Charging leisure battery (old school)

Home Forum topic Vehicle maintenance, suggestions and ideas Charging leisure battery (old school)

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 127 total)
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  • #106064
    Flying Scotsman
    Participant

    Years ago (about 20) we had a Bedford CF. The 12v system supplied the interior lights, water pump, radio and couple of fans.

    I fitted a 60 amp leisure battery into the long underfloor battery tray alongside the standard vehicle battery. My concern was always having the vehicle battery available for starting and recharging the leisure battery.

    Charging relays were available at the time, but I wanted a simpler solution.Something that COULD NOT fail.

    This was my solution. Using 2 battery cur off switches I earthed both batteries and inserted the switches into each positive cable to the batteries.
    When driving I connected the leisure battery to recharge, and if a long journey disconnected to prevent over charging.
    The vehicle battery would be disconnected during each period of camping, thereby isolating it and ensuring it was always available.
    The van had only a 16 acr Lucas alternator and it coped without any problems.

    Not the current recommended way to do it, but it worked for me!
    Diagram…

    #150017
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150023
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #149986
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #149994
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #149995
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #149997
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #149999
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150002
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150003
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150006
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150009
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150010
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150012
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

    #150013
    Bluebird
    Participant

    Best plan
    Hi mate

    Yes, I’ve done this on all the campers I’ve converted for years and it’s the only way to guarantee you will start in the morning… All those ‘charge relays’ they sell on ebog are hilarious, as they lack the ability to switch enough amps and simply burn out..!

    I usually just use one simple battery isolation switch to cut off the leisure battery positive feed, as these switches come cheap (the ones with a removable key). I have used a marine double battery rotary switch to handle the batteries in the past too – they’re a bit more expensive and complicated to wire, but look really cool..!

    Also, presuming you use wire of the correct thickness, you can use the leisure battery to start up if the starter battery fails. This happened to me on a lonely Spanish mountain just a few months ago – the starter battery had just got too old and died.

    Take care

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