Specific advice please for Fiat PVC ........ (1 Viewer)

[Waveski]

@Chockswahay; I went back and re-read your OP and you are clearly (and in my view rightly) concerned about running the fridge off one 85amp battery. If you are going to upgrade to 2 batteries I would strongly recommend you consider fitting a battery monitor at the same time. I fitted a NASA BM-1 Bluetooth monitor which is cheap(ish) very easy to fit and does not need wires running around the van. All the wiring is right by the batteries. Getting the drivers seat out is by far the most difficult part. Fitting the monitor has removed all my battery fears, real or imagined. I felt I was back in control; after all warm white wine really is the pits!

 

[Chockswahay]

So then ............ I have established that the current battery is a

LA95 Varta Dual Purpose AGM Leisure Battery 840 095 085

However, looking at the space left in the drivers seat OR in the passenger seat behind the Elektroblok I am beginning to panic! How on earth am I gonna fit a 2nd battery?

 

[Neckender]

You can

So then ............ I have established that the current battery is a

LA95 Varta Dual Purpose AGM Leisure Battery 840 095 085

However, looking at the space left in the drivers seat OR in the passenger seat behind the Elektroblok I am beginning to panic! How on earth am I gonna fit a 2nd battery?

You can get an identical battery and it will fit beside the original under the seat and the original clamp will clamp both batteries, as that is what I did on our Globecar Campscout. I also got a local motor factors to make me up a pair of heavy duty cables with clamps for about £6 to join the batteries together.

John.

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[Chockswahay]

You can

You can get an identical battery and it will fit beside the original under the seat and the original clamp will clamp both batteries, as that is what I did on our Globecar Campscout. I also got a local motor factors to make me up a pair of heavy duty cables with clamps for about £6 to join the batteries together.

John.

Oh wow! Thanks John, I’ll have another look tomo

Grahame

 

[Deneb]

Hi. I don’t know if this helps but I have a 90 litre compressor frig in a Vantage 5.4m PVC. The frig takes about 4 amps on start up from cold for about 1-2 hours and then drops back to about 1 amp. I have a single solar panel on the roof which supplies about 4 amps in bright sunshine to feed 2 x 105 amp batteries under the drivers seat.
I usually pre-cool food and drink and pre-cool the frig on hook up at home and then forget all about it!
Never had a problem but suspect winter days in UK would be limited off grid, but then other power usages would also heavily impact.
The way I use my van with maybe 2/3 days off grid followed by hook up on a site to recharge and empty waste and water; no problem at all. My batteries never get any where near a 50 percent discharge. A big thumbs up for compressor fridges for this sort of usage.

We have an identical set-up in our Vantage Sol. I fitted a Victron BMV monitor last year, as although we were comfortable managing 2 days off grid before seeking a hook-up in a pattern similar to @Waveski, and the on-board display showed the amps going in from the solar panel, there was no way to actually tell the state of the batteries apart from guestimates based on voltage and indications from charging state of the controller.

I have been pleasantly surprised. With a 100W solar panel and two 90Ah batteries, we average about 26Ah a day consumption. This appears fairly constant both in summer and late autumn/early spring. The difference in summer being that more is being put back into the batteries from solar. I have found that we can easily last 3 days off grid with little recharge from solar. We have just returned from a week off hook-up in the current weather and total discharge over the week (Ah used less Ah returned from solar) was recorded as 68Ah so comfortably over 50% capacity remaining, parked with trees all around, so limited full sun on the panel. In France, we have sometimes gone out for the day to find the batteries fully recharged on our return.

The compressor fridge is easily the heaviest consumer in our van. It is rated at maximum 6Ah when running. I find the compressor runs for at most 10 minutes in every half hour, so maximum actual consumption around 2Ah.

Our van was supplied with a Votronic PWM controller, which is the standard fitment. I recently replaced it with a Votronic MPP version and have been very pleasantly surprised by the increase in performance, even with a single 100W panel.

Re the initial consumption, I always start the fridge whilst hooked up to mains on our drive a few hours before we depart, so it is at temperature before we fill it with food, and has chance to chill again before we leave. We also keep ice packs in the freezer compartment overnight, and move them into the fridge compartment during the day, which hopefully saves a little on consumption when the ambient temperature is warmer.

 

[Deneb]

Forgot to mention re batteries, I have two Hankook 90Ah batteries under the driver's seat of our Ducato, which fit with ease. I have seen photos of two Varta LFD90 batteries installed under the seat, but they are a very tight fit. By very tight I mean that it appears that the projecting lip around the edge of the battery case has to overlap between the batteries, so one has to be set slightly higher than the other. There is also a thick wiring loom running across the floor under the seat which my batteries comfortably avoid, but the Vartas being 50mm longer also means that one battery would have to be raised to fit over the loom, so I guess a stepped battery tray or support would need to be fabricated, along with a securing mechanism. The advantage of the Vartas is that they are about 20mm less tall than the Hankooks and arguably a much better battery, although I have had no issues with my batteries to date.

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[Waveski]

Well done @Deneb, a far more detailed analysis than my post earlier and great data. Thanks

 

[Waveski]

I’ve just gone back and checked my twin batteries; I thought they were 105 Ah but are actually NUMAX V27 MF 100Ah C20 and are a very tight fit. For @Chockswahay the Vantage seats are on UK sourced vehicles, Hymer vans would be sourced in Germany? And may have different seat bases.

