I is fick!! how do i fit a leisure battery???

deekay · Post by **deekay** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:37 pm

after reading a few posts, i have decided to remove my additional (winter) battery and fit a leisure battery. i would like it to be charged from the alternator via a split relay and supply the rear cigarette socket and possibly (if not to complicated ) the interior lights. also it would be handy if this was bypassing the ignition so as to not leave it on all the time while static, i want to mainly supply a compressor fridge and possibly an invertor (wattage undecided, suggestions welcome!) my questions
...
is this overly complicated?
is there an easier solution to achieve the same or similar ends ?
if it is practical, how would i do it ? (primary school intruction if poss! i still read the instruction on the light bulb boxes)

many thanx

moonshine · Post by **moonshine** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:12 pm

Fitting a leisure battery and split charging system is not difficult and is by far the best solution if you intend to do much camping where you will remain on site for a period of time. (Longer than just overnight). You can re-route the accessories to run from the leisure battery by taking them from their own small fusebox, obtainable from an auto-electrician or possibly Halfords. This will completely bypass the ignition.

Try doing a search on this site for split charging, as I am sure there is a lot more detailed info on there.

Dave up north · Post by **Dave up north** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:46 am

I found this site explained it all simply

http://www.kampenwagen.co.uk/Electrickery.html

Dave up north · Post by **Dave up north** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:50 am

Easy peasy

CarAudio_James · Post by **CarAudio_James** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:03 am

My understanding of split charging is that the Relay is a meaty piece of kit and fairly expensive, as it is a heavily uprated relay to deal with the possible current involved.

Pretty sure you should be using more than just a standard automotive switching relay.

Out of interest how often have you changed your 10A fuse?

??

Dave up north · Post by **Dave up north** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:28 am

Many members use this Smartcom relay from towsure
http://www.towsure.com/product.asp?p=1828

It negates the need for the alternator wire and is clever in that it monitors the charge and cuts in when engine is charging.

Barnet Al · Post by **Barnet Al** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:27 pm

I ordered the item shown on the Towsure site, (which isn't the Smartcom) but the Smartcom is what they sent me anyway. When I queried this with Towsure they said they send whatever they happen to have in stock at the time, so be aware. The Smartcom looks as though it was assembled from a Maplin kit but seems to function O.K.

I would suggest though only using it to switch a heavier relay as others on this site have had units burn out when trying to charge a fully discharged battery.

I used a 70amp relay as the second relay with 50 amp fuses and a hefty cable, which seems to have worked fine so far, all bought from Vehicle Wiring Products in Ilkeston, about £23 for the lot. They have a very comprehensive website which is worth a look anyway, Google will find it.

Alan

moonshine · Post by **moonshine** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:07 am

The system I used on my last boat was wired exactly as in Dave's diagram above, but used 50 amp instead of 10 amp fuses. The relay itself was a simple one from Halfords, but capable of carrying about 60 amps continuously across the contacts. It wasn't expensive.

Don't need a split charge system on my current boat as it has twin engines and therefore two separate batteries, each capable of starting either or both engines.

I is fick!! how do i fit a leisure battery???

I is fick!! how do i fit a leisure battery???

Relay's for split charging