Hi, Just getting round to fitting my external hook up connector - one of these boys - and wondered where others have put it. It's a surface mount one with a cover over the pins so it can sit under the van if needed but I'm wondering where the best position is... Under the van - if so where? Engine Bay? I've also got a Ctek that I'm going to put on the hook up circuit but where would you suggest I put it, main or leisure battery? I've got an intelligent split relay so I'm thinking on the main battery so that whenever I'm on hook up the ctek is charging the main battery and in turn the intelligent split relay is passing the charge to the leisure battery so both are always tip top, (also perfect for long winter layoffs where I can plug into the van from the garage). However, has anyone done this and experienced problems with the battery always being on trickle from the ctek or relay struggling to continually pass current?
Mines is mounted in the roof of the engine bay (no hatch), but if you have the option to mount outside and underneath I would suggest somewhere directly under your rock n roll bed as this is where all my electrics are located and would save running extra cable from the engine bay. Although if you have a leisure battery in the engine bay and electrics under the R n R, you're going to be running cables through anyway. So in conclusion, put it in the engine bay or under the van.
Looking at that unit, it's not suitable to be mounted outside, especially under the van. For that you would need one with a screw on cap to keep water and dirt out. Your one is suitable to mount in the engine bay say on the left but leave enough room for a LB if you want to fit one later.
Mines like this and fitted to the left of the engine bay inside... it's fine here no problems and easy to reach/ connect x
Thanks guys. I'd hoped the general consensus, including silvers waffle , would be engine bay as I'd worked out it would be the easiest to cable up. My only fear was to leave the engine hatch open when on hook up and if all the electrickery would be ok sitting next to all that petrol...
@Silver has given you a concise and definitive solution up above but just in case you're still a bit unsure ill tell you what I've done on mine. I have a big leisure battery on the left and I have a Ctek charger and a 240v distribution box on a platform inside the spare wheel well. The platform is just to get a flat mounting surface. The hook up cable goes through a grommet into the engine bay which is where my hookup socket is. Mine is on a flying lead but if I had your sort I'd mount it to the inside of the engine hatch. The Ctek is hard wired through another grommet onto the leisure battery with the option to use it on the main battery as well by using the other lead, supplied with the Ctek. I have one of the outputs from the consumer unit hard wired into the Ctek so the LB is charged as soon as I hookup. The other supply from the consumer unit goes to a 240v socket inside the van. We hardly ever use it but it was a godsend camping in January as we just plugged a fan heater in. There is room for all this inside the spare wheel well and the cargo bay wooden floor goes over the top.
What about all the electrickery that's usually in the engine bay, wiring and battery etc? The coil generates a much higher voltage than your hookup, yet your van hasn't blown up yet?
I fitted one like that under the van to the rear outrigger pointing downward and going to my electrics under the seat, it filled up with water pretty quick
Next question - what screws did you use to fit it. Plugging the lead into it / taking it out is pretty tight so I don't want to be ripping the plug off the metal if possible!
Thanks for the info, I'm intrigued by the 'other lead' bit of the ctek. Mine came with crocodile clips and eyelet ones which you can change depending on your use. My plan was to use the eyelet lead to fix properly to the battery. Do you have it so you can swap the leads over and use the croc clips on the main battery if needed or am I missing what sounds like a very useful lead... I was planning to use a flying lead but was worried about it flying around as I drive. Does yours have a cap on it or how have you pinned / tucked / wedged yours?
I put my proper one here, then you can use self tappers and hit the structural member above. It's not just screwed into the perforated panels, they do go right through. Access is a little bit of stretch but it keeps it well out of the way of everything and I can still get the battery out easily.
That's it exactly, the Ctek eyelet lead is bolted permanently to the LB but the connecting socket is through the grommet and inside the engine bay. That means that if you feel like charging the vehicle battery all you need to do is unplug the eyelet lead and plug in the crocodile clip lead and clip it onto the main battery. I've got two hookup leads, one normal one which stays in the van and another one with a three pin plug adapter which reaches to where I park the van on the drive and plugs into the garage. That way it's really easy to topup the LB after we've been out camping. The general wisdom on here seems to be that leaving a battery discharged is a very good way to shorten its life so after a camp I plug in and fully charge it. To be honest I've never felt the need to charge the van battery but its so simple to set it up to give you the option that it seemed silly not to. My hookup plug is on a wire about two feet long and I just let it sit beside the LB when it's not in use. It's never moved or caused a problem but isn't the tidiest solution so given that you've got a surface mounted one fastening it onto the inside of the engine hatch would seem a good location. I have also seen plugs like yours mounted on the side of the engine bay, between the LB and the engine which also seems to be a good position. As for how it would handle the unplugging and plugging in it will get, they are a very tight fit but you would probably automatically support the socket with one hand as you plug in with the other which would minimise any tendency to pull the mounting screws out.
If the connector is mounted to the floor upside down just in front of the jacking point outrigger under the van you do not have to let rain into the engine bay: mine hides between the two outriggers and any water that hits it will fall off as it is upside down. I use a slightly different surface mount connector which is more like an inline socket mounted at an angle on screws. This feeds straight in under the Devon sink unit and across to the breakers and trips on the front of the R&R bed base. I have a direct 16A tripped circuit going to a double socket. and a second 3A circuit which goes through the inverter/charger unit to a third mains socket.
Cheers guys and gals. Real food for thought, and @sANDYbAY - inspired use of the ctek. I think that will be my way of doing it. As you say it would be silly not to. I currently keep my batteries on trickle charge using the ctek and by running a normal extension lead from the garage up and in a small hole in the engine bay to plug the ctek into, I'd much prefer a more 'finished' set up.
My outlet is on the towbar, lookers like towbar electrics. I have a split relay between both batteries to keep them topped up when on hookup. I use a ctek too, but only when it's parked up for longer periods in the garage.
