Replacing the Westfalia ‘BBB’ charger

[clift_d]

Has anybody got any suggestions for suitable products that we can look at to replace the Westy BBB (buzzing black box) in our van? The original seems to have failed, at least I’m assuming that’s the case as it boiled (!!!) our starter battery on a hookup.

The consensus in previous posts seemed to be that the Victron IP 22 was a good match - is that still the best option? Does anyone have any photos, experiences, etc, from their install to share - is it pretty much a case of swapping the plugs from the old unit to the new?

Ideally we’d be looking for something which, as much as possible, can be patched in to the existing Westfalia wiring as a straight replacement, preferably in the same location below the bench seat.

[mioba]

If you are replacing because it is broken it is 99.99% due to thermal fuse inside.

Easy to test and easy to replace.

I actually started a small job fixing these and selling them for silly money when i lived in Gemany.

[clift_d]

In that case, I'm afraid I think this is probably one of the 0.01% - the battery was still getting charge but it was boiling off the electrolyte.

[Porkscratching]

I was in CAK Tanks recently and they had a selection of transformers on display. Maybe worth a look.

Regards, Max.

[Nelpy]

I'm planning on doing the same - the bbb gets insanely hot and I don't trust it at all! I spoke to someone on here a while back who'd done it and he said that the Victron IP22 is literally a straight swap for the bbb using the original wiring etc. It seems to be what most folks do.