2ND Gel Battery Fitment (1 Viewer)

[TinaLes]

Hi everyone
This is a question to all you lucky people that took delivery of your Carthago with 2 Gel Batteries fitted as standard. Our new C tourer only has one 80 Amp Hour Gel Battery, with space for a second which we want to fit shortly.
Question is: Did Carthago Fit an in line Fuse between The batteries or not?
The regs say that if a Fuse is fitted that it should be outside the enclosed battery box as a spark from it blowing could be dangerous igniting any battery fumes etc.
However this seems a tad over the top as the batteries are so close together and all we would be doing would be linking them together in parallel to act as one.
So the question is do or dont I fit the in line fuse??
Any answers to this would be very helpful.

Thanks
Les

 

[Cavs]

Ours has two batteries and they are simply wired together with no fuse between them. (As far as I remember, that is. I can check tomorrow if that would be helpful.)

I was slightly surprised that the joining cables seem quite thin, but presumably Carthago knows what it's doing.

 

[TinaLes]

Thanks Cavs
Yes if you could check them tomorrow that would be great!
I would imagine the link cables should be no smaller than 6 MM as thats about 30 Amps in a short run capability. I think the fuse rating would be min 20 Amp possible 30amp at most, but I would not be surprised if there wasn't one.

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[Cavs]

Yes if you could check them tomorrow that would be great!

Hi @TinaL I've had a look and I can confirm there is no fuse in the inter-battery links. The positive link is 7mm external diameter and the negative link is 6mm external diameter, but both negative posts are also linked to the rest of the system rather than having a single take-off from one battery.

Interestingly, given what you said about fuse location, the big fuse in the positive line is fixed to the underside of the floor just above the batteries. It is enclosed in a box, though. You can see it at the top of the picture.

 

[TinaLes]

Thanks Cavs So I think you are saying that the neutral cables from each battery are bonded separately to the chassis ground/earth. The positive battery terminals are linked together with the blue 7mm cable, then pass outside the battery box to an In Line fuse enclosed in a box before going to the 12 Volt distribution board input.?
I was just wondering if the two battery set up wiring is shown in the handbook, must dig it and have a look.
Thank you for your help on this, I think you have different battery connectors to mine also.

 

[Cavs]

So I think you are saying that the neutral cables from each battery are bonded separately to the chassis ground/earth.

I haven't traced them completely, but it looks as though the negative terminals are bonded together and also each is bonded separately into the distribution box somewhere.

The positive battery terminals are linked together with the blue 7mm cable, then pass outside the battery box to an In Line fuse enclosed in a box before going to the 12 Volt distribution board input.?

The black plastic fuse container is inside the area where the batteries reside, which is between the floors and not in a separate box.

I haven't dismantled the battery connectors, but they do look interesting.

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[awg]

Mine only came with one so I fitted an identical 2nd which I got from Tayna Batteries. Battery and all the fittings cost £190.

 

[Lenny HB]

No fuse neccessary if the batteries are close to each other you need to use at least 16mm sq cable preferably 25 mm sq the 6mm you mention is far too small.

The Sonnenschein GF12065Y Battery is the same as the Exide GS900/G80 and a lot cheaper. Sonnenschein is an Exide company and they make the Exide Gels.

 

[TinaLes]

Many Thanks Lenny HB.
The existing battery as you know is an EXIDE GS 900 80 AMP hour. I note your recommendation to fit The Sonnenschein GF1206SY which is 75Amp Hour. I thought I would either have to match the existing Exide battery or scrap it, and get two new Gel type batteries such as the one you have suggested.
Surely I cant marry up the Exide with The Sonnenschein? or can I? I know they are the same type in that they are Gel, but I thought they would have to be exactly the same type, to stop one pulling down the other.
Yes I will get at least 16mm cable, it was Cavs Van that had the smaller cables as fitted by Carthago, yet the main cable looks to be at least 16mm to me from the picture.

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[Wagoneer]

My 2010 Carthago with factory fitted two 80Ah Gel leisure batteries has one single inline 50amp fuse (contained in a plastic fuse box) between one of the positive battery terminals and the 12v CBE distribution box.

The OP should also have an inline fuse between his single leisure battery and 12v distribution box but the amperage of the fuse might be less.

If the OP wishes to do a belt & braces job he could checkout Clive Motts (MMM electrical guru) link for "adjacent 12v batteries in parallel" where he recommends fusing both batteries in case one battery develops a fault (short circuit).
http://www.motts.org/second leisiure battery.htm

 

[Lenny HB]

Many Thanks Lenny HB.
The existing battery as you know is an EXIDE GS 900 80 AMP hour. I note your recommendation to fit The Sonnenschein GF1206SY which is 75Amp Hour. I thought I would either have to match the existing Exide battery or scrap it, and get two new Gel type batteries such as the one you have suggested.
Surely I cant marry up the Exide with The Sonnenschein? or can I? I know they are the same type in that they are Gel, but I thought they would have to be exactly the same type, to stop one pulling down the other.
Yes I will get at least 16mm cable, it was Cavs Van that had the smaller cables as fitted by Carthago, yet the main cable looks to be at least 16mm to me from the picture.

As I said it is the same battery as the Exide, the spec actually says 78a/h at the C20 rate on Tanya spec page it says 75 but on the battery it says 78.