Have a JK flimsy split charge relay system and never been happy with it. Seen this one on Ebay and looks like it has all the right bits. Wouldn't mind other opinions. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMPER-VA...rg=20140107083358&rk=1&rkt=10&sd=161320077146
I`ve got one but never fitted it -magic box and instructions , no wiring . How about a tenner posted ??
is 30amp relay big enough to charge my 110amp Leisure battery. Have TV/Freeview and stereo with Amp in my bus. Gets used a lot when parked up, so need it to be fully charged when I turn up anywhere.
Assuming you don't run your leisure battery to bugger all then a couple of hours should charge it up nicely. I charge mine on the mains before we go away anyway. Remember a split charger will only charge the leisure battery once the engine battery is fully charged. Your alternator is probably only 55A anyway. I believe you can buy a heavier duty version of that relay if you really want.
Owned my T2 for nearly 17 years (286 nights away!), and after getting through batteries at the rate of knots have found my ideal solution. Campers place unusual demands on their batteries. 1. Camper is often not used for long periods 2. Camper uses considerable power while on site. Molteni Mike's modifications. 1. Two batteries (NOT leisure ones) bought from a breakers yard for £25 each. They're huge, 70-80AH each. 2. Hardwired the +ve terminals together with heavy duty jumper lead cable. Then sent both earth cables to a heavy duty (300Amp!) "boat switch" placed in a rear cupboard. This gives a choice of OFF - batt 1 - batt2 - both. The choice of using the "earth" for this system is in case of a short circuit, the system is safe. Never ever turn the switch to OFF with the engine running, you'll fry the alternator diodes! I've never used the "both" option as charging more one than one battery in parallel results in the "better" battery only being charged to the level of the "worse" one. 3. Wired a solenoid (standard Leyland starter solenoid) so that when the starter is turning, BOTH batteries are momentarily called into action. 4. When parked in the drive, the electrics are plugged into an "Optimate" charger which safely keeps the battery charged without risk of overcharging. Protocol when away from home. As soon as the vehicle is parked for the night, the battery is "switched" to the other one. In this way the battery just charged by a long drive will be fresh for the following day. The one just connected can be used overnight without concern about the following morning's start. Touch wood, this setup/protocol has worked 100% for several years. Here's a picture of the boat switch, they're about £25 from chandlers. The Optimate charger is about £40 from various suppliers on eBay. The traditional "split charge" system has the "overnight" camper electrics wired to the leisure battery and a relay to charge both batteries together when the alternator is turning. It's a great system when everything is working! But there's a small risk that something to do with the vehicle's electrics will be left on (sidelights, courtesy lights etc), causing the engine battery to drain on site. Additionally, if the leisure battery is in poor condition, after a long drive the engine battery will become drained. It's possible to fit a gizmo which sends the alternator's charge to the battery with the greater need. But that is an expensive option. But on an old vehicle, starting needs every help we can give , hence the decision to use two engine batteries which are used in tandem when cranking. In my set up, the system has controlability in that it's me who decides where the charge goes and which battery is used overnight. Actually I don't use much power on site, in the days when I had just one battery, I could remain on site for several nights and the engine would (just about) start. For the majority of the time the camper is not used for holidays, so it can be driven without regard to charging. I like the peace of mind which comes with knowing that the fully charged battery is completely isolated overnight from any current drain. It's a bit of hassle to remember to switch over batteries but it soon becomes instinctive.
I dont like them as they only charge the leisure battery when the main battery full The alternator only puts out the amps that is called for and this trails off as the battery fills up so you are wasting capacity So i use a normal good quality 30amp relay so it joins both battery that way the alternator is under max load and both battery's are charged faster If you want the best get a battery to battery charger from ctex or sterling but they are around £200
