- This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 14 years, 11 months ago by
.
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
- Posts
Can anyone recommend a ‘kit’ which contains all the wiring and little black boxes etc I need to wire a second battery into my van? One that contains instructions and at a reasonable price would be great!
Happy to buy my liesure battery seperately, but reckon it would be better to get a kit for the rest rather than try and work out everything I need myself as I’m not great at electrics (Luckily my extremely useful vintage car restoring dad is going to help me wire it in, but I’d like to do as much as possible myself).
Many thanks,
matt 🙂
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
At the end of the day your
At the end of the day your £300.00 sysytem works for you and my £3.00 all in system works for me.
Been in place since last November with no problems.
“A £1.00 relay will do the
“A £1.00 relay will do the same job and just as good as any other set up on the market.”
I believe this is what you said. The implication in this statement is both obvious and mis-leading.
Your own admission of not knowing of any sytems that will allow the alternator to charge the batteries fully shows that you have not researched this subject particulary well. But this fine, if your split relay system works for you great, i’m not knocking that, i’m just knocking your sweeping statement that your £1 relay is as good as any other set-up.
Four your infomation there are many different types of set-ups that will enable you to charge auxilary batteries more efficiently than by using the vehicles standard alternator which whilst adequate is not that efficient.
One of which is to replace your alternator’s constant voltage regulator with a multi stage voltage regulator. This will then enable the alternator to charge the batteries to virtually 100% of their potential.
These system are not cheap though and i understand why people like the simple split charge system, it just isn’t suitable for my power requirements.
KS
I never said the relay will
I never said the relay will make the alternator charge any better.In fact I don’t know of any system that will make it charge better.You said your self that the batteries are never charged fully by the vehicle charging system.so 75% is nearly as good as many of the more expensive systems.
I’ve never had any trouble using this system and so have many other people.
Just my opinion on the subject.I run a portable tv,dvd player and lights through a 150 watt inverter. And 12 volt lights,water pump and numerous 12 volt outlets with no problem.
But for how long? 2
But for how long? 2 hours???????
A £1.00 relay will do the
A £1.00 relay will do the same job and just as good as any other set up on the market.
I use 2 of the relays in my set up. 1 to charge 2 85 amp batteries and 1 to run the fridge.
A £1 relay won’t be able to
A £1 relay won’t be able to make the alternator charge any better than it is already capable of doing, neither will it take into account temperture. I doubt your batteries will ever be charged to more than 75% of their potential, which means your 85 amp/hour batteries are already down to 68a/h.
I have also seen even some of the more expensive relays die due to the high charging currents that occure when they switch over when the batteries are nearly flat.
So to say your £1 relays are as good as any other set-up on the market is just rubbish, are you aware of all the different charging system that are currently available?
I do agree that a £1 relay can enable you to charge more than one battery, but it won’t do it effiently however that said for soem people the cheap relay system does work for the their power needs.
KS
Split Charge Relay ( wire connection)
Hi andrewp…I’m fascinated with the comments & intend to install a split charge relay in the old Transit Van Conversion. I have the Relay ( German Kemo M102N) & all the other necessities & am quite capable of the installation..However..when I look at the charge wire from the alternator & look at the small connection piece on the relay..I say to myself “How the hell am I going to do this” ? Soldering will not work & the connection piece (& hole in it) are too small for the massive slip on unit (is it a crimp ?) to be effective. Have you or other members met this & have you any advice…thank you….Harry.
Split Charge Relay ( wire connection)
To answer myself, I went to the Vauxhall Dealer & the office staff took the problem to a mechanic. He could not have been more helpful & went away & came back with a replacement wire from alternator to split charge unit. He had also put in a 20 amp fuse. I was amazed that a smaller wire could replace the finger thick one which was in use. He said he didn’t know why they used such thick wires. Maybe because it’s an older model Transit. But never mind, problem solved & I learned a lot……
Good stuff. I’m glad you got
Good stuff. I’m glad you got it sorted OK.
Hi there,
Can i ask, is the
Hi there,
Can i ask, is the wire the mechanic replaced a switching wire for the relay or is it the main charge carrying cable?
KS
Hi Matt,
Split charge systems
Hi Matt,
Split charge systems are many and varied. Some of the cheaper ones work for some and not for others. You need to ask yourself some important questions first before deciding on a system as there is no easy one fix solution.
Questions such as.
Will you be stopping at campsites with electrical hook-up?
Do you already have 240v electric hook up?
Will you be doing much wild camping?
Will you be staying for extended periods of time in one spot or will you often be on the move?
Or do you just want something cheap and easy and are not too bothered?
For myself i run an extensive audio visual system and a 12volt fridge and i do a lot of wild camping as well as being often on the move.
I have invested in an adverc intelligent charging system coupled with a blocking diode. All in about £330, quite pricey but very very good. I also run a battery bank of 4 6volt deep cycle pallet truck batteries (approx 360a/h)as my leisure bank and a 110a/h starter battery.
I don’t know if you are aware but car alternators?regulators will only charge your batteries to about 70-80% full capacity and they do not take into account factors such as temperature which can have a big impact on the amount of charge your batteries can accept.
Its a complicated issue and as i say for some a simple system works but if you plan to use a lot of juice you will need something more advanced than a simple split charge relay system. IMO
KS
dual battery
Matt
I just put a duel battery in my new Hiace, I researched how to do it on the net as I have never done wiring before. I found that most kits use very light wiring which does not maximize the current flow when your charging from your main battery. I would recommend buying all the components separately as your end up with a better and more efficient system. Also, soldering is fun and really easy and again results in better charging. I found that it cost about the same as a kit anyway.
Dual battery
Hi Matt
I don’t suppose you still have your list on what parts you used to do your dual battery and if your van is a 2009 model
where did you put your battery any chance on some info ?
thanks Greg
Thanks Darren, will check it
Thanks Darren, will check it out.
I got one off eBay that was
I got one off eBay that was fine. It didn’t have a name but had everything in and contained instructions.
I also noticed the same kit at my local camping shop for about the same sort of price.