Moving Habitation batteries

[PJGWiltshire]

Looking for some guidance.
I am researching the installation of a lithium battery. The 100ah lithiums are manufactured to the same size as my 80AH Gel batteries of which I have 2. Now working out how I use my van, a 120ah lithium would work for the amount of power that I would need generally with solar top up and then charge up on the move with the B2B. So by buying the 120ah it is only £50 more expensive than a 100ah.
Now the problem is for me is that 100ah lithiums can go straight into the battery compartment. A straight swap but 100ah is border as to requirements and to make sure that I have sufficient power I would need to buy an additional 100ah lithium (expensive).
As I said the 120ah would work but I cannot fit that battery into the van dedicated battery locker and I will need to move it to another locker less than a meter away.
Fitting the battery in this locker would give it plenty of room and I can if necessary add additional batteries in due course.
Thinking about connecting the respective positive and negative charge/supply cables these will need to be extended from the battery locker to the new installed position.
Would simple positive and negative bus bars be suitable and then the appropriate sized cables connected to the new battery in the new locker or will completely new cables be required back to the charger and new cable to the isolating switch for the supply from the new positioned battery.

I hope this is clear. In essence can you safety connect cables using busbars to extend the cables to the new battery by about 75 cm

 

[Lenny HB]

I don't see any problem with your plans, Carthago already have long cable runs to the distribution unit in the garage just use the same size cable.

 

[cmcardle75]

Looking for some guidance.
I am researching the installation of a lithium battery. The 100ah lithiums are manufactured to the same size as my 80AH Gel batteries of which I have 2. Now working out how I use my van, a 120ah lithium would work for the amount of power that I would need generally with solar top up and then charge up on the move with the B2B. So by buying the 120ah it is only £50 more expensive than a 100ah.
Now the problem is for me is that 100ah lithiums can go straight into the battery compartment. A straight swap but 100ah is border as to requirements and to make sure that I have sufficient power I would need to buy an additional 100ah lithium (expensive).
As I said the 120ah would work but I cannot fit that battery into the van dedicated battery locker and I will need to move it to another locker less than a meter away.
Fitting the battery in this locker would give it plenty of room and I can if necessary add additional batteries in due course.
Thinking about connecting the respective positive and negative charge/supply cables these will need to be extended from the battery locker to the new installed position.
Would simple positive and negative bus bars be suitable and then the appropriate sized cables connected to the new battery in the new locker or will completely new cables be required back to the charger and new cable to the isolating switch for the supply from the new positioned battery.

I hope this is clear. In essence can you safety connect cables using busbars to extend the cables to the new battery by about 75 cm

Make sure they are fused at the battery end.

 

[PJGWiltshire]

I don't see any problem with your plans, Carthago already have long cable runs to the distribution unit in the garage just use the same size cable.

Presently I have the main positive cable from the charger to one positive pole on one battery with the B2B +, this is crossed cabled to the positive of the other battery and from that positive to the supply of the MH along with the inverter positive. The negative does the same. My intention would be, as I am now to have just one battery. , a positive busbar and a negative busbar in the now situated battery compartment with all positives and negatives attached to the respective bars, That would be positive supply from charger, positive supply to MH positive from solar, B2B and positive to the inverter. The same would then apply to the negative busbar. Both bars would also have a 75cm length of 70mm to the new battery. Am I correct

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Make sure they are fused at the battery end.

How do I work out the fuse size?. Is the cable from the charger already fused before the batteries now. If so will that fuse cover the extra 75cm run after the busbar

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[jako999]

Hi I am assuming you are putting the new battery in the front side locker? That would be the best place. If not it must be going under the floor by the door in the box, I’m not sure it will take the weight I don’t know what weight they will take and you have to remember the weight limit is over the whole box area not just in one place.
As for the cables get two 125amp cables with ring connector on each end just like the ones that mount to the batteries and just bolt them together, the main fuse by the batteries is ratted at 125amp so I guess you’ll need a 125amp fuse by the new battery you can get a mega fuse and holder off Amazon.

 

[autorouter]

My opinion on this is to add a big Megafuse and maybe a rotary isolator switch very near the positive of the new battery. You should always have a fuse close to the battery on any wire from a battery.

DURITE Rotary Marine Battery Isolator with Removable Knob in Off Position - 300A 48V 0-605-11

Marine battery isolator with removeable control knob in the off position Rated at 300 amps continuous 1hr at 48 volts dc and 1000 amps for 5 seconds

www.altecautomotive.co.uk

At the existing battery location, instead of a positive busbar why not add a 4-way Mega/Midi fuse box, for the inverter, B2B and habitation loads etc. One reason is that the big megafuse near the battery needs to be big because of the inverter, but would be too big to protect the thinner wires of the habitation loads and B2B.

MEGA - MIDI fuse distribution box (CLOSED BACK) ALT/FH260158 -1-54

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www.altecautomotive.co.uk

You could connect the battery feed to the top left, inverter to top right and others to the lower terminals.

On the negative side, if you are thinking of adding a battery monitor shunt that is the place to do it - before the negative busbar or even instead of it..

How do I work out the fuse size?

Work out the maximum amps that can be drawn with everything on, and pick the next higher size of fuse. If the max amps is 200A, use a 250A fuse.

 

[Stanbrook]

I use copper Tube butt connectors to extend cables. Select the appropriate one for the cross sectional area of cable (16 or 25MM2 for example) then get a electrician to crimp them together and put a copper Tube butt ring Connector on the other end for the bolt to go through. Insulate all crimps with appropriate heat shrink for a neat and safe job. Sorry you dont live near me because you could borrow my crimper no problem. The idea of bus bars sounds strange to me as there is a lot of vibrations to affect them in a moving vehicle, and they are a pain in the a** to mount anywhere. Good luck