 

[Chockswahay]

I’ve just gone back and checked my twin batteries; I thought they were 105 Ah but are actually NUMAX V27 MF 100Ah C20 and are a very tight fit. For @Chockswahay the Vantage seats are on UK sourced vehicles, Hymer vans would be sourced in Germany? And may have different seat bases.

I'm gonna have the seats out later and 'ave a butchers'

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[Waveski]

Seats are very heavy, it’s a 2 person job. Out through the sliding door. Good luck.

 

[Chockswahay]

Just a quickie (matron!)

Should I really disconnect the starter battery before removing seats? I'm thinking air bag sensor and belt tensioner etc...

 

[Waveski]

Can’t help with that one, I watched the guys at Vantage take the seats out to fit the battery monitor but did not note the electric bits. Hopefully someone with electric expertise can advise.

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[Deneb]

Just a quickie (matron!)

Should I really disconnect the starter battery before removing seats? I'm thinking air bag sensor and belt tensioner etc...

Yes, both terminals and wait at least 30 minutes before disconnecting the pretensioner connector. I removed my seats by unbolting the seat swivel base from the seat base frame. That way you only have the seat itself plus turntable to lift. Doing one seat at a time, it is a quite easy one man job to tilt the seat off of the frame and rest it across the opposite front seat, which also makes it easier to put it back too!

 

[Deneb]

Another thing I've just thought to mention. Whilst the seat is out, if you have a short length of split convoluted tubing or similar wiring protection, it's worth fitting some around the pre-tensioner cable where it runs through the centre of the seat swivel. Should help to prevent the not uncommon problem of the airbag warning lamp activating because the cable has worn through where it rubs against the swivel base

 

[jezport]

We have 2 Duracell 97ah AGM batteries under our seat, they fit snugly.

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[Lenny HB]

So then ............ I have established that the current battery is a

LA95 Varta Dual Purpose AGM Leisure Battery 840 095 085

However, looking at the space left in the drivers seat OR in the passenger seat behind the Elektroblok I am beginning to panic! How on earth am I gonna fit a 2nd battery?

I would be inclined to ditch the AGM and fit a pair of Gels they are far more reliable and will last a lot longer. Also cable of handling higher discharge, only downside is they take longer to charge.
@Minxy Girl took my advice and did that and is very happy with the set up. In my van I ditched the AGM and fitted 3 Gels.

 

[Minxy]

Just a word or warning BEFORE you remove your seat take off all of the plastic covers on the seat bases, including the plastic housing round the handbrake lever ... when our batteries were replaced the idiots that did it managed to damage 2 of the panels on the driver's seat! I'm not suggesting you're an idiot but best to be safe just in case.

 

[Minxy]

On BIG benefit of the all electric fridge ... no messing about trying to remember to turn it to gas when you stop for a while or back to 12v when you drive off.

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[Lenny HB]

On BIG benefit of the all electric fridge ... no messing about trying to remember to turn it to gas when you stop for a while or back to 12v when you drive off.

Where was last fridge from the Ark?

 

[Minxy]

Where was last fridge from the Ark?

... manual power source selection, not AES.

 

[Lenny HB]

... manual power source selection, not AES.

Can't remember the last time I saw one of those.

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[Chockswahay]

Well guys, I've had the left seat out (all safe but with a lot of frowning and swearing) and deffo no room for batt. However looking under the drivers seat it would appear as if the battery try is a 'double' (?) so I reckon 2 will go in. As for Gel's? well I'll have a butchers but aren't they fiercely expensive??

The fridge? well we discovered last week no need to worry about slope or turning it on and off (I like that)

Gotta go now, I need a lie down in a dark place haha

 

[Chockswahay]

Hmm, another Varta AGM will cost around £180 .........any advice on make/supplier of GELS's ?

 

[Lenny HB]

Gels are cheaper than AGM"s and last a lot longer 6-10 years.

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[Minxy]

@Chockswahay 2 of these will fit nicely:

https://www.tayna.co.uk/mobility-ba...t6SCITNpquwWA3atYkUoTqSzdkFXIxLhoCmGsQAvD_BwE

 

[Chockswahay]

@Chockswahay 2 of these will fit nicely:

https://www.tayna.co.uk/mobility-ba...t6SCITNpquwWA3atYkUoTqSzdkFXIxLhoCmGsQAvD_BwE

Wow, thank you, they look good ....... but surely I would be down by 40 amps worth compared to 2 x 95 ??

 

[Chockswahay]

.

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[Lenny HB]

They are actually 78a/h not 75 as stated on Tayna's site. Because you can take Gels to a lower DOD you won't loose any power. I had two in the last van never ran out of power, only have 3 in current can't because I could.
I think the DOD on an AGM is 30% but with Gels it's 20% so an 80 a/h gel will give more power than a 120a/h flooded cell and only a couple a/h less than an 95 a/h AGM.

The problem with AGM's is life expectancy the original fit ones my last van lasted 18 months. Interestingly Merc & BMW have recently stopped using AGM in their cars.

Unfortunately Tayna are out of stock at the moment.

 

[Minxy]

Wow, thank you, they look good ....... but surely I would be down by 40 amps worth compared to 2 x 95 ??

Not with gels, you can discharge them to 20% without damage ... so 2 x 95ah AGM would be 133ah max, but 2 x 78ah gels would be 124ah, so not much in it ... one of the reasons we went for gel rather than AGM and definitely got rid of the lead acids that the dealer had mistakenly fitted which our charger won't deal with and would have fried!

 

[danderton]

Hello,

To the original poster, did you fit solar to this van?

Wondering what you ended up with as I have a similar van fitted with 2 AGM batteries by Hymer which are not up to the job!

DA

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