Correcting mistakes! - First the Battery (1 Viewer)

[Vix Aguilera]

Hi all,
After years of converting VW Transporters into basic campers, we took the plunge in 2016 and asked a company called AB Race cruisers to convert a Sprinter (also purchased through them and Western Commercial Mercedes in Glasgow) We had quite specific requirements that they assured us would be easily done for us, to save us weeks of working on it ourselves as we just didn't have the time!
I won't go into ALL the problems we have had.....
Suffice to say after 2 seasons trying to live with things we have given up and will be correcting much of it ourselves - as they just were never interested and we don't really trust them now to do things properly, even if we could get hold of them and they did get back to us.

The first thing we need to do is sort the power out!
On almost immediate use - fuses were blowing, shorting, plugs weren't working and we now think that the whole conversion was done abroad, in Poland as we found warranty stamps on a couple of appliances with company dets from Warsaw. Everything is a mess so we are replacing what we can see has been melted and blown and hoping there's nothing more serious going on behind the scenes.

Anyhoo, my first question to you knowledgeable folk would be this - there is currently a BOSCH S5 A13 95AH battery fitted to a split charger and inverter etc and even though it's always been plugged in when not in use it doesn't hold a charge for very long, certainly not long enough to power the Eberspacher and a TV for a day or two.
So what recommendations would you guys have for a battery?

We use the van to take ourselves and our Siberian Husky racing team throughout the UK and abroad over the winter so it has to be able to cope with cold....more on that later as half the van has not even been insulated at all!
Look forward to your advice. TIA

 

[chaser]

You need at least double your battery power and a load of solar on

 

[gus-lopez]

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[andy63]

Hi all,
After years of converting VW Transporters into basic campers, we took the plunge in 2016 and asked a company called AB Race cruisers to convert a Sprinter (also purchased through them and Western Commercial Mercedes in Glasgow) We had quite specific requirements that they assured us would be easily done for us, to save us weeks of working on it ourselves as we just didn't have the time!
I won't go into ALL the problems we have had.....
Suffice to say after 2 seasons trying to live with things we have given up and will be correcting much of it ourselves - as they just were never interested and we don't really trust them now to do things properly, even if we could get hold of them and they did get back to us.

The first thing we need to do is sort the power out!
On almost immediate use - fuses were blowing, shorting, plugs weren't working and we now think that the whole conversion was done abroad, in Poland as we found warranty stamps on a couple of appliances with company dets from Warsaw. Everything is a mess so we are replacing what we can see has been melted and blown and hoping there's nothing more serious going on behind the scenes.

Anyhoo, my first question to you knowledgeable folk would be this - there is currently a BOSCH S5 A13 95AH battery fitted to a split charger and inverter etc and even though it's always been plugged in when not in use it doesn't hold a charge for very long, certainly not long enough to power the Eberspacher and a TV for a day or two.
So what recommendations would you guys have for a battery?

We use the van to take ourselves and our Siberian Husky racing team throughout the UK and abroad over the winter so it has to be able to cope with cold....more on that later as half the van has not even been insulated at all!
Look forward to your advice. TIA

hi and welcome to the fun...
what a shame , and hope you can get it sorted out..

depends on how much you want to spend I suppose ... the trojan range of batteries are well thought of but if you would rather stick with the budget range lead acid batteries these are again thought to be a reasonable buy..
https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/varta/
I agree with the above comments, that you could do with increasing your battery capacity, and therefore your charging options with the likes of solar, a battery to battery, and a good mains charger to keep them right..
Andy

PS.... love the picture of one of your husky's.. they will keep you fit lol..

 

[PhilandMena]

@chaser has nailed it.! Sheds load of solar and a decent solar regulator is the way forward. Stick with Lead Acid batteries. Battery selection is a minefield with many many batteries being mislabelled and loads of crap out there! Have a look at the Exide ET 650 battery. (Exide produce their own batteries !) The Bosch L5 and Varta LFD-90 are the same battery and OK if required for low to moderate usage.

 

[autorouter]

fitted to a split charger and inverter etc

Can you clarify in very simple terms exactly what you mean by this?

I'm guessing that 'split charger' means a split charge relay to charge the leisure battery from the alternator, but does it also include a mains charger that charges the leisure battery when van is hooked up to mains?

Also this 'inverter' - is it a device connected to the battery that produces 230 volt mains when there is no mains hookup available. If so, what power (watts/kilowatts) is it?

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[Vix Aguilera]

Thanks all for the warm welcome and advice
So answers to questions.....

We do have a mains charger (under the hood)

On the control panel in the living area is a switch to change the power supply from the standard Sprinter starter battery (under the floor) to the 'leisure battery' under the passenger seat.

