Direct charge from 240v hook up to Fogstar 105ah Lithium Battery

[ginkster]

Perfect, thanks. I'm using 105ah battery and won't ever go higher I suspect, is, the IP22 30A overkill? I agree, I won't use it often as have solar too but will be helpful in winter.

30a is fine for a 105ah but arguably more than needed if you have solar as well. Maybe worth considering the ip65 15a with a wall mount so it can be removed to charge other vehicles or only fitted when you need it with you? I went for that and haven’t even bothered fitting it as the solar is more than enough for my usage. The 105ah lifepo4 means I don’t ever need EHU giving greater flexibility and saving cost when choosing sites and therefore no need for a mains charger too.

 

[roadtripper]

Perfect, thanks. I'm using 105ah battery and won't ever go higher I suspect, is, the IP22 30A overkill? I agree, I won't use it often as have solar too but will be helpful in winter.

As your existing charger is 18A you might want to replace the 12v cabling if you move to 30A - that's a 67% increase in peak current - hence why I advised the 15A for a straight swap.

It's unlikely you'll need a rapid charge from a short stop on EHU, you're either there overnight or your at home storing the van, so 15A should be fine. If you really want to push it go for the 20A model but anything more replace existing cabling for safety.

 

[RikParr73]

As your existing charger is 18A you might want to replace the 12v cabling if you move to 30A - that's a 67% increase in peak current - hence why I advised the 15A for a straight swap.

It's unlikely you'll need a rapid charge from a short stop on EHU, you're either there overnight or your at home storing the van, so 15A should be fine. If you really want to push it go for the 20A model but anything more replace existing cabling for safety.

That's really helpful, thank you, 15A it is

 

[RikParr73]

Any significant benefit/difference between the IP65 and IP22 - 15amp? I can get a IP65 for £75 brand new, which seems a good price.

 

[ginkster]

Any significant benefit/difference between the IP65 and IP22 - 15amp? I can get a IP65 for £75 brand new, which seems a good price.

That’s a great price. The ip65 is a portable charger so can also be used as a charger for other vehicles. It is also totally silent as it has no fan. The ip22 is designed to be hardwired in a single vehicle.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

Any significant benefit/difference between the IP65 and IP22 - 15amp? I can get a IP65 for £75 brand new, which seems a good price.

Where are you seeing the IP65 for £75? I’m looking at buying one the now. Cheapest I’ve seen it is £100

 

[RikParr73]

Where are you seeing the IP65 for £75? I’m looking at buying one the now. Cheapest I’ve seen it is £100

I actually made an offer for £60 on ebay and they accepted - well chuffed. alas, was their last one :-(

 

[RikParr73]

That’s a great price. The ip65 is a portable charger so can also be used as a charger for other vehicles. It is also totally silent as it has no fan. The ip22 is designed to be hardwired in a single vehicle.

But can I hard wire in the IP65 via my Sargent as described above do you know?

 

[ginkster]

But can I hard wire in the IP65 via my Sargent as described above do you know?

Personally I’d put a normal 13A 3-pin switched socket onto the Sargent cable and keep the moulded UK plug on the ip65. For the 12v side you can hardwire a quick release connector (a fused one is about £8 from 12voltplanet - pic below) to plug the ip65 into. This way the unit is removable to be used elsewhere, switch controlled on the socket and also unmodified if you have any future warranty issues.

 

[RikParr73]

Personally I’d put a normal 13A 3-pin switched socket onto the Sargent cable and keep the moulded UK plug on the ip65. For the 12v side you can hardwire a quick release connector (a fused one is about £8 from 12voltplanet - pic below) to plug the ip65 into. This way the unit is removable to be used elsewhere, switch controlled on the socket and also unmodified if you have any future warranty issues.

View attachment 253843

That's a great suggestion and I'll go with that advice Thanks!

 

[RikParr73]

Hi all.

Ok, so an update, which started well and then took a turn for the worse :-( ...... I removed the van furniture and located the black cable (Fridge 6A MCB 3) and connected a socket to it for the Victron charger (Pic 1). Plugeed in the charger to test and all worked fine, so far so good. I then wanted to check the orange (Hook-up input) cable connection that sits under the drivers seat as suggested in this thread as this is where it's joined to the cable run (blue cable) to the hook up connector under the bonnet. To access the junction box I needed to remove the small kick board on the back of the seat base, whilst removing this the 240v tripped out. I disconnected the mains and after removing the board was able to access the junction box and discover that one one of the connectors the earth wasn't crimped securley and loose (Pic 2) I decided to cut off the connectors and replace with a 3-wway terminal. I completed this and then the power was constantly tripping. Fault finding I've done, with the orange and blue cables disconnected from each other I plugged in the mains and no trip and also metered the connections on the blue cable and got 240, so I know the run from the house 240v to the connection on the hook up is fine. This indicates the issue is when I connect the orange cable. Totally confused as to what's happened to be honest, I've not touch the connections to the EC155 only the orange/blue and black cables. What I did notice was that when I plugged in the hook up at the house, even with the 240 gang switch off it tripped the mains in the house when I plugged in the 3 pin socket, so that may mean something? Totally baffled tbh and any help appreciated...

 

[RikParr73]

Hi all.

Ok, so an update, which started well and then took a turn for the worse :-( ...... I removed the van furniture and located the black cable (Fridge 6A MCB 3) and connected a socket to it for the Victron charger (Pic 1). Plugeed in the charger to test and all worked fine, so far so good. I then wanted to check the orange (Hook-up input) cable connection that sits under the drivers seat as suggested in this thread as this is where it's joined to the cable run (blue cable) to the hook up connector under the bonnet. To access the junction box I needed to remove the small kick board on the back of the seat base, whilst removing this the 240v tripped out. I disconnected the mains and after removing the board was able to access the junction box and discover that one one of the connectors the earth wasn't crimped securley and loose (Pic 2) I decided to cut off the connectors and replace with a 3-wway terminal. I completed this and then the power was constantly tripping. Fault finding I've done, with the orange and blue cables disconnected from each other I plugged in the mains and no trip and also metered the connections on the blue cable and got 240, so I know the run from the house 240v to the connection on the hook up is fine. This indicates the issue is when I connect the orange cable. Totally confused as to what's happened to be honest, I've not touch the connections to the EC155 only the orange/blue and black cables. What I did notice was that when I plugged in the hook up at the house, even with the 240 gang switch off it tripped the mains in the house when I plugged in the 3 pin socket, so that may mean something? Totally baffled tbh and any help appreciated...

View attachment 257487

View attachment 257488

View attachment 257489

Update - found a schoolboy error and all working

 

[CAB]

Update - found a schoolboy error and all working

What was it?

 

[RikParr73]

I'm too embarrassed to say lol.... Ok, so, my fault for not isolating some loose wires after removing the kitchen... The end

 

[RikParr73]

Hi all. OK, all installed as per pics. Only thing that is strange is that the shunt and charger are saying fully charged but Fogstar app stuck on 74%, any suggestions appreciated, thanks, Rik.