UKC

Hi,
Looking for some advice from you knowledgable bunch lot on here.

Long story but I have an option to buy a campervan but can’t find out whether it’s got a leisure battery or not.

What do I look for?

It’s a fiat doblo (small camper) and it has been professionally converted. It seems to have alot of 12v sockets and a big fridge so it seems strange there isn’t one. We have searched everywhere.

There is an external socket for a mains hook up so that could be what the owners were planning to power the lights, sockets, fridge, tv, fan and water pump. There is also a car battery charger booster in the car.

Unfortunately the owner is no longer here with us to ask.

Any advice appreciated.

In reply to fi89:

It will have some extra wires coming off the main battery, thats a good place to start.

In reply to fi89:

Don't know much about these particular vans, but have you tried under/behind driver or passenger seats?

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Thanks Adam, funnily enough it was you Ash tried ringing to ask this question! No extra wires on battery nor alternator. There is wiring in the van for mains hookup so any idea how much it costs to add a lesiure battery and splitter etc professionally?

In reply to fi89:

We have used a charger booster and run the basic electrics off it when we had no access to a hook up. It worked ok for small USB items and the TV + lights, so perhaps thats what they used the booster for. It should have some 12V sockets on it.

In reply to Firestarter:

Yes, Have looked everywhere, found the service logg book and the radio pincode though (much to the sellers delight!)

In reply to fi89:

Haha, small world!

Leisure battery and relay and everything needed, £250/£300 i would think.

In reply to Bellie:

Didn't realise that was possible, but it seems the most feasible explanation. Thanks for that, would this run a fridge aswell?

In reply to fi89:
Big leisure battery will set you back about £70 if you buy a cheap one (no real advantage in an expensive one).
You don't actually _need_ to connect up to the alternator. If you just wire the leisure battery direct to the vehicle battery with a switch between (use very chunky cable), you can switch it on while you are driving and charge both and switch it off while stationary so you don't drain the vehicle battery. Cables will cost you maybe £20 or less.
This is similar to my setup (though I primarily use a solar pannel for charging).

If cost is an issue then, you can get the thing working fine for less than £100

Edit: If you do this, careful to switch it off while starting the vehicle. Leisure batteries don't like massive amp loads in short bursts generated by the starter motor.

In reply to fi89:


I got some good stuff on you tube searching for "Fitting a leisure battery"

This one is a tutorial on the difference between starter and leisure batteries, I learn new stuff everyday ( even if I don't have a camper van)

youtube.com/watch?v=KRf8EmhQBJo&

In reply to fi89:

Check what voltage the fridge should be running on. Should be a spec. plate somewhere on it. Where do the wires from the fridge and all the sockets run to ?. A place where a leisure battery should/could be or to the mains inlet. Don't forget inline fuses for everything or fit a fusebox for all the stuff in the back.

In reply to fi89:

Also look under the van. If there is space between the chassis rails (old school) it is possible it could be suspended in a cradle under there along with water tanks and spare wheels and other mucky things.

In reply to Firestarter:


There is a bloke on You Tube that slung his second battery under the vehicle, on what I think was his home made battery cradle ( insulated)

so I guess he might be wise looking all over the entire underside , just in case there is one hidden somewhere .

In reply to fi89:

My guess would be under the passenger seat. Fitting a split charger and a leisure battery wouldn't cost much and can be done by anyone semi competant person who can read the instructions.
The 12v setting on most campervan fridges is only advisable for use when charging either by driving or from a mains hookup.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Thanks to everyone who have responded.
In response to Gethin, do you mean only use the fridge when driving or hooked up?

In reply to fi89:
Fridges are very juice hungry. The best ones are 'three-way switchable' and can run off 12V, 240V and gas. Hook it up too a mains outlet and it will run off 240v. Only use 12v whilst driving, either straight off the engine electrics, from the vehicle battery or a leisure battery if that's connected to the vehicles supply. Running a fridge off a battery with nothing supplying that battery, either running vehicle or mains charger, will kill the battery in a few hours. Some fridges can run on the same gas supply as the cooker but will need it's own external vent. Good for when parking up with no mains supply.

http://www.split-charge-relays.co.uk/charging-systems/split-charging-relay-...