We have a solar panel we took off our old van conversion so can set that up no probs when we aren't on mains. We also have a genny which we use when on trips and when mains isn't accessible.

This weekend we've insulated under the passenger seat and replaced the fuse box that was all melted and buggered Result ! We no longer have a power fluctuation showing whenever we turn the leds on and off...result! We've also ripped out the microwave, as it's a waste of time. We never use it, it drains too much power anyway and am sure that's what blew out the fuses last year!

@autorouter
First off we were never given ANY instructions with the van so have had to work it all out, what I hope I am right calling a 'split charger' as Yes it charges the battery under the passenger seat when the van is running and also when on mains supply or genny.
Will have to have a look at the 230 inverter, I will take a pic later and post it up - as I can just get to it behind the drivers seat.

I've put a couple of pics up, the ones i sent to the DVLA to get it registered as a Motorhome (that's another story!)
It's shame because the conversion finish is great, as in it looks the part - it's just shoddy electricals and under all the shiny gadgets it's a mess! The last pic is the whole reason we got the van so our dogs get plenty of room when we go to races ;-)


story lol) I

 

[autorouter]

Am I right in thinking there is no LPG for heating and cooking? You have an eberspacher diesel heater and a microwave for cooking. Also the Waeco fridge is probably a compressor type, running off 12 volts.

If so, you will need more powerful 12 volt electrics than the average motorhome that has LPG heater, hob and oven. As others have said, at least double your battery capacity. Then you have to think about putting charge into the batteries.

Solar is a good idea, but remember you'll be struggling to get more than 30 watts out of a 100 watt panel in winter. As many panels as you can fit, and that still won't cut it on short grey winter days.

This thing you call a 'split charger' will with any luck be a battery-to-battery (B2B) charger. If so, that's exactly what you need. It boosts the output from the alternator when the engine is running, so that the leisure batteries are charged quickly and completely. Much more quickly than a simple relay switch. Can you see the make and model of it? or a photo? If it's not, you need to think about getting one.

The inverter presumably powers the microwave, which I'm guessing is a 230 volt type. An inverter big enough to do that will have quite a large a 'no load' drain, so you need to switch it off when not actually being used. Many inverters have a remote on/off switch.

Also this inverter will be drawing about 100 amps when running the microwave. That's a high current from a leisure battery. With two batteries in parallel, the current from each is a more reasonable 50 amps. Note also, as a general rule, currents this big require cables as thick as starter jump leads to keep voltage drops within limits.

 

[tonyidle]

it's just shoddy electricals and under all the shiny gadgets it's a mess!

Of course it is. It wouldn't be a leisure vehicle if it wasn't. Or that's my experience of every caravan and motorhome I've owned .

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[Jon53]

Hi all,
After years of converting VW Transporters into basic campers, we took the plunge in 2016 and asked a company called AB Race cruisers to convert a Sprinter (also purchased through them and Western Commercial Mercedes in Glasgow) We had quite specific requirements that they assured us would be easily done for us, to save us weeks of working on it ourselves as we just didn't have the time!
I won't go into ALL the problems we have had.....
Suffice to say after 2 seasons trying to live with things we have given up and will be correcting much of it ourselves - as they just were never interested and we don't really trust them now to do things properly, even if we could get hold of them and they did get back to us.

The first thing we need to do is sort the power out!
On almost immediate use - fuses were blowing, shorting, plugs weren't working and we now think that the whole conversion was done abroad, in Poland as we found warranty stamps on a couple of appliances with company dets from Warsaw. Everything is a mess so we are replacing what we can see has been melted and blown and hoping there's nothing more serious going on behind the scenes.

Anyhoo, my first question to you knowledgeable folk would be this - there is currently a BOSCH S5 A13 95AH battery fitted to a split charger and inverter etc and even though it's always been plugged in when not in use it doesn't hold a charge for very long, certainly not long enough to power the Eberspacher and a TV for a day or two.
So what recommendations would you guys have for a battery?

We use the van to take ourselves and our Siberian Husky racing team throughout the UK and abroad over the winter so it has to be able to cope with cold....more on that later as half the van has not even been insulated at all!
Look forward to your advice. TIA

 

[Jon53]

You may be experiencing battery charging issues if you are using a voltage sensing relay because the sprinter has a smart alternator . This basically means it turns the alternator output voltage down once it thinks the starting battery is charged . This means your secondary batteries are never fully charged . They will also tend to backfeed through a voltage sensing relay and so discharge themselves back into the starting battery . You may need to look into a battery to battery charger .See the following link
https://www.ablemail.co.uk/sites/default/files/products/ablemailbatterychargerselectionguide.pdf.