Battery Links

[norsman]

Hello
can anyone give us advice on how our batteries should be connected. i know it sounds daft and i am not generally a daft lad, but i cant understand why the leisure battery is connected to the coach batteries. when we were away on our first trip the batterries went flat even after being hooked up.am i missing the point here somewhere. any thoughts would be good.
geoff & lynn.

 

[American Dream]

Hello
can anyone give us advice on how our batteries should be connected. i know it sounds daft and i am not generally a daft lad, but i cant understand why the leisure battery is connected to the coach batteries. when we were away on our first trip the batterries went flat even after being hooked up.am i missing the point here somewhere. any thoughts would be good.
geoff & lynn.

Found this site.Seems pretty comprehensive.:thumb:Link Removed

Link Removed

 

[American Dream]

Or This one. Hope it helps. Link Removed

Link Removed

 

[norsman]

battrey links

thanks for the input, i am going to fit new batteries tommorow so i will try to follow the diagrams you gave me. i think my problem i have is buying some one elses little cok ups.

 

[TJ-RV]

For my edification, could someone confirm the use of the terms leisure battery and coach battery. In the first post, coach battery appears to refer to the starting battery, while leisure battery appears to be the battery that runs all the non-chassis 12V stuff.

We Yanks use slightly different terminology:

Chassis or stating battery: Starts the engine and powers head/tail/brake lights, indicators, dash and, in the case of petrol engines, ignition. Often, the entry steps are powered by the same battery.

House or coach battery: Powers all the 12V stuff in the living area, including lights, refrigerator, and slideouts.

Diolch yn fawr as we used to say in Wales, or ta much.

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[Terry]

Hi TJ-RV you have it right:thumb:
terry

 

[TJ-RV]

Thanks Terry. I'll get our Glossary of RV Terms updated to cross-reference Britspeak for batteries. That way, when folks ask about coach batteries, we know they really mean coach batteries.

 

[Geo]

Hi Tom
Then you might like to add another
Starter Battery=Starter Battery
Habbitation Battery= House Batteryoh:
Geo
You Should include a link to your site Tom, in your Signature
I would then cross the water and have alook at yall

 

[Terry]

Hi Tom just to make things as clear as mud on most British vans the starter batt only runs the van side of things-starting ,lights indecaters etc,the leisure battery runs just about everything in the caravan (back) side of things -lighting, heating, tv,etc,Then we have relays which charge leisure batterys from engine and also run fridge (12v)whilst engine is running clear?oh:
terry

 

[johnsandywhite]

Hi Tom just to make things as clear as mud on most British vans the starter batt only runs the van side of things-starting ,lights indecaters etc,the leisure battery runs just about everything in the caravan (back) side of things -lighting, heating, tv,etc,Then we have relays which charge leisure batterys from engine and also run fridge (12v)whilst engine is running clear?oh:
terry

Not necessarily so. Our 1989 Kontiki allows you to switch between the Starter and the Leisure battery.

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[Terry]

Told you on most & clear as mud :thumb:
terry

 

[Digger Driver]

To be honest!
I don't like the charging relay thingy's!
In my transit i had a battery isolator switch fitted on a butchered jump lead between the starter and the habitation batteries and just switched over when i wanted to charge either!
I found this way charged much quicker and you could use the habitation battery to boost the starter if it was needed as well as the habitation hook up charger!
I had two basic battery testers connected to monitor charging which gave me far more information than i have now!
All in all the set up in the van was much better than the set up in the Kon Tiki.
I could charge to capacity 3 lorry batteries i had for habitation with the van idling for an hour and a half using a cup of deisel!
I know a lot of diesel fitters set up their vans this way and was wondering if you guys knew any reason why i shouldn't do it to the Kon-Tiki!

