Best starter & leisure battery and 12volt charger

[Jonnyb416]

Hi, I am in the process of building my van from scratch. I'm wondering someone could please let me know if these are decent enough to buy before I go ahead....

Starter battery. Put my van into GSF and it came up with a 63AH VETECH car battery. Would this be enough as it seems the cheapest?

Battery charger. I have no knowledge of these. I will be using a handful of LED lights, a couple of USB and 12 volt sockets to charge phones and sat nav etc and the main stereo. (No real need for a fridge in the next few years)
I have one of these, would it be enough?


And finally a leisure battery. Again, enough to run the above for a week or 2. I have read a bit about these so willing to run with what I know. Got my eye on one that fits under the drivers seat. Claims to be 100 but really only 90 but I think this will be enough.

Cheers, Jon.

[lefty67]

My starter is 72ah
The charger and tester is for charging your battery don't think you can run 12v appliances from it. To do that you will need a split charge relay from your alternator to your leisure battery or a battery to battery charger which are more expensive. My leisure battery is 100th I think but is located in the wardrobe.

[Jonnyb416]

Cheers for that.
So the starter battery I've been looking at seems a little low!

I get the split charge relay and leisure battery set up (sort of) I want one under my seat as only have a single cupboard and full width bed. Could put it under the bed but would like to use that space for other things.

Does that Draper charger look like it's any good to charge a leisure battery? I've had it for years never used it.

[lefty67]

That size battery would be ok but the rule of thumb seems to be to get the most powerful battery you can that fits in the tray behind the seat.
Your charger is usually used to charge the starter or keep it topped up from the mains ie if you get a flat battery then dont have to remove it just plug it into a 240v supply. Alot of people hardwire a charger in for this purpose. I suppose you can use it to charge your leisure battery but again from the mains .
Anything you run from aleisure battery is independant of the starter battery
Your leisure battery is usually charged when you are driving along from the alternator and split chrge relay or from a battery to battery charger or from a solar panel if you want to charge/top it up while stationary.

[ghost123uk]

Just to add, that charger of yours is not suitable for leaving plugged in and in use for long periods as it is not a "smart" charger. If you leave it on too long after the last green light has lit up you risk overcharging your battery. It's ok however for overnight recharging of a battery that is flat (i.e. below 12 Volts).

I take it you are planning to use a charger when on hook ups at camp sites ?

[Jonnyb416]

Thanks for that info Lefty67. I may just spend a little more for a more powerful starter. I will also check the power of the leisure batteries that go under the seat. I read just recently about the 100ah are worked out based around 100 hrs which gives a more accurate 90ah at 20hrs (or something like that) if that is the case I reckon 90ah will be enough with what I want to power from it.

Just to add, that charger of yours is not suitable for leaving plugged in and in use for long periods as it is not a "smart" charger. If you leave it on too long after the last green light has lit up you risk overcharging your battery. It's ok however for overnight recharging of a battery that is flat (i.e. below 12 Volts).

I take it you are planning to use a charger when on hook ups at camp sites ?

I am not sure to be honest. I think I need to do a bit more homework on the battery charge side of things.

So am I right in thinking the battery charger is used when on campsites and you are hooked up to the mains to keep the leisure battery topped up or when at home to keep the battery topped up or to get ready before you go away?

I was hoping to not worrying about any 240v stuff for now. Just want to get the van ready for a few holidays in the summer and fit the 240v sockets etc at a later date. Just want basic lights, stereo and a couple of USB/12 volt sockets to last a week or 2.

I see what you mean about the charger I have now. I will research the smart charger. I could probably do with viewing someone's set up and chatting to them about it one day.

[lefty67]

If i were you i would forget about the charger for now its not an essential thing to have.
Get a decent starter battery and then get a leisure battery, although i know alot of people that use starter battery as a leisure battery but dont let it get flat.
If yout just running a few led lights and charging phones etc then it should last for a few days before needing a recharge. A couple of hours driving should do it.
If you look in the wiki it will tell you how to wire up a leisure battery, you can buy kits that are pretty cheap.

[SamsBus2012]

Fitted one of these

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/1912921878 ... mwBanner=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are great. You can just connect and forget. Mine is connected to my hookup setup but they come with crocodile connectors so you dont have to fix in. Really good for keeping the battery conditioned.

Dont forget if you are putting the leisure battery under the seat you will have to look at something lowish to fit under the cover

[ghost123uk]

Agree with the above couple of comments. Read up about leisure batteries and split charging in the wiki and set that up. Then just keep that charger at home in the garage for charging any batteries that need it. Don't ever let your leisure battery fall below 11.5 Volts or it will never give it's full capacity again, plus the next time it happens it will get worse until it becomes useless. You can buy a simple and cheap device that cuts off the battery when the voltage drops below a pre-set level to prevent this situation. See = HERE