Leisure System & 240V hookup build

[user 4039]

There is a DPDT centre off switch that allows me to select between LB or stepdown 12V and centre off so there is also a no power option. Its in the control panel. The panel also has a volt meter, ammeter (to monitor current drain when using the stepdown as the transformer pack is limited to 11Amps I think on this particular one) a fuse on each input and an led.

More than happy to keep helping.

 

[pgtips]

thanks Guys, really useful info here. The diagrams are really useful.

I think I am leaning towards setting up 12v LB system, then running a charger to the LB when hooked up, so LB continues to power the system but when hooked up its getting charged. will also get a 240v socket when hooked up but no inverter until funds suffice.

A decent charger should charge more than it gets drawn down. 110a LB is probably what I'll go for. CTEK multi XS 700 seems to fit the bill. Loads of money but ....

Thanks loads though, this has been a really useful post and helped me no end.

 

[davesmith84]

Hey guys - just wanted to show you how I did my system. I have mounted it all to a piece of MDF for now as we are having a unit built and it will eventually all be mounted inside that. Anyway - the blue wire is the main feed from the 240v inlet. This powers the 6amp and the 8 amp breakers in the consumer unit - at the mo I only have 2 socket but I will eventually mount another 2 in series after these. I have plugged my CTEK charger into the 6 amp and this is connected to the leisure battery fusebox. We have just been back from a 5 nights in Crantock and this setup worked really well. The CTEK was left charging and then goes into 'maintenance mode'. I ran a 3 way fridge, cd player, hair dryer, hair straighteners, phone chargers - all worked very well. It's a good system as anything 12v you need to use, sort of gets powered by the charger as its also charging the batteries.
Anyway enough rambling - this may help someone

 

[71Westy]

Neat. Essentially what I have done, except mine's distributed around the van.

I assume you mean you're connecting the extra sockets in parallel, by the way (but daisy chained)

Cheers,
Nick

 

[pgtips]

Nice setup.

How did you connect the CTEK to the LB fuse box.

This is the route I want to go down.

thanks
kev

 

[r73]

Nice setup.

How did you connect the CTEK to the LB fuse box.

This is the route I want to go down.

thanks
kev

good question - i have just been reading through this - as its what i want to try and hook up.
only thing i'm not sure of - is how to wire the CTEK to the LB fuse box - and also how to wire a switch/relay to control 12v or 240v????
ta Rob

 

[r73]

sorry what i meant was the relay/switch between Main batt and leisure batt as per Lards Diagram - trying to get my head round it!!
at the moment i have no hook up so i have just wired the stereo/int lights and 12volt sockets to the leisure batt fuse box.

 

[Nugsy]

hi lard

and thanks for all the helpful info. did the question ever get answered on how the charger is wired to the leisure battery fuse box and also is it a switch or relay to swap from leisure to car battery. hope you didn't stop posting after the hijack :msn4:

thanks
Karl

 

[lard]

Hi mate - no probs, charger is just wired into the + & - of the leisure fuse box

I didn't fit the relay in the end - depends on the current draw of components as if you use a switch it will need to be rated to handle all the current - relay means when you change between both the switch just activates the relay rather than have the current through it if that makes sense?

 

[Nugsy]

thanks for the quick reply (it's today's job)

so the charger just wires into the positive side of the12v fuse box along with the feed from the leisure battery on the common rail. so will effectively be powering the 12v side when on hookup whilst charging the battery but not recommended for big current draws I.e. the inverter

if that's right I think it's making sense :lol:

 

[pgtips]

I found after a bit of trial and error that there is a durite split charge relay which does a slightly better job for around the same cost as a heavy duty relay and a smartcom.

I found this out becuase I had a few probs with my smartcom unit, got through 2 so eventually spent a bit more on a durite heavy duty split charge relay box which I wished I'd done in the first place.

Easier to wire in they are more durable, less wiring and work out about the same cost wise as a separate HD relay wired to the smartcom.

You just connect a feed from each battery (LB and starter batt) to either side and earth the unit, and thats it, job done.

The until I would recommend is the 0-727-33 DURITE 12V 140A SPLIT CHARGE INTELLIGENT RELAY which you can get for about £30.

Inside my engine bay I have connected a charger to the LB which comes on when I'm on shore power, the durite feeds the excess to the starter battery as well so both batteries charge.
This is achieved by running 240v feed from the external socket inside the van to a RCD TRIPLE 3 SOCKET SUNNCAMP MOBILE MAINS HOOK UP. The idea here is the RCD etc is already done so no messing, about £30 off fleabay, or a ton in Argos.

So with that you have shore power into the van into a 3 way extension, suitable for running battery charger and sockets so 240v sorted, on the batteries side durite split charge managing power split between the 2 batts keeping fridge etc charged whilst out.

Hope that makes sense, I did try other variations but found this works quite well. Its a total solution is anyones thinking of trying this out. LBs I found you can get a good 110 ah in the back, trick to get these in and out is use a bit of board, like a wooden flooring board and use it as a slider because they are heavy and next to impossible to get in and out any other way.

Cheers
PG

 

[lard]

Nice - think the smartcom I have doesn't back charge the main battery when Im on mains power so that is a great solution

 

[Nugsy]

Yep thats the one i had bought, gor it wired in today but needs tidying up a bit

thanks for your help guys, should have been a sticky

 

[pgtips]

Just as an aside, to take it a tad further, I bought a 12v LCD display off of fleabay, was about 6 quid I think. I routed a couple of wires from each terminal of the LB up to the front of the van and affixed the LCD display there, gives me a quick reference as to how the LB is doing in the back and how much charge I have got in it.

A bit overkill maybe but it came from relying on a split charge setup which had gone down but I didn't know until I needed to rely on it. Now i know how much juice is in my LB. I'm going to try and make up a toggle lever switch so I can do the same for my main battery, its ok having the warning lamp to tell me its charging but for not a lot of effort I can see how much I've got in it.

The LCD simply telly me what the voltage of the battery is, 11.39, 12.41 etc. Once it starts dropping under 11 I know I could do with getting it charged it up.

 

[Nugsy]

that makes sense, surely it just needs a wire from the positive on the Main battery and then as you say a switch wiring in, was think of this as i fitted the oil pressure and oil temp gauges from my old audi recently, but there is also an ammeter that matches i didnt use. (Bought the same facia as a 3 way just in case i change my mind, looks like i have :lol:

 

[Mickey Sam]

Yep thats the one i had bought, gor it wired in today but needs tidying up a bit

thanks for your help guys, should have been a sticky

Hi Nugsy, hope you don't mind me asking but how are you getting on with the Durite relay ?

I've just ordered one, and saw your set up - I like the look of your in-line fuse holders, just wondered where you got your them from and what amp fuses you used.
I was going to use 30 amp but someone suggested 50 amp- what would you recommend ?

Cheers

Mick

 

[Mickey Sam]

.
Sorry fella's , that was not a thread hi-jack , it was supposed to be a PM

 

[Gwar72]

I'm
just building my set up at the moment and was wondering why the C-Tek
charger output is connected to the 12v fuse board rather than straight
to the leisure battery? Is it to save sending wires back to the L
Battery?

 

[martin.sim]

I gone the c-tek route too, works a treat


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Why didn't I buy my bus years ago !?

 

[Gwar72]

I gone the c-tek route too, works a treat


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Why didn't I buy my bus years ago !?

Did you connect the c-tek output straight to the Leisure batt?