How to save battery while running emergency lighting

Feb 2, 2011
91
wisconsin
Here is a question that ive been wondering about for a little while, i run many emergency lights and 2 sirens (maybe a little overduing it but thats not the point) when running everything i notice sometimes my battery struggles to keep up with everything, so heres the question, is there anything i can install for example a stereo capacitor or something that can help regulate the draw on the battery so that way i wont kill my battery when i run emergency?
 

Klein

Member
May 22, 2010
966
Texas
Upgrade your alternator and battery. I had a Yellow Top Optima and stepped up the alternator when the factory one died. I had dual sirens, 4 speakers, 4 HAW strobes, Fed Sig ILS, SOS Ultralite 8, 2 FS dual vipers, 2 SOS Intersectors, 2 FS Impaxx, 1 SOS Ultralite 4, HLF, 4 Whelen Vertex, 1 UHF radio, flash light charger and other devices on before the upgrade.


Or just cut down on your equipment but what fun is that?
 
Feb 2, 2011
91
wisconsin
Ya cutting down is no fun! What did you upgrade your alternator too? And how much did you get an optima battery for?

Klein said:
Upgrade your alternator and battery. I had a Yellow Top Optima and stepped up the alternator when the factory one died. I had dual sirens, 4 speakers, 4 HAW strobes, Fed Sig ILS, SOS Ultralite 8, 2 FS dual vipers, 2 SOS Intersectors, 2 FS Impaxx, 1 SOS Ultralite 4, HLF, 4 Whelen Vertex, 1 UHF radio, flash light charger and other devices on before the upgrade.

Or just cut down on your equipment but what fun is that?
 
Feb 2, 2011
91
wisconsin
i do have a spot for a second battery in my truck how do you connect them both? need anything special or just some heavy gauge wires running from one to the other?

MEVS06 said:
A yellow top is around $200-225ish. I run dual batteries.
 

CenTexPSE

Member
May 21, 2010
789
Covington, TX
patrickhunter614 said:
i do have a spot for a second battery in my truck how do you connect them both? need anything special or just some heavy gauge wires running from one to the other?

Yes sir. Just connect the two with battery cable. 2-4awg should be fine. Positive to positive, negative to negative.
 

EVModules

Member
May 16, 2010
864
Deer Park, WA
2, 3, or 10 batteries is not going to matter unless you adjust the electrical system where the alternator is significantly putting out more than you're drawing out. Either upgrade or reduce the electrical load or you'll find yourself with dead batteries.
 
Feb 2, 2011
91
wisconsin
EVModules said:
2, 3, or 10 batteries is not going to matter unless you adjust the electrical system where the alternator is significantly putting out more than you're drawing out. Either upgrade or reduce the electrical load or you'll find yourself with dead batteries.

i am going to upgrade the alternator right now i have one that puts out 100 amps i think ill go with the 140 amp one and also another battery
 

nerdly_dood

Member
Jun 15, 2010
2,312
Georgia
I generally don't much like LEDs, but if you're worried about your car's electrical system, don't use anything else. LEDs are by far the best type of warning light in low current draw.
 

Klein

Member
May 22, 2010
966
Texas
I paid $190 for mine from Adv Auto. I upgraded the alternator to a 200 amp. It also helps to step down your warning once on scene. Use only what you need. EVModules is right. Battery count doesn't matter. Alternators are cheap and easy to do, for the most part. I would either run two regular batteries or just upgrade to a YT Optima but the latter makes more sense to me.
 

EVModules

Member
May 16, 2010
864
Deer Park, WA
If you want to do a dual battery setup, it's recommended that you isolate the battery so you can preserve your primary to get you going. The upside-down "T" at the right is a momentary on button if you'd like the extra insurance in getting your vehicle started in case your primary battery isn't sufficient to start your vehicle.


ai4.photobucket.com_albums_y120_EVCONCEPTS_Installs_DualBatterysetup.jpg
 
May 27, 2010
155
Lebanon PA
This is where having your lighting on seperate swicthes realy pays off. I like to have my switches set up for front, back, Primary and secondary. Response gets everything but parking seldom needs everything. When I park turn of the end you don't need, turn the headlights off, turn siren off. You get the idea. I have been running 2 model 14's, 2 FS TCL-DM's a Traffic Arrow and some old lolli pop flashers. Running 10-33 is not a problem and when parked turning off the unneeded lights I have never had a problem. I run 1 battery on a 1985 Ford F 250. Dont forget to make sure you got nice clean protected electrical conection from battery to light is an often overlooked issue, check them out once in a while. Same with grounds.
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,962
Messages
449,805
Members
19,102
Latest member
Hilux01

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.