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running television off leisure batteries.

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acheswick's picture
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Joined: 04/01/2012

Hi just after some advice as i am new to all of this.
I currently have a split charge relay with 2 110ah batteries. I am wanting to use a tv

The tv i have uses 60w, is this too much as i was thinking of buying an led tv that uses about 25w?
also the tv says 12v on it, i currently use it in the house it is a 19" lcd which says 12v on it. Do i need an inverter or can i buy a lead that goes into the back of the telly straight to the cig lighter? Thanks.Alex

Darren's picture
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Joined: 01/04/2006
Hi The easiest option is to

Hi

The easiest option is to buy an 12 - 240 volt inverter. You need one of about 100W. They are cheap, and will allow you to run other items such as phone chargers, etc.

You could however make a lead to run the TV directly from the batteries, as it's all 12v. This is a little risky though, as the power will be un-regulated. Lots of people report that this works fine though.

acheswick's picture
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Joined: 04/01/2012
ok il get an inverter plenty

ok il get an inverter plenty on ebay. another question, currently i have a 30w split charge relay unit connected to 1 leisure battery which is 110ah. i need to add another battery to it. do i just connect positive to positive, negative to negative or does this make 24v? also i have been told i need a bigger relay sytem for this? what sort am i looking for? thanks.

Darren's picture
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Joined: 01/04/2006
Yes, to add another battery

Yes, to add another battery you just need to connect the positive to positive and negative to negative. You should add a big fuse inline in the positive cable.
You probably have a 30 amp relay. You really need a 100 amp relay for those batteries.
If the 30 amp relay is an voltage sensing one, you can use it to trigger the 100 amp relay. It saves having to bring in another wire from the alternator.

acheswick's picture
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Joined: 04/01/2012
Ok so ive orderd 140amp

Ok so ive orderd 140amp split charge relay, what size fuse would i need to go between the positves?

Darren's picture
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Joined: 01/04/2006
100 amp should be
Anonymous (not verified)
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thanks darren for your help

thanks darren for your help really appreciated. got myself a voltage sensitive relay which came with no instructions. there is a black cable which goes to common negative would this mean the negative of the starting battery?

Ste_Mulv's picture
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Joined: 14/01/2012
Hi All, Just these posts and

Hi All,

Just these posts and there are two things:

If the voltage sensitive relay has no instructions, contact the manufacturer as if you get the system wired the wrong way round, you could end up emptying your leisure battery into you main battery or it not working at all. They will be able to help in no time and accurately.

The other point is on the invertor, you can easily electrocute yourself when you are playing with 230VAC and it is deadly. Ensure you fuse the 12v to the invertor and Residual current device (RCD) protect the output of the invertor (ensure you check your earthing system too). Don't forget that an RCD is there to save your life, I always choose quality products in this type of situation.

Regards,

Steve

Darren's picture
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Joined: 01/04/2006
You definitely need some

You definitely need some instructions for the relay, to make sure you wire it properly.

Common negative is the negative of the starter battery, and also the negative of the leisure battery, as they should constantly be connected together. Also, the chassis of the van (and technically anything metal and structural) should also be common negative.

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