Adding a Leisure Battery

[ELZE]

Hi

Not been in here for a while due to work commitments in Stornoway of all places. The Bongo did Whitley Bay to Isle of Lewis in one day and never missed a beat! Managed to get auto gas for the full journey. I have the gas locations if anyone wants them!


Anyway now I have decided to fit a leisure battery and was wondering if anyone can tell me where to get some of the bits I need.

1. Battery Tray) can I get a left hand one or do I basterdise one from a scrapper?
2. Suitable harness/wiring kit - Willington or what?
3 recommend a good inverter so I can run various electricals from double socket to operate things like printer, laptop, slow cooker? occasional microwave if this possible?

I am also getting a tranzwagen rear conversion as a winter project but that's another story.

Any help welcome.

[the1andonly]

Hi

Not been in here for a while due to work commitments in Stornoway of all places. The Bongo did Whitley Bay to Isle of Lewis in one day and never missed a beat! Managed to get auto gas for the full journey. I have the gas locations if anyone wants them!


Anyway now I have decided to fit a leisure battery and was wondering if anyone can tell me where to get some of the bits I need.

1. Battery Tray) can I get a left hand one or do I basterdise one from a scrapper?
2. Suitable harness/wiring kit - Willington or what?
3 recommend a good inverter so I can run various electricals from double socket to operate things like printer, laptop, slow cooker? occasional microwave if this possible?

I am also getting a tranzwagen rear conversion as a winter project but that's another story.

Any help welcome.

1 New dawn one i use
http://www.newdawnconversions.co.uk/app ... ow/3266030

2 pm Dodgey
3 I use a DC-DC convertor to "uplift 12V to 19" for my laptop.other 12V appliances available
inverters are ineficient, and have other problems.

[ELZE]

Thanks for the info

[dave_aber]

When you do the sums, you realise that a microwave is never really going to be viable on a 12v battery, whatever you do there is not enough energy to power the unit - which is actually quite inefficient.

There is an american 12v microwave available, "Wavebox" IIRC, about 600W.

Now, if this is 100% efficient, 12v & 600W means 50A.

Typically, a microwave runs at 65% efficiency, so depending on how they have quoted power (input power or heating power) your 600W device either uses 923W input energy, and draws 77A, or it is 600W input, 50A and only 390W going into your pastie, which will take a while to heat it up.

Either way, the heat generated on the cabling powering the unit at these currents would heat a pastie up faster!

[ELZE]

Thanks for the response.

I have obviously not explained myself well here as a microwave was out of the question what I am really looking for was advice on the suitable kits/relays/ split chargers used when fitting a leisure battery.

Since posting I have decided to go the full hog and wire for a hook up also which will address the microwave issue. If anyone can point me to some reliable kit for this I would be grateful. I am of course getting a professional to do the wiring especially where 240v comes into it.

Cheers

[mikeonb4c]

Hi

Not been in here for a while due to work commitments in Stornoway of all places. The Bongo did Whitley Bay to Isle of Lewis in one day and never missed a beat! Managed to get auto gas for the full journey. I have the gas locations if anyone wants them!


Anyway now I have decided to fit a leisure battery and was wondering if anyone can tell me where to get some of the bits I need.

1. Battery Tray) can I get a left hand one or do I basterdise one from a scrapper?
2. Suitable harness/wiring kit - Willington or what?
3 recommend a good inverter so I can run various electricals from double socket to operate things like printer, laptop, slow cooker? occasional microwave if this possible?

I am also getting a tranzwagen rear conversion as a winter project but that's another story.

Any help welcome.

Regarding (2), this alternative has recently been flagged up on the forum:

http://www.rayneautomotive.co.uk/mazda- ... y-kit.html

Regarding (3), get one with an output rating/wattage generously more than you are likely to need. Also, the cheaper/affordable inverters are not good at handling device that pull a large current on start up and/or that that pull a high current due to high capacitance: in this situations the inverter tends to trip out (though may go to work if you rest the trip in the case of capacitance causes as the device causing the problem may hold it capacitance charge for a short while meaning their isn't the same current draw if connection restored quickly).

[ELZE]

Hi

Not been in here for a while due to work commitments in Stornoway of all places. The Bongo did Whitley Bay to Isle of Lewis in one day and never missed a beat! Managed to get auto gas for the full journey. I have the gas locations if anyone wants them!


Anyway now I have decided to fit a leisure battery and was wondering if anyone can tell me where to get some of the bits I need.

1. Battery Tray) can I get a left hand one or do I basterdise one from a scrapper?
2. Suitable harness/wiring kit - Willington or what?
3 recommend a good inverter so I can run various electricals from double socket to operate things like printer, laptop, slow cooker? occasional microwave if this possible?

