Club 80-90 Forums

After wanting a T25 since my teenage years i've finally brought 1.
Love it!!
I'm installing a new stereo this weekend and not sure whether it should be connected onto the Lesuire Battery or the Van Battery??? what best??
Thanks
Phil

I have mine on the van battery and have never had a problem. If it was a car there would be no choice so why change?

Trunkster wrote:I have mine on the van battery and have never had a problem. If it was a car there would be no choice so why change?

Because people don't typically sit in a car for an entire evening with the interior lights on and music playing. Also, in a car, there is no second battery. Since there is, and since you may well be, it makes sense to put the music, interior lights, and any other "camper/leisure" circuits onto the leisure battery, leaving the van's starter battery charged to start the van in the morning.

Thanks Both.

Those of us that use our campers as daily drivers have a relay switching the feed for the stereo tween the main battery when the engine is running and leisure battery when it's not, so the leisure battery gets the best chance of charging

Good idea. Thanks

Mocki wrote:Those of us that use our campers as daily drivers have a relay switching the feed for the stereo tween the main battery when the engine is running and leisure battery when it's not, so the leisure battery gets the best chance of charging

Mocki,
I'd be very interested in how you wired this. I recently wired in a new CD player and couldn't decide which battery but this sounds like the perfect solution.
Thanks, Mark

markhale10 wrote:

Mocki wrote:Those of us that use our campers as daily drivers have a relay switching the feed for the stereo tween the main battery when the engine is running and leisure battery when it's not, so the leisure battery gets the best chance of charging

Mocki,
I'd be very interested in how you wired this. I recently wired in a new CD player and couldn't decide which battery but this sounds like the perfect solution.
Thanks, Mark

I had a little chuckle when I read this^^^^^^^^^^^^ if you wire up the radio/CD to the leisure battery on a camper van with a normal split charge relay, this ^^^^^^^^^^^^is what happens anyway.

Remember....once the engine has started the split charge relay just connects both batteries (starter/leisure) together, the alternator just sees the two batteries as ONE larger capacity battery.

Unless I've missed something here?

Martin

California Dreamin wrote:

markhale10 wrote:

Mocki wrote:Those of us that use our campers as daily drivers have a relay switching the feed for the stereo tween the main battery when the engine is running and leisure battery when it's not, so the leisure battery gets the best chance of charging

Mocki,
I'd be very interested in how you wired this. I recently wired in a new CD player and couldn't decide which battery but this sounds like the perfect solution.
Thanks, Mark

I had a little chuckle when I read this^^^^^^^^^^^^ if you wire up the radio/CD to the leisure battery on a camper van with a normal split charge relay, this ^^^^^^^^^^^^is what happens anyway.

Remember....once the engine has started the split charge relay just connects both batteries (starter/leisure) together, the alternator just sees the two batteries as ONE larger capacity battery.

Unless I've missed something here?

Martin

Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about, chuckle on.....

Quote: Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about, chuckle on....

So enlighten us Steve....I know markhale10 has already asked...and as you have indicated, yours is wired in a better way that does things differently, so naturally I am also interested.

Martin

Sorry for delay in replying. I have a 1987 Autosleeper high top with standard split-charge relay.
What I meant was did you simply wire your CD player and interior lights to the leisure battery (via fuse) and use battery split charge relay, or did you wire in a separate split charge style relay for CD player and lights.
Sorry for confusion, at least I caused a chuckle.
Mark

Hi Phil

Personally, I would (and do) wire it to the leisure battery. That way you stand no chance of depleting the starter battery

And Hi Mark

markhale10 wrote: What I meant was did you simply wire your CD player and interior lights to the leisure battery (via fuse) and use battery split charge relay, or did you wire in a separate split charge style relay for CD player and lights.
Sorry for confusion

But that adds beautifully to the confusion

markhale10 wrote:At least I caused a chuckle.

And a bit more confusion here It was Martin (California Dreamin) that was chuckling at what Steve (Moki) wrote. I think there is / was some Chinese whisper type confusion going on too It's summat to do with Grandmas and eggs or similar

Love it

Our's is wired to the leisure battery, only the bare panel van that left the factory is wired to the main battery. Of course both batteries are charged via the split charge system and when parked up the solar panel. The CRITICAL thing is the fridge 12v supply ... the rest are insignificant.

Mocki is an auto-electrician btw

Ian

The fridge being connected to the............... second battery, so it doesn't waste the starter?

ronsrecord wrote:The fridge being connected to the............... second battery, so it doesn't waste the starter?

The fridge does nowt on 12v, without the engine running - it'd flatten either/both batteries too quickly.