leisure battery...again ...sorry!

[samk]

Hi all,

Apologies for raising this boomerang of an issue again I've been reading up on the wiki and have searched the forum but to be honest I'm still a little confused!

I'd like to fit a leisure battery system that'll charge off the engine and the electric hook up and that will automatically and intelligently switch between the 2 batteries.

Currently I only have a sandard car battery in my van, no leusire battery, no split charger, no zig unit, no proper external hook up (although I have a wire and a plug socket to sling though the window!) there is however a system in place to connect the fridge and water pump tp the electric.

So far I've seen these from searching the forum;

Split charger " is this over egging the pudding?
http://www.rawcomponents.co.uk/split-ch ... ystem.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

battery
http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/buy-on ... od_31.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd be running lights, the car stereo and a laptop from the system - perhaps the fridge too. Do i need a separate inverter for the laptop?

thanks for taking the time to read over yet another battery post - a few quick replies would help me no end as i really dont know what I'm doing

Sam

[andisnewsyncro]

Rawcompnents kit, as mentioned in previous posts, is a good kit, it's all there and easy to connect - you could save a bit of money buying things individually but... I fitted one of their kits in my old Discovery and it was a piece of **** to do.

Once you have a second battery it's probably the easiest way forward if you're unsure of exactly what does what & why. Make sure you also fit a seperate isolator switch to the leisure battery just to be on the (extra) safe side.

Electric hook up needs (ideally) to be fitted by someone qualified - saves any potential probs with your insurance for one thing - and it's never worth skimping on safety if you're unsure of how stuff works. You could get the installer to set up your split charge at the same time too ?

Just make sure that your interior lights & stereo ARE running off the leisure battery as many aren't set up that way. As for the laptop, no need for an invertor if you're on hook up - just plug it into one of the 13amp sockets, if not on hook up then use a specifice 12v adapter - try Maplins.

Andi

[kevtherev]

you can buy a ready made Hook up system from Towsure.

that split charge system looks pretty good

Mines a more simple affair.
Just a straight forward split charge relay, simply wired, which charges the battery that needs it most.
I then hard wired in a three phase battery charger, on a manual switch.

[Red Westie]

Fridge is a no no with the engine not running.....at between 6 and 10amps an 80amp/hr leisure battery will be completely flat in just a few hours. However the 12v is ideal for the fridge when travelling, just don't forget to turn it on to gas when you stop for more than a couple of hours.
As for the laptop...the best thing is an in car laptop adaptor rather than invertor.
Voltage sensing relays are the easiest and simplest, make sure you choose one that can handle at least 40amps for a standard leisure circuit (80amp/hr battery) 70 if you go over 100amp/hr or multiple batteries. Above all make sure your wiring (proper soldered terminals) are also up to this high current. So 70amp cable and solid soldered eyelets on the bigger capacity system.
Standard leisure circuit (relay/wire/terminals with up to 80amp/hr battery) 45amp relay, 30amp fuse, with wire to handle 45amps....as I say...this is your minimum.
Martin

[T25rc]

Nice useful thread, thanks. I really don't understand this at all, so one of those split charge kits may be bought to make things more simple.

[Iceworx]

you can buy a ready made Hook up system from Towsure.

that split charge system looks pretty good

Mines a more simple affair.
Just a straight forward split charge relay, simply wired, which charges the battery that needs it most.
I then hard wired in a three phase battery charger, on a manual switch.

Kev, would that be one of the maplins split chargers?

Also what battery charger did you use?

Cheers

Chris

[Red Westie]

I think the point people's are trying to make is many of the split charge kits availbe are adequate at best or only just up to the job. What people are saying here is that it is better to have an over rated system than one that can only just cope.
When we see kits being sold with 15amp fuses alarm bells start to ring....they are just not up to the job.

You should be looking at a relay 40amps plus with wiring and terminals of similar rating...these are minimum ratings for your average leisure setup. Many on here recommend much higher ratings (70amp setups) and of course there is nothing wrong with being safe, I would something in between.
Martin

[kevtherev]

you can buy a ready made Hook up system from Towsure.

that split charge system looks pretty good

Mines a more simple affair.
Just a straight forward split charge relay, simply wired, which charges the battery that needs it most.
I then hard wired in a three phase battery charger, on a manual switch.

Kev, would that be one of the maplins split chargers?

Also what battery charger did you use?

Cheers

Chris

yes it is a maplins.
I used a Tronix from lidl, also available on e-bay I think.

[Iceworx]

Many thanks Kev

One last question, what size leisure battery are you using?

[kevtherev]

Not a leisure battery, just a normal Code 096 in the summer. (75 a/h) from a motor factors
In the winter I put another 096 in parallel. (150 a/h in total) coz of the extra lighting, DVD, TV and the propex.

both last about four days without charging

[lhd]

Check my previous post's, there is a 100ah battery that fits snuggly under your seat.double it up and with 200ah you are well away for days free of a hook up,


I found it................
The battery is a Numax Premium Silver type 100 (no product code). It is 175mm high and fits perfectly in the box. It has plastic covers that come down over the terminals (when fitted). The metal lid closes perfectly over the battery and clips in fine.

I will add this to the wiki after the change over......
Rob.

[Red Westie]

Rob...I thought modern silver batteries were more suited to the higher voltage charging systems as fitted to newer cars.
I believe they were introduced to cope with the increased voltages supplied by newer vehicles
I am just wondering how these batteries cope with being underchanged by an old Bosch alternator kicking out 13.9-14.2 volts
I've yet to see any proper technical data on the subject.
I'm guessing they never get fully charged maybe never over 75% ? which would kind of contradict it's rated capacity wouldn't it.
Martin

[samk]

hi everyone,

thanks so much for the detailed responses - i've been a bit busy over the past 2 weeks so havent logged on much. Theres loads of great info in these posts and I'm sure it'll help me get the right set up, once i've go my head round everything!