Leisure Battery - whats the most powerful I can fit and why?

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:02 pm

Hello chums

I'm going to fit a leisure battery to Mango and could use some advice:

- I've read the factsheet about leisure batteries and it says you cant fit one more powerful than the starter battery. My starter battery is 95AmpHr but I want to fit a leisure battery of at least 110AmpHr and more if I can find a way to squeeze it in. To a simple mind like me, it ought to be possible to recharge a diesel electric train battery from a running Bongo engine given sufficient time, so why the limit?

- I'm trying to save on cost where there is hope of my limited DIY skills being able to do a job. Is there much chance that I will be able to fit a leisure battery and the necessary gear to go with it (Zig or whatever) AND adjust wiring so that all the cars systems run off the leisure battery apart from those needed to drive with?

- Following from the above, what systems should I leave on the starter battery? e.g.
- starter motor (obviously!)
- wipers, headlights (obviously or will they work fine once the engine is started, even with a flat leirure battery?)
- Lifting/lowering roof, electric blinds, aircon (proably daft to reun aircon at all if engine off as sure to use all juice once loose)
- anything else (so easy to forget what will need to be working and shipshape in order to drive away in your Bongo)

etc.

I'd be v interested in any views & thanks

Mike

pippin · Post by **pippin** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:41 pm

There has been extensive coverage of these topics and some fairly detailed information is available on the forum.

I have posted information on how to rewire all the internal lights to the leisure battery. Recently as well as some time ago.

You might want to run the radio and possibly the electric blinds but there is not much point in running anything else from the leisure battery.

If you are a member of the club then you have access to data sheets on the fuse functions which is a starting point for decisions.

I doubt that there is a limitation on having a leisure battery of greater capacity than the engine battery.

Hope that helps!

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:44 pm

Thanks Pippin - it helps a lot. Reading between the lines, there is no reason why I shouldnt feel confident to have a go provided I research the trhreads, factsheets etc along the lines you suggest. I presume interior lights and cigarette lighter etc would come on the list of things to move over to the leisure battery?

The one thing that is still unsettling is that the Bongo Fury factsheet says you cant fit a battery of higher capacity than the starter motor battery. Is the fact sheet wrong do you think? Here is what it says:

When choosing a Leisure Battery, you must make sure that it is not more powerful than the main vehicle battery. So if you have a 95 a/h main vehicle battery, don’t buy a 105 a/h Leisure Battery. In fact, a 65 a/h battery, which you can purchase for around £30 from any good caravan suppliers, is perfectly adequate for most of your needs.

The whole thing is puzzling as I would have thought it great to have as much storage capacity as you can manage in a leisure battery.

Can anyone comment?

Mike

Yamaha · Post by **Yamaha** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:46 pm

Hi Mike

I have fitted a 110Ah leisure battery - I ended up making my own tray, as the ones I could see on eBay all seemed rather small for the 110Ah size battery.

I did come across this one on eBay yesterday - if I was buying one, this would probably be the one I'd choose - item 220061546667

Plenty large enough - won't rust - and reasonably priced.

I was intending to fit a Zig unit - in fact I have here a Zig CF 2000 bought for the purpose, and run loadsa stuff from the leisure battery - but now feel that it's such a major re-wire as to make it not worth the effort involved.

Mike

dandywarhol · Post by **dandywarhol** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 4:51 pm

I can't see any reason not to have a bigger leisure battery than the main one, despite what the factsheet says - assuming you have an adaquate fuse to protect the switching relay.
My main battery is 75 a/h and I fitted a 115 A/h which powers a 1200W invertor.................just have to remember not to run the engine whilst using the microwave as the alternator bumps out full charge - over 60A!!

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:49 pm

Thaks for the info you guys. I have considered the 220061546667 one one ebay Yamaha and have had an email dialogue with him. Think I'll buy one.

If you arent using your Zig unit etc Yamaha, how did you wire up your leisure battery so that it could be charged and so that power could be drawn from it. Was it simple? Do you still have to fit some kind of special switch. fuse etc.?

Dandy - the inverter. Is that the thing that allows you to produce 240v AC?

Mike

Yamaha · Post by **Yamaha** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:34 pm

Hi Mike - the wiring is an ongoing project at this moment - I am going to fit a 24v Webasto diesel heater, as detailed in a very good article by Dandywarhol, so have made a switching box and relay to parallel the two batteries for charging, then series them whilst static to give 24v for the heater.
As for charging - I have just bought a 10A 12v/24v charger on eBay, which I will use whilst powered on an electric hook-up. Whether I leave it as a free-standing charger, or incorporate it into the Bongo permanently, is yet to be decided.

Bear in mind you will need to fit a split-charge relay to enable both batteries to be charge from the alternator whilst you are driving. If you run a pair of fused wires from the leisure battery into the cabin, then try to run everything you need from there, ie - lights, tv, etc.

Mike

trevd01 · Post by **trevd01** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:52 pm

Techie stuff?

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:06 pm

Sounds clever Yamaha. I've a lot to learn yet before tacking all that. I've ordered from ebay one of those battery carriers for extra large batteries. I can fit that OK! I might as well get the battery. I can fit that OK and charge it at home for now. Then I'll make a cup of tea and start reading up on ther serious stuff.

Waddya say?

Mike

pippin · Post by **pippin** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:46 pm

Don't forget that a charged car battery is a bomb waiting to be detonated.

All it takes is to accidentally drop a spanner or screwdriver and short the two pillars together.

Do not mess unless you know what you are doing.

And if this is a case of grandma and eggs, then I apologise!

alant54 · Post by **alant54** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:58 pm

Must agree Pippin....parallel and series with two batteries...

...I would not even dream of this combination....too scary.....Alan

Yamaha · Post by **Yamaha** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 12:53 am

I do agree, gentlemen - I thought long and hard before seriously entertaining the project - but it's been well thought out - 2 fuses per line - and the batteries are at either side of the vehicle, so I fairly confident it is maybe not recommended - but workable.

I tried it out on 2 motorcycle batteries yesterday - and nothing went Bang, so with a bit of luck - and a fire extinguisher at hand - I shall go forth and multiply my volts!!

In retrospect - I bought the 24v heater because it was a cheaper option than a 12v one - I think all the extra bits I've needed to buy since has eroded that advantage - but we can't admit defeat, can we? Press on regardless, with fingers firmly crossed!!

Mike

moonshine · Post by **moonshine** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:28 am

I can't see any problems with fitting a larger leisure battery than starter battery. On my boat I have two 110ah leisure batteries parallelled up to give 220ah, and this is at least 3 times the size of the starter battery on the other engine. My engines still have dynamos on them rather than alternators, and I haven't had any problems yet. My last boat, with a single engine, had the same system as would be found on a Bongo, i.e. a leisure battery and engine battery connected to one engine through a split charging system. I had 220ah leisure batteries on that plus a 65ah (I think) starting battery. That gave me no problems either.

As I see it, the main limiting factor on the Bongo is space. On the boat I had plenty of space below the cockpit floor, and just built the battery boxes to suit the size of the batteries.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:53 am

Thanks moonshine - a most reassuring answer (as ever).

I've already ordered a battery tray off ebay made designed by a Bongo owner who wanted to fit the largest leisure battery possible. So Stage 1 has commenced. See

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... L:AAQ:UK:1

I will probably get the same battery as per the picture, although when I looked at battery sites the other day (just imagine trying to do this kind of research before the internet arrived!) it looked as though I might squeeze an even bigger battery under the bonnet - we'll see. But I would imagine that fitting the biggest you can has got to be sensible dont you think?

Mike