Which one is best? (1 Viewer)

[Jammel1980]

Im looking to install a gadget that will keep my starter battery topped up when the van is stationary for a while due to the alarm drain.
Should I get a battery master or a victron cyrix i 120A battery combiner.
Do they both do the same thing?
Is one better than the other?

Thanks in advance

 

[PhilandMena]

I think you would be better off with a solar panel.

 

[tonka]

I assume you will be leaving on EHU, Otherwise a bit pointless.
If no hook up then solar as already mentioned..

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[Jammel1980]

I already have solar and an MPPT controller installed but I want to keep the starter battery topped up while either on EHU, or from solar, basically whenever the leisure batteries are getting a charge and have reached a certain level

 

[Lenny HB]

The CBE solar split charge relay does the same job and only £22. Had one on the last van and fitted one to current van.

 

[Jammel1980]

Thanks for all the replies, I’m really after a comparison of the two units named if anybody uses either of them or has used them for said reasons.

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[two]

You need the battery master, not the battery combiner.

 

[Just smiffy]

I already have solar and an MPPT controller installed but I want to keep the starter battery topped up while either on EHU, or from solar, basically whenever the leisure batteries are getting a charge and have reached a certain level

Did you fit this system..? I’d be surprised if it doesn’t charge your starter already ..

 

[Jammel1980]

We installed the solar ourselves and it only charges the leisure battery, no charge to the starter battery. Only charges the starter and leisure when driving, should ehu also charge the starter? Ehu and solar charge the leisure battery no problem. Our motorhome is a Mobilvetta Top Driver 68 and is nearly 20 years old so not sure if it’s built in to charge the starter battery on ehu? But we would also like it to be charged from the excess solar aswell.

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[Jammel1980]

You need the battery master, not the battery combiner.

Thanks Rogher,
We’ve asked a few people and they’ve all said different things! So now we are even more confused

 

[Allanm]

You could try a Trik L Start unit. We had one on our Winnebago and it kept the chassis ( starter) battery topped up when we were parked just using solar.

 

[two]

A battery master will trickle charge your starter battery when there is more voltage across your habitation battery than in the starter. This will happen when the habitation battery is being charged either by solar or EHU.
There are more ways to skin a cat (just as there are definitions of that proverb) but this is the simplest and most economic solution for you.

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[DBK]

Im looking to install a gadget that will keep my starter battery topped up when the van is stationary for a while due to the alarm drain.
Should I get a battery master or a victron cyrix i 120A battery combiner.
Do they both do the same thing?
Is one better than the other?

Thanks in advance

The battery combiner is a different beast. It will do what you want I believe but will be more complex to fit. This is because it is designed to couple both sets of batteries together so the leisure battery can supply up to 120A to assist starting. It therefore needs to be wired in with heavy cables.
A Battery Master or the CBE gizmo mentioned is wired in with thinner cables as they only need to carry charging currents.

 

[two]

There are alternative devices to the battery master with the same purpose but at different prices and slightly different ways. As the OP specifically mentioned BM, I did not bother to widen the discussion.
A battery combiner is designed to join two batteries to power one circuit together, and is not what is required here. I've never used one, so cannot say much about them. The idea is to protect the batteries in the bank you are creating from each other, so it's used with batteries of different sizes or if separated by a large distance. As it's much simpler to build a bank of identical batteries together, I don't suppose many are sold.

 

[Neckender]

The CBE is dead easy to wire up, one to earth terminal, one to starter battery positive and one to leisure battery positive.

John.

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[Larby]

Battery master, available here:

https://shop.motorhomefun.co.uk/product/battery-master/

 

[PhilandMena]

Thanks Rogher,
We’ve asked a few people and they’ve all said different things! So now we are even more confused

LOL Your going to get a shed load of different advice from the experts on here.

 

[Jammel1980]

Thanks all
The battery master seems the way to go then, sounds like it’s easy to install as well.

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