 

[TJ-RV]

Then we have relays which charge leisure batterys from engine and also run fridge (12v)whilst engine is running

Thanks Terry, we have that stuff on our coach also. If you want to see some battery fun, we have 15 batteries on our boat:

• Each of the 660 HP CAT engines has a large Link Removed for starting.
• 2 more 8D batteries are connected in series to provide 24V and high current for the bow thruster. (It takes some oomph to move 50,000 lbs/25,000 Kg sideways.)
• The 10KW generator has a dedicated car-style battery for starting.
• 10 golf cart style 6V batteries connected in series-parallel provide 1100 amp hours at 12V to run the inverter which produces 120V AC when we're afloat and away from shore power and don't want to run the generator.

As the 8D flooded cell batteries quit, I replaced them 8D AGM batteries, and replaced the generator battery with AGM also, which makes the job of checking and topping off water a bit easier.

There are 4 separate charging systems on board, excluding the engine-mounted alternators.

 

[pappajohn]

Thanks Terry, we have that stuff on our coach also. If you want to see some battery fun, we have 15 batteries on our boat:

• Each of the 660 HP CAT engines has a large 8D battery for starting.
• 2 more 8D batteries are connected in series to provide 24V and high current for the bow thruster. (It takes some oomph to move 50,000 lbs/25,000 Kg sideways.)
• The 10KW generator has a dedicated car-style battery for starting.
• 10 golf cart style 6V batteries connected in series-parallel which provide 1100 amp hours at 12V to run the inverter and provide 120V AC when we're afloat and away from shore power.

As the 8D flooded cell batteries quit, I replaced them 8D AGM batteries, and replaced the generator battery with AGM also, which makes the job of checking and topping off water a bit easier.

There are 4 separate charging systems on board, excluding the engine-mounted alternators.

i hope you get a very long life from these, at over £300 each you dont want to have to change them to often.

john.

 

[TJ-RV]

Starter Battery=Starter Battery Habbitation Battery= House Battery

Thanks, I think. So, if you have more than one type of battery in the system, does that make them co-habitating batteries?

You Should include a link to your site...

I don't come here to advertise our forum and think it's bad form to do so. But you could Google us; We're the oldest RV-related online forum and claim to be the friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing. You'll know you're there when you see the real me in my avatar and my name below it.

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[TJ-RV]

John,

It's always a big ouch when they fail and I have to dig deep into my pockets.

 

[pappajohn]

John,

It's always a big ouch when they fail and I have to dig deep into my pockets.

can you not do some diy recycling and fix the dead ones to a length of chain, chuck 'em overboard and use 'em as sea anchors. bet they weigh a ton.:thumb:

 

[TJ-RV]

...fix the dead ones to a length of chain, chuck 'em overboard and use 'em as sea anchors.

Good idea, but the environmentalists would get me hauled into court if I did that.

 

[Terry]

Hi Tom, ditch the cat engine and just run on battery power :thumb::Rofl1
terry

 

[TJ-RV]

ditch the cat engine and just run on battery power

LOL Terry, not a bad idea. That would save a lot of fuel, but the boat would only go sideways BTW there are two of those big CATs on the old tub and they suck a lot of fuel. Makes filling the coach seem cheap. It's all relative I suppose.

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[dazzer]

LOL Terry, not a bad idea. That would save a lot of fuel, but the boat would only go sideways BTW there are two of those big CATs on the old tub and they suck a lot of fuel. Makes filling the coach seem cheap. It's all relative I suppose.

You want to try filling the boat up here in the UK

Why is it the government charges road duty on boat fuel anyway??? Anyone seen many boats driving down the road lately

Nice boat by the way :thumb: (drooooooool!!!!!)

 

[TJ-RV]

Thanks Dazzer. No road tax on marine fuel here in the U.S., but they dye it to be sure you don't use it in road vehicles. They get really nasty of they catch you.

When they first approved North Sea oil drilling, the boys in Westminster promised everyone in the UK cheap petrol, but they omitted the part about annual fuel tax increases on budget day. But you have to pay for all those social systems some way. People who find it more profitable to stay on the dole and the wastes of the National Health System.