battery bank size but when we talk about charging current it’s not true. For instance the BCDC 1240D or 50D connected to a single 100ah agm battery found in a wide range of dual battery systems would be way over the rated max charge current for that battery. So basically we are saying to not even consider the bcdc1240d or 1250d unless you uhave a lead acid bank of over 150ah and if you do check with the battery manufacturer to see what their recommended charge current is and select a charger that is below that current rating.

Lithium

There are many great things about lithium batteries but we are going to focus on the great things about charging them. Firstly a lithium battery accepts a lot more current than its lead acid counterpart and secondly a lithium battery doesn’t need to go through an absorption stage which is the slowest stage of charging in a lead acid battery. A lithium battery can accept a high current all the way till it reaches full charge, unlike lead acid batteries that once it hit absorption stage derates and slows down the charge rate taking a lot longer to reach full charge. This makes charging a lead acid a much longer process than charging a lithium battery. The second thing that speeds up charging a lithium battery is that they typically can be charged at a much higher rate. For instance a single 100ah lithium could handle the rate of the bcdc1250d which will decrease the time needed to charge the battery. Please check with your battery supplier as to the recommended charge rate of you chosen battery.

Do you need to connect the blue ignition wire?

This depends on the kit and the vehicle.

All our Toyota Kits do not require this feature as they run temperature compensating alternators and not variable voltage (smart alternators). The entire Toyota range simply require connection to each battery.

The Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-max Kits do require the blue ignition wire to be connected, all wiring and fuse holder to do this are included in the kits. Another option is to talk to your dealership as they are often able to turn off the variable voltage alternator, in which case you wont need to connect the blue ignition wire.

The Universal Kit depends on which car it is going on. The blue ignition wire needs to be connected on vehicles that have a variable voltage (smart) alternator. We have put together a list of vehicles with smart alternators and vehicles with standard or temperature compensating alternators under the Universal Kit in the Shop. If you are unsure please contact us to find out if your vehicle requires this connection.

What battery should I use with my under bonnet dual battery kit?

The great thing about under bonnet dual battery systems is you haven’t lost any room in the vehicle by having to install a large battery box in a place where you have to sacrifice storage. However this means that some preferred battery types cannot be used, such as Lithium and AGM batteries. These batteries do not handle under bonnet heat and most manufacturers will void any warranty if they are installed in an under bonnet location.

There are a few exceptions such as the Optima AGM range which are used in under bonnet locations. However we recommend using a lead acid deep cycle battery. If you are wanting to use an AGM we would suggest checking with your battery supplier to see if it is suitable for under bonnet applications.

Do you do installs and custom kits and setups?

(Currently unable to take on any new installations) Yes we do full dual battery system setups locally in the Newcastle, NSW area and we are able to design a battery management system that suits your needs. Contact us for more details and enquiries.

What payment options do you have?

We accept Credit Card, PayPal and AfterPay on our website.