In reply to ashuk:



I did not know that. I assumed that if it was kept shut, it would run until cold then only run occasionally to maintain the losses through the insulation. ( unless someone opens it)

Either way best to keep it well stocked (or fill up empty air space with boxes or whatever to displace air, so a min of hot air enters it when opened, and it will shut off quicker)

In reply to Jim C:

as Ashuk said,

In reply to fi89:

In the old van we only ran the fridge when it was hooked up. In my new design, the fridge has a switchable 12v power source, so it should work, but not sure on the drain on the charger booster. Running low voltage lights and bits and bobs on the 12v circuits,the booster is fine when we had not got hook up.

In reply to fi89:

You could do a simple test to see if there is a leisure battery fitted (I imagine there would be). Put a voltmeter on the main battery then switch the fridge on. If the needle drops significantly, say one or two volts, then you probably haven't. However, t could be that the relay has stopped working properly.

If you are needing to fit a relay and a leisure battery, get a good relay (eg Durite) for around £50, lots of the correct fuses and a 110A battery for around £70 to £80. And some 100A+ cable. Then some basic woodwork skills. I say a good relay, as the cheaper ones are prone to short life and resulting grief. good luck!

In reply to fi89:
I recently replaced my cheap split charge relay with a far more robust voltage sensitive 'Durite' relay. At first I had enquired about having it fitted professionally, but was told that I could probably fit it myself and in doing so, save myself quite a bit. I bought a ready-made kit from ebay (search for: 'Ready Made Split Charge Relay kit/System with Durite' from 'simplysplitcharge') which was available in varying lengths, which also came with very easy to follow instructions, and fitted it in a couple of hours, the trickiest part being removing the van's trim and panels to fit the cables under.

In reply to ashuk:

"The best ones are 'three-way switchable' and can run off 12V, 240V and gas."

I would have to disagree with you on that... I run 2 x 110amp leisure batteries in my van. These are charged via. as split charge from the engine and trickle charged constantly from a 120w solar panel. The fridge I use is a older model of the Waeco Coolmatic Compressor fridges. I have never run out of juice with this set up and this is down to the fridge being a 'compressor fridge' which draws ALOT less power than conventional 3-way fridges and also doesn't need vents cut on the outside of the van...It is on 24/7 as I live in my van...

With regards to running a leisure battery, I would consider something around the 110amp mark, running a smart spilt charge from the engine battery, which will ensure your starter battery is topped up first before switching over to charge the leisure battery. I would also couple this with 240v charger such as the CTEK models to keep it trickle charged when on hookup. If you really want to go all out, wack a 12v solar panel on the roof with a controller and get you some free energy!!! Also, remember to use a heavy gauge cable as the voltage drop is considerable, even over the distance of the length of a small vehicle...

In reply to fi89:
Something such as this split charge kit would do the job nicely;

http://www.megavanmats.com/apps/webstore/products/show/4458616

Coupled with this;

http://www.advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/numaxdutyleisurebattery110amp

In reply to richardw87:

Thank you again to everyone,
I have decided to go ahead with the purchase of the van and investigate with the above suggestions and install one.
Can't wait to get it and have adventures in it.

It's been lovely to personally experience people on this forum are always so helpful and have gone the extra mile for strangers.

In reply to fi89:

Excellent, my parents have always had campervans and all my childhood holidays were spent going around in the van. I'd so love to have one of my own but just can't afford/justify the cost.

In reply to fi89:

Not for a fiat bit this t4 image makes it all very easy to understand too:

http://www.xtremevan.co.uk/uploads/Vehicle%20Diagram%20with%20arrows2small2...

Enjoy vanning!!

In reply to fi89:

Good result. I guess what we were all trying to say was that if the van was good and sound, BUY IT. Don't let the accessory electrics put you off cos they can generally be simply and relatively cheaply sorted compared with the initial purchase of a good van.

In reply to fi89:

Have you looked under the van for the leisure battery. Ours is in a cage underneath.