Hook Up And Mains Charging

[Wills]

My electrical installation is as follows: Ablemail dc dc charger, solar panel and Victron mains charger fitted to my AGM leisure battery.
I don’t use the van a lot at the mo and have noticed the main battery is running low and has to be charged up periodically.
Does the main battery benefit from the Victron mains charger when hooked up?
Have people found a main battery drain with their electrical installation?

 

[Pete C]

We have a similar setup. It does depend on your specific configuration, but I can’t see how the van battery would be charged from the Victron with the Albemail in place.

The van battery in our T6 lasts at least 4 weeks between runs (that’s the longest we have left it unused).

What I do if I know the van is not going to be used for several weeks, is fully charge the van battery with a standard car battery charger. That way I know it is fully charged and not at the 80% charge that the “intelligent charging” system might leave it at.

Pete

 

[Wills]

Cheers Pete, As I thought... something to think about.. Maybe worth fitting an additional Victron under the bonnet to charge / maintain the main battery?
I’ll have a chat with Martyn @travelvolts on Monday

 

[andys]

I use this trickle charger, installed between the two batteries. When the voltage in the leisure battery is over +0.75v above the starter battery it trickle charges back to that state. Works flawlessly s far
Votronic 2A 12V DC to battery trickle charger / standby for motorhome,... | eBay

 

[Wills]

Thanks Andy, it’s a nice bit of kit. £30 on Amazon too. Will order tom....

 

[Dieseldonkey]

I also have a an Ablemail 12-12-30 and a solar panel @Wills . I have a different mains charger. I'd be interested to see how this gets wired into the set up so that the solar input is diverted to the vehicle battery.

Couple of questions though @andys . It mentions its suitable for lead acid batteries. Does this include AGM? Secondly, is there any adverse effect on the start/stop system and the battery monitoring system if your charging the vehicle battery beyond its 80% capacity, out with the normal alternator boost that the battery receives when your braking for example.

 

[andys]

I also have a an Ablemail 12-12-30 and a solar panel @Wills . I have a different mains charger. I'd be interested to see how this gets wired into the set up so that the solar input is diverted to the vehicle battery.

Couple of questions though @andys . It mentions its suitable for lead acid batteries. Does this include AGM? Secondly, is there any adverse effect on the start/stop system and the battery monitoring system if your charging the vehicle battery beyond its 80% capacity, out with the normal alternator boost that the battery receives when your braking for example.

My batteries are both AGM, no adverse effects on the start/stop system and no problems with charging the battery beyond 80%. The alternator just won’t bother charging it until it gets down to that. Been the perfect solution for me so far.

Can’t claim it was my idea, it was a suggestion from someone else on here that was running one, but I can’t find the post.

 

[andys]

Found it, it was @t0mb0 idea. Here’s the original thread
Solar Panels B2b And Smart Alternators ...

 

[Phil_G]

If you dont want a permanent install, just connect the trickle-charger between the front and rear cig sockets as & when needed.
The rear socket is usually off the leisure battery and front is off the starter battery, so its ideal setup for the occasional
top-up when a solar-equipped van is stood for a while. This is what I do with a small homebrew B2B very similar to @andys.
I wouldnt worry about charging the starter battery beyond 80%, as we've joked before - the brakes do still work

Cheers
Phil

 

[Dieseldonkey]

If you dont want a permanent install, just connect the trickle-charger between the front and rear cig sockets as & when needed.
The rear socket is usually off the leisure battery and front is off the starter battery, so its ideal setup for the occasional
top-up when a solar-equipped van is stood for a while. This is what I do with a small homebrew B2B very similar to @andys.
I wouldnt worry about charging the starter battery beyond 80%, as we've joked before - the brakes do still work

Cheers
Phil

I'm kind of liking this idea. I have a 160 watt panel on the roof. Supplies my Ablemail 12-12-30 DC DC charger that feeds the leisure battery.

However if I simply add in a single pole single throw switch to divert the positive from the panel to a small MPPT regulator and feed its output to the cig socket, I could use this to charge the vehicle battery, if its left while away in holiday for a bit. Anyone recommend a suitable little regulator that would do the job.

 

[travelvolts]

I wouldn't even bother going MPPT. Just use a basic PWM controller. It will be plenty good enough for maintaining the vehicle battery.

 

[Wills]

I wouldn't even bother going MPPT. Just use a basic PWM controller. It will be plenty good enough for maintaining the vehicle battery.

Hi Martyn, will fitting the Voltronic trickle charger provide the vehicle battery with charge with my current set up?
Ablemail, solar panel, voltronic mains & AGM.

 

[travelvolts]

Yes it will.