Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all

Can I put this charger "in line" straight from my plug in 240v to my starter battery?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191116843263" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think it's linked in series with my leisure battery, so I'm guessing it would charge both when we hook up to 240v?

Is it ok to just link it up?

Cheers

Flyingchunk wrote:Is it ok to just link it up?

To both batteries simultaneously?

No. If you do that, then use all the lights/stereo/leisure stuff hard whilst camping off-hookup, you'll have a flat starter battery in the morning.

If you've moved radio/lights from starter to leisure, do you need to charge the starter battery?

Right....

So move all that to the leisure, and then run the charger to the leisure and let the alternator charge the starter battery?

To be honest, we'll be on hook up the whole time.

Should I move the fridge to the leisure?? I suppose if it's only running on 12vwhen driving, it makes sense to leave it on the starter?

Flyingchunk wrote:Right....

So move all that to the leisure, and then run the charger to the leisure and let the alternator charge the starter battery?

Yep.

Should I move the fridge to the leisure?? I suppose if it's only running on 12vwhen driving, it makes sense to leave it on the starter?

The fridge isn't "from" either battery. It's only powered when the engine's running, because it'd drain either battery in short order. The split-charge relay (which allows the alternator to charge both) has a third output - to the fridge.

(I'm making several assumptions about YOUR van's wiring here, btw)

Good lord!

That's how it works!!!

Thank you so much for explaining that to me. It all makes perfect sense now.

I shall endeavour to change the wiring around to facilitate this set up and sleep soundly at night (hopefully in the van) as a result.

Thanks again. Maybe by the end of th is I will not be a total novice.

The fridge on my Westie does use some power from the leisure battery when running on gas, but only briefly to run the cooling fan in hot weather, as I recently found out for the first time when not using electic hook up.

The original fans can be very noisy that's why it is quite popular to rip the old one out and fit a nice quite 120mm 12volt fan ..the type used in computer cases (cost under a fiver).

Martin