Friday 6 April 2012

Leisure Battery Electrics

The vehicle electrics all seemed to be working, i.e. all the lights, squirters, wipers etc, so we're going to leave them alone. However, the leisure battery electrics were not so tip-top. The internal light was wired directly to the battery with an inline fuse, the fridge and water pump had an archaic fuse box, and all the wiring was shoddy.

So I decided to rip it all out and start again. I added a secondary fuse box for everything to be attached to. I added a long LED light above the sink and a similar smaller one in the back by the bed. I added a new water pump and switch, and a 12v socket on the side of the back cupboard for powering chargers etc. When I fit the new stereo, I'll power it from the leisure battery so that the starter battery is not drained when we're listening to music in the evenings.



You can see the 12v socket on the left hand side of the cupboard.




This is the new fuse box. I've still got to paint the wood white, and those black wire under the tape is cable for the back speaker that I've still got to wire up. The blue tubing is the water pipe feeding the tap from the water bottle. We're thinking of putting a curtain across the opening to hide it all.



9 comments:

  1. How are you charging the leisure battery? You can get solenoids that connect the two batteries with the alternator so it can charge, but prioritises your 'cranking' battery such that it will never be used for your leisure items

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've set up a split charge relay so both batteries charge from the alternator when the engine is running, but the starter battery is disconnected when the engine is off.

      Delete
  2. Bought a new leisure battery as the one that came with the van was non-functional.

    It took a while to find one that was only 17cm high so that it would fit under the passenger seat. We got it from Alpha Batteries:

    http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/buy-online/caravan-batteries-boat-batteries-leisure-batteries/12v-ultra-plus-50l-cheap-leisure-battery/prod_103.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have also now fitted the new stereo and re-wired it so that it's powered from the leisure battery via the secondary fuse box and not the started battery. That way we can listen to music all evening and now worry about flattening the started battery.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What size cable did you use to connect the batteries to the split charge relay? Have you tested for any voltage drop? Is your van negative earth? And, finally, how much were your bits and bobs (relay, cable, fuse board). Presumably you just wire a live into the fuse board, then a live out the other side of the fuse for each item and then earth the item on the chassis (assuming negative earth noĊµ!)
    I'm working on doing something similar in the back of the Landcruiser so we can leave the fridges on and leave the caravan attached but be comfortable that the car will still start after filling up and grabbing some refreshments.......without having to unplug everything every time we stop

    Hope you sell the house sooner rather than later!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used 27 amp cable to connect the batteries to the split charge relay. I haven't tested for any voltage drop yet, but everything works. Yes, the van is negative earth. Nothing cost much at all. The most expensive thing is a relay which was about £5 from Halfords, but I ended up re-using the one already there because it worked. The leisure battery we got was a cheap £48 one.

      Yes, I wired a single 27 amp cable to the fuse box and then connected each component to an output on the fuse box with appropriately rated cable and fuse.

      Delete
  5. Thanks Nick ;)
    27 Amp Cable...what thickness is that, do you know? I have run 6mm cable but i'm suspecting I need something closer to 19mm!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It doesn't need to be that thick. The 27 amp cable I used for the leisure battery is only 4mm thick. The cable from the alternator to the starter battery is thick, but the cable from the starter battery to the relay and then the relay to the leisure battery only needs to be 4mm (about 12.5mm squared). Although it can't be too thick, only too thin, so your 6mm cable should be fine.

    I found these sites helpful for how to wire it all up:
    http://www.madmaveric.com/Camper%20Diary/Leisure%20Battery/

    http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=79281

    http://vwgoatboy.webs.com/leisurebatteryinstall.htm

    http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/awg-wire-gauge-d_731.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just want to thank you for sharing your information and your site or blog this is simple but nice Information I’ve ever seen i like it i learn something today. Caravan Sites Robin Hoods Bay

    ReplyDelete

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