I have recently purchased my first T6 camper and was away at the weekend on a campsite and connected to the electric hookup. I thought this would also charge the leisure battery, but it does not, it only powers 2 plug sockets and the only thing that charges the leisure battery is by running the van engine. When the fridge is on this is running the battery down and when below a certain voltage it will no longer run the fridge or the diesel heater. I don't want to keep running the engine every so often to charge up the battery, I want to be able to charge the leisure battery from the mains hook up. Is there something that can be added to do this?
Leisure Battery charging from mains hook up
- Thread starter JR59
- Start date
The answer is yes there is. But without knowing what you already have installed in the van it's impossible to give any meaningful advice. You may already have the facility, but it could be operator error. Or you maybe lacking a vital bit of kit. Either way, we need more info & pictures of your setup.
Search results for query: charging leisure battery from EHU
I will get some images for you and post back here.The answer is yes there is. But without knowing what you already have installed in the van it's impossible to give any meaningful advice. You may already have the facility, but it could be operator error. Or you maybe lacking a vital bit of kit. Either way, we need more info & pictures of your setup.
Search results for query: charging leisure battery from EHU
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Ok. So you have a couple of options. The simplest option is to buy a good quality mains battery charger, e.g a Victron Bluesmart IP22 15A (other battery chargers are available) and plug it into one of your mains sockets & connect it to the leisure battery when you’re on EHU. The other option is to buy the same charger & hardwire it into the 240V mains side & permanently connect it to the LB & forget about it. This way, every time you plug into the EHU, the LB will be automatically charged. Depending on your skill set this option is relatively straightforward, or you could get someone else to do it.
That is quite franky superb. Why didn't I think of that?
I've randomly got a mains socket next to the fuse box hidden away.
Victron have an accessory to make things even easier.
The leisure battery sits under the drivers seat and the two plug sockets are on the side of the unit that holds the fridge directly behind the drivers seat.
I've actually just done this. Added in a fogstar 20a charger. This sits under the drivers seat. Ran a extension cable to the back where I have a 240 from my mains hookup and my jackary 1000 so I can do a quick top up from either if I need a bit of fast charge.
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Thank you for responding. I had thought about something like that but was not sure if this was the best permanent solution. The bit I would be unsure of, but could get someone to do it, would be to wire it into the mains supply.
I’d suggest a Victron ip65 charger. You could plug this into one of the sockets and have the charger under the seat with the battery. Super easy to setup and could even be removed to charge other vehicles.
Better still, you could look at upgrading the battery to a lifepo4 which will give much longer run times. Add solar and you won’t need to plug into EHU or run the engine. Not a cheap or simple upgrade but definitely something to consider if you camp a lot and will be keeping the van.
Thank you for getting back to me. A solar upgrade may be a plan for next year so will look at the Victron ip65 charger for the time being. I will also investigate the lifepo4 battery.
The IP22 & IP65 are basically the same charger in a different wrapper. The IP22 is not waterproof & is perfectly suited for installation inside the van under the drivers seat. The IP65 is waterproof & more suited as a portable charger that may get used outside. The internals & functionality are more or less identical. You'll pay more for the IP65 than the IP22. I have both of them, one is fixed under the divers seat & permanently wired in (fit & forget), the other (IP65) is my mobile charger for mower/boat/other car etc.Thank you for getting back to me. A solar upgrade may be a plan for next year so will look at the Victron ip65 charger for the time being. I will also investigate the lifepo4 battery.
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Thank you for the explanation, the IP22 sounds like the one I need for inside the van.
Go for the 15A single outlet one which is the smallest in the range & fanless, i.e. silent. Other similar chargers are available.Thank you for the explanation, the IP22 sounds like the one I need for inside the van.
Do you have another decent battery charger for other cars etc? If not the ip65 gives you the option to simply unplug it and use it elsewhere for a tiny extra cost (if any). Or the option to relocate it to say under the bonnet if you do future changes to the system. If flexibility is not needed then as Salty Spuds says the ip22 is good as functionality is the same. IP65 are also all fanless.Thank you for the explanation, the IP22 sounds like the one I need for inside the van.
I went the ip65 route for flexibility and have ended up not even putting it in the van permanently after fitting solar and lifepo4. The cables/plug socket are there so I can plug it in easily if needed but simply don’t have the need for it now as I don’t bother with EHU. It sits in a draw at home and is used on the other cars!
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