I am also getting a tranzwagen rear conversion as a winter project but that's another story.

Any help welcome.

Regarding (2), this alternative has recently been flagged up on the forum:

http://www.rayneautomotive.co.uk/mazda- ... y-kit.html

Regarding (3), get one with an output rating/wattage generously more than you are likely to need. Also, the cheaper/affordable inverters are not good at handling device that pull a large current on start up and/or that that pull a high current due to high capacitance: in this situations the inverter tends to trip out (though may go to work if you rest the trip in the case of capacitance causes as the device causing the problem may hold it capacitance charge for a short while meaning their isn't the same current draw if connection restored quickly).

Mike

Just had a look at this and it looks just the job and it's a bonus that it has instructions about switching the circuits about to the new fuse box..brill!

what about the 240 side on things as I am looking for a hook up and zig thingy?

[mikeonb4c]

Hi

Not been in here for a while due to work commitments in Stornoway of all places. The Bongo did Whitley Bay to Isle of Lewis in one day and never missed a beat! Managed to get auto gas for the full journey. I have the gas locations if anyone wants them!


Anyway now I have decided to fit a leisure battery and was wondering if anyone can tell me where to get some of the bits I need.

1. Battery Tray) can I get a left hand one or do I basterdise one from a scrapper?
2. Suitable harness/wiring kit - Willington or what?
3 recommend a good inverter so I can run various electricals from double socket to operate things like printer, laptop, slow cooker? occasional microwave if this possible?

I am also getting a tranzwagen rear conversion as a winter project but that's another story.

Any help welcome.

Regarding (2), this alternative has recently been flagged up on the forum:

http://www.rayneautomotive.co.uk/mazda- ... y-kit.html

Regarding (3), get one with an output rating/wattage generously more than you are likely to need. Also, the cheaper/affordable inverters are not good at handling device that pull a large current on start up and/or that that pull a high current due to high capacitance: in this situations the inverter tends to trip out (though may go to work if you rest the trip in the case of capacitance causes as the device causing the problem may hold it capacitance charge for a short while meaning their isn't the same current draw if connection restored quickly).

Mike

Just had a look at this and it looks just the job and it's a bonus that it has instructions about switching the circuits about to the new fuse box..brill!

what about the 240 side on things as I am looking for a hook up and zig thingy?

I'm not sure if you need all that Zig stuff as I'm guessing its just fancy voltage sensing relay stuff in effect. You could get a hook-up lead for hook-up then figure use a 240v charger to keep the LB topped up. And/or you could spend dosh instead on solar panel charging, which would give you true off-grid camping ability though for a greater expenditure. Some quite capable suitcase kits available these days I think if you don't want anything ugly on your roof.

[g8dhe]

You don't really need a Zig unit at all, certainly not a CF8/9 unit overkill for a Bongo. A PMS3 unit has all you need for a Bongo, or the same company as above also does a EHU + 10 Amp charger which would fit the bill.

[ELZE]

So for an electric hook up are we saying all I need is the hook up kit and a double socket outlet?

[g8dhe]

Basically yes, the 16Amp EHU socket for the side, small distribution unit with RCD and MCB's, sockets, and if you want it to charge the LB the added Charger. cables clips insulation etc.

[ELZE]

If I have a split charger system then I guess all I need is a 240 inlet, double socket and a hook up cable then? Otherwise I would be charging the leisure battery at both ends?

if you know what I mean, I think that's what I meant anyway

[philpdr]

I have a charger permanently fitted and if I'm on hook up for a few days just plug it in to the mains to top up the Lb.Unless you have a solar panel or zig/pms unit you'll have to run the engine to charge the Lb.Depends on how much 12v stuff you're running.

[g8dhe]

If I have a split charger system then I guess all I need is a 240 inlet, double socket and a hook up cable then? Otherwise I would be charging the leisure battery at both ends?

if you know what I mean, I think that's what I meant anyway

No not quite the Split Charge system charges when your travelling by splitting the charge from the alternator between the SB and the LB. Once you have parked up then your on the LB alone. Now it depends on how much power you draw from the battery etc. whether you need to charge on Hook up as well, I prefer to, having had a couple of late night trips of the EHU which means that your drawing on the battery all night if you have things running.

[ELZE]

If I have a split charger system then I guess all I need is a 240 inlet, double socket and a hook up cable then? Otherwise I would be charging the leisure battery at both ends?

if you know what I mean, I think that's what I meant anyway

No not quite the Split Charge system charges when your travelling by splitting the charge from the alternator between the SB and the LB. Once you have parked up then your on the LB alone. Now it depends on how much power you draw from the battery etc. whether you need to charge on Hook up as well, I prefer to, having had a couple of late night trips of the EHU which means that your drawing on the battery all night if you have things running.

Brilliant, now I understand it