Go Westy aux battery kit. Is it man enough?

[printmonkey]

My van came from the US with a Go Westy aux battery kit installed. This piggybacks onto the fridge relay and uses the feed from the fuse panel to the fridge to charge the leisure battery. Whilst this seems to work ok for now I'm planning on putting another leisure battery in the small cupboard next to the fridge connected in parallel to the leisure battery under the drivers seat.

The question is, do I scrap the kit and install a split charge relay or can I run a wire from the main battery to the Go Westy solenoid and bypass the fridge relay connection as installed?

US Westfalias did not have a leisure battery so if I need to run another feed from the main battery can I do so underneath the carpet between the seat boxes in conduit?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
David

[printmonkey]

Anyone?

[printmonkey]

Guess not.

[California Dreamin]

Like you say...definitely NOT man enough especially when adding additional battery capacity.

In my experience and reading what others have written in the past, a discharged (80amp) leisure can initially draw (on start up after a camp) 30 - 40amps.
I'm guessing but I bet that circuit and fuse are rated below 30amps.

Personally I would re-wire ...the simplest being to add a SMART relay between the starter and leisure batteries (one of the heavier duty ones, 60amp plus)
Simply connecting the positive terminals with some heavy wire (40amp maxi fuse holder near the starter battery) separate earths on the leisure batteries to complete the circuit.

http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/p ... ategory/36" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Martin

[printmonkey]

Thanks Martin, that's what I thought, it's a good system for a very small battery, Go Westy sell it with a 44ah battery. Why US vans didn't get leisure batteries at the factory beggars belief.

David

[ghost123uk]

I would agree with Martin

[CovKid]

Either that or fit a big Frankenstein buzz bar and wear a welding mask

[printmonkey]

Either that or fit a big Frankenstein buzz bar and wear a welding mask

Let's call that plan B