Advice regarding 12v /and 240v charging (1 Viewer)

[Ritchiev1]

Hi
I'm currently in the process of converting a transit van into a camper van and am a little unsure of the following set up and if it could over charge the battery. The set up is as follows: I have a split charger inline from my van starter battery to my leisure battery, i also have a small solar panel charging the same leisure battery and when i'm on a site that has a 240v electric hook up i have a Powerpart pb10 transformer, just like this one

Could i use all 3 charging items safely together to charge the leisure battery or would i be better off installing some Universal Battery Isolator Switches to switch off split charger and solar panel when i'm hooked up to a 240v where the power part transformer would charge the battery?
Any advice would be great.

 

[tonyidle]

It's usual to leave all charging sources connected. The one producing the highest charge voltage at any given time will do the work and the others will behave as if the battery is charged.

 

[DBK]

Welcome! As stated above, normally everything continues to work connected. I assume you have some sort of controller for the solar panel. You didn't mention one but just in case you haven't bought one yet an MPPT type is the best sort, though they are more expensive.

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[Lenny HB]

As Tony says the charger with the highest output will do the work.
The charger you are looking at is not suitable it's a power supply that says capable of trickle charging, using that your batteries will never get a full charge and their life will be shortened considerately. You need a proper multi stage charger.

 

[DBK]

Something like this.
CYQIqGBoC74MQAvD_BwE

 

[Ritchiev1]

It's usual to leave all charging sources connected. The one producing the highest charge voltage at any given time will do the work and the others will behave as if the battery is charged.

Thanks Tony

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[Ritchiev1]

Welcome! As stated above, normally everything continues to work connected. I assume you have some sort of controller for the solar panel. You didn't mention one but just in case you haven't bought one yet an MPPT type is the best sort, though they are more expensive.

Hi DBK
I have a controller which came with the panel so that should be fine. Thanks for the reply and advice

 

[Ritchiev1]

As Tony says the charger with the highest output will do the work.
The charger you are looking at is not suitable it's a power supply that says capable of trickle charging, using that your batteries will never get a full charge and their life will be shortened considerately. You need a proper multi stage charger.

Hi Lenny
Ah i never read that part regarding the charging. So could i possibly use the power supply to power my 12v items when hooked up to a 204v point? Coolbox, lights, tv? water pump? the 12v set up side is new to me as my previous van was only 240v but with this van i wanted to install 12v and 240v

 

[Lenny HB]

Best to do it properly to start with otherwise it will cost you more later even more if you have to replace the batteries after a year or two.
A decent charger unit will allow you to run all the 12v electrics when on 240v.

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[tonyidle]

If you pick a decent charger it becomes a PSU for the van when on EHU. So you can use any 12v device you want without affecting the battery which will be charged as well. It's all simpler than you think: pick a charger with a decent output (15A or more) and with smart charging capabilities (to take care of the battery as per Lenny HB). Connect everything as suggested above then when you use the van (a) on EHU you can use everything you want without any concern for the state of the battery (b) when off hook-up you only need to consider how long you can last before the battery drops too far. And that will depend, amongst other things, on how many batteries and how much solar. Maintenance of the set-up is simply checking battery electrolyte levels a couple of times a year (if using batteries that need topping up).

 

[Ritchiev1]

Cheers everyone really appreciate all you advice and help
Would something like this be ok?

 

[Ritchiev1]

Cheers everyone really appreciate all you advice and help
Would something like this be ok?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/1821287171...=9046747&device=c&campaignid=856327663&crdt=0

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[Lenny HB]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/1821287171...=9046747&device=c&campaignid=856327663&crdt=0

It says on the label it is a 3 stage charger but the seller gives no spec or info at all. Might work, might not, with decent batties starting at not much under a 100 quid I would spend more on a branded charger or it could get expensive in battery replacements.