Second Battery/lesuire battery

[DLC]

My new bongo as 2 batteries under the bonnet, from reading up I am sure that this is some kind of winter starting thing, was thinking of using one of them as a lesuire battry, I know it's not the best idea, but I'm not going to be staying more than one night anywhere without driving around, and all I really need to run is my powered cold box,

I can charge my lap top and phone while I drive as I arready have the a small battery pack and inverter to run and charge these things, but not sure it will be enough to run the cold box all day.

I'm guessing I will have to do some re-wiring, is this best left to an auto electrion, and if so, can anyone recomend one in Sheffield.

thanks

[moonshine]

Hi DLC,

I presume your batteries are simply wired in parallel at present (directly connected together with heavy starting cable, positive to positive and negative to negative). If so, you need to remove the heavy positive wire between the batteries completely and connect the batteries together using a split-charge relay so that they both charge together, but are separated when the engine is off. That will give you a separate leisure battery which you can use to power any accessories.

I would not recommend using a cool box off a leisure battery for very long as these tend to flatten batteries very quickly unless they are connected to a battery charger from a shore supply, as at a camp site hook-up. I would recommend instead getting a small compressor fridge such as those made by Waeco. These use very little power, and are extremely efficient.

Alternatively, just run your cool box while you are on the move and disconnect it when you stop. If you put some ice-packs or some items of frozen food in it, it should remain cool long after it is switched off.

[dwyryd]

We plugged our electric coolbox into the leisure battery in the evening and it was flat when we woke up.
Will make more effort to find a campsite with a hook up next time!

[pippin]

Moonshine, we are in danger of becoming labelled the anti coolbox brigade!

Despite having used coolboxes for years, because there was no effective alternative, I wouldn't countenance anything other than a (WAECO) compressor fridge now.

We used to have to go to enormous lengths to keep the battery charged, hooked up, or whatever just to keep the damned things going.

Now we just switch on and forget!

[DLC]

Thanks for that, didn't realise they use so much power, I think I'll just stick to ice packs and frozen water to keep it cool when the engine is not running and just use the second battry to run the stero.

DLC

[moonshine]

Spot on Pippin. I learnt my lesson with my last boat, when I moored up in London docks for the London-on Water event a few years ago. First I knew I had a problem was when my wife called out from the cabin that the water wasn't working. I knew we had plenty in the tanks, so I asked her if the pump ran when she turned the tap on. It didn't! Checking the batteries I found that the leisure battery was completely flat, and the culprit was our coolbox which had been left connected for just a few hours without the engine running. Fortunately we had a separate engine-starting battery, but to restore electrical power on board to run the lights, pumps etc, required a mains hook-up across several boats to power our battery charger. I was tempted to throw the offending coolbox straight over the side into the dock, but concience got the better of me and it stayed on board, unused for the remainder of the weekend.

Lesson learned, our current boat has a Waeco fridge, and I wouldn't have anything else.

[pippin]

DLC, as your engine batteries are wired up in parallel, if you use anything (even the stereo, interior lights & etc) you will be discharging both batteries!

Result, egg-on-face asking for jump leads.

If the batteries are the original Japanese ones it is unlikely that they will be anywhere near their original capacity.

An engine battery is also a different beast to a leisure/secondary battery.

I would really recommend that you have the nearside battery converted to a secondary battery.

That will require the services of an auto-electrician and preferably one with campervan or caravan experience

[johnb8840]

I am in the process of converting my Bongo but was a bit concerned about the electrics, as I know nothing and am also colour blind, not a good combo for wiring up campervan electrics. I went over to AVA for some advice, and walked into their workshop to find them in the middle of making up electrics packs for the Bongo as a DIY project. The kit contains all you need for hook-up power , battery charger, two mains plugs, one 12 volt plug, split charge to include battery tray , leisure battery,all leads are made up and cut to length. Each lead had a note attached to say where it went, I also had written instructions. I believe they are producing a photo sheet as well. A great idiot proof idea, give them a ring , they are very helpful. I had my split charger wired and running in two hours, the rest will have to wait untill the furniture is made up.

Good luck

John B

[DLC]

I think I'm going to get a propper leisure battery soon, wired up so I can run stuff with the ignition off, but can't really afford it right now, probably have a look at then compresser fidges for next summer.

For this weekend I'm going to cheat, going to unwire one of the batteries when I get to the campsite, so I can only flatten on, leaving one to start the van again. But after the advice on here and reading the power draw of my cold box (45W) I'll just be using ice packs when the engine is not running.

thanks again for all your advice

Is this the sort of thing that's reccomended?

http://www.wildday.co.uk/ProductDetails ... uctID=2793

[BeardyWeirdy]

I believe that one's only 240V AC and won't work on 12V DC. Unfortunately they seem to be a fair bit dearer, but keep an eye on ebay as they do crop up from time to time.

[DLC]

Hmmmm, looking at the prices, I think I might go for a 3 way one, run it on electic whilst driving and gas while parked up, they are a lot cheeper, going to search other threads for advice now


thanks again

[BeardyWeirdy]

This one's probably a bit big for a Bongo, but serves as an example:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ENGEL-55ltr-BOAT- ... dZViewItem

Three way fridges are excellent and generally much cheaper (they're far more common and so turn up second hand quite often). The main issue with them though is ventilation - they build up a lot of heat at the rear and require a good flow of cooling air, hence the two vents you see on the side of caravans / larger motorhomes. I can't think of anywhere obvious on the Bongo to cut the necessary holes which is why, I suspect, people have tended to go down the compressor route for Bongos.

[stuey five toes]

I bought - much to my wifes dismay - a ?300 Waeco CF25.

?300 for a fridge is a lot. However, it freezes if required, it does not just chill to 15 degrees lower than the ambient outside air temperature (as most cheapy ones do) and it is quiet as a mouse. It is also a top loader so is more efficient than the front loaders.

I used to run it of the liesure battery but the trickle charge from the ?10 towsure type split charger was insufficent to keep the battery topped up so even our super efficient fridge would only last three days.

I now run it of the main battery - the van only needs to be run for a short time every day (which it is) for the battery to stay sufficently charged to run the fridge and start the van.

I am looking into better ways to charge the liesure battery!

The result is we love our fridge - in a fridge love kind of way, that is - not in a baby making squelchy love way...I know, I know i'm leaving

[pippin]

Don't even think of a three-way fridge in a Bongo.

You need serious amounts of ventilation to keep the gubbins cool as they get very hot in operation on mains, 12V or gaz. And that's your other problem.

On gaz you need ventilation direct to the outside of the van to get rid of the combustion gasses. And incoming fresh air for the combustion.

Forget it, totally impracticable.

Either go the cheap route and use a coooooolbox but only when driving or get a WAECO compressor fridge which is super efficient.

See the myriad of other posts on this very subject.

[wrster]

Stuey, you might like to research Sterling power products:
http://www.sterling-power.com/

Particularly advanced alternator regulators : http://www.sterling-power.com/htm/ar12vd.htm

My brother has one in his motorhome, expensive but brilliant.