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Battery charging?.


Earthmover

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HI,

A very happy new year to everyone, keep safe!!.

Right here's my question, can I safely charge my motorhome battery while it is still connected up. Either using the Positive point under the bonnet or directly to the battery Positive terminal?. I would be using a CTEK/MS

XS 5.0 charger, or Swedish Airflow (used to maintain classic cars.). I should point out that the Leisure and Engine batteries are in no way interconnected, except when the engine is running?. The fitted solar panel only serves the leisure battery which is a AGM type. If i disconnect the engine battery Negative the alarm sounds!!, which is fed via the leisure battery. Confusing.. If I were to change the existing battery 85amps for say a 100 amp would the alternator cope?. Its not a smart type one. PS, I am not have any trouble with the existing set up.

Cheers Em.

 

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My motorhome has the vehicle battery under the drivers seat (LHD) and the habitation battery under the front passenger seat. A normal 240v vehicle battery charger was located next to the habitation battery to charge it when hooked up. Whilst in Spain about three years ago the charger packed up and so I installed two CTEK chargers side by side next to the habitation battery. An MXS 5.0 charges the vehicle battery and a MXS10 charges the habitation battery. Therefore each battery has its own intelligent charger which supply their needs. Never had any problems since.
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Em

 

Your motorhome is a recent Elddis Autoquest "CV" panel-van conversion based on a Fiat Ducato and you asked about fitting a larger battery in May 2021

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Can-i-fit-a-bigger-battery-/58228/

 

My Ducato X290-based motorhome's onboard battery-charger would 'trickle-charge' (low voltage/low amperage) the starter battery when the vehicle was on a 230V hook-up, as well as charging the leisure-battery in the normal way. I used to occasionally charge the starter-battery 'directly' via a CTEK 5A charger (but I always made sure the motorhome was not connected to a 230V supply before I did this). In my case I fitted a CTEK Direct Connector Adaptor to the starter battery's terminals so that I did not need to remove the cover over the battery.

 

You might want to read this Motorhomer.com thread

 

https://motorhomer.com/threads/2020-ducato-cab-battery-charging.42141/

 

 

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Thankyou SteveH and Derek,

Yes i did ask the question back in May 21, But you put me off when you decided against doing the same!. I have carefully managed the situation up to now, but when the engine battery is not charged on hook up, it needs extra care. Elddis in there wisdom fitted two different types of battery a normal 12V lead acid for the engine and a AGM for the leisure. The Truma solar panel regulator has dual battery capabilities and can send a percentage of charge to either one, but can not cater for varying types. hence the starter battery is not charged from the solar panel either. I use a portable panel at the moment but just lately the sun has gone on strike!, It wants a pay rise. If as, you both say I can go ahead and charge the engine battery without disconnecting the earth lead, i am very happy and the neighbours more so. More questions to follow. thankyou both again.

Regards Em.

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Earthmover , If you look at the Vanbitz battery master it is designed for the very purpose of keeping the starter battery charged up from a leisure battery that has solar charging (or mains charging) . If you have a look at their web site the operation of the battery master is explained , it is also very easy to fit. With one fitted it would keep both the starter battery and leisure battery charged when solar is in operation (or mains charging to the leisure battery in use).

I have one fitted and it works very well just as described.

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Thankyou Buddy for the reply,

I have had battery master fitted in my other motorhomes and they have done the job. But with the Elddis, the starter battery is under the floor by the passenger seat and the leisure battery by the rear doors 5 metres away, I know they don't have to be connected directly between each battery if some existing wiring can be utilised to complete a circuit. I will have to study the elddis wiring diagram again with my Electrical friend, Maybe a trip see the delectable Lynn in Somerset.

Cheers Em.

 

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Earthmover - 2022-01-02 7:18 PM

 

Thankyou SteveH and Derek,

Yes i did ask the question back in May 21, But you put me off when you decided against doing the same!...

 

I've looked through the earlier threads in which you asked about charging the batteries of your Elddis motorhome, but I can't find anything in them where I might have dissuaded you from directly charging the starter-battery. I do note that the VanBitz "Battery Master" was mentioned in the earlier threads and that you were aware of the installation difficulties with the Elddis due to its starter-battery being in the cab and its leisure-battery being right at the vehicle's rear.

 

My primary concerns with your earlier enquiries revolved round the make and type of starter-battery that you said was fitted to your Elddis and (more particularly) the dimensions and Amp/hour and CCA values of that battery. You seemed to believe that this smaller than expected, low Ah/CCA starter-battery was 'correct' for your motorhome (Fiat Ducato X290 with 2.3litre engine) and would have been legitimately installed by Elddis, whereas received wisdom is that the starter-battery should have been factory-fitted by Fiat and be significantly larger and with a higher Ah/CCA than the starter-battery in your motorhome. I encouraged you to follow up this apparent anomaly with whoever sold you the motorhome and with Fiat, but I don't know if you decided to do this.

 

Quite a few motorhome converters have chosen to fit AGM leisure-batteries rather than the traditional wet-acid type and - provided that the motorhome's electrical system takes this into account - the fact that an AGM battery is 'fit-and-forget' makes this an attractive approach. So I don't see Elddis's decision to to fit an AGM leisure-battery to your motorhome being a particularly unusual or perverse thing to do.

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The drivers handbook for the Fiat Ducato specifically warns against charging the vehicle battery with it still connected to the vehicle electrical system. It further states that the disconnection of the battery negative must be carried out with the doors closed . The ignition must be off and a certain time period allowed after closing the doors to allow the systems computers to shut down safely before the battery is disconnected.

Failure to follow this advice may damage the vehicle electronics, usually the air bag control computer.

 

Chargers like the CTEK generate high voltage pulses. Its possible if these find their way into the electronics, either the vehicle system or the 'caravan' electrics, damage or confusion will result.

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Derek,

You seem to have mixed up the word Charging with CHANGING batteries, I seem to recall in a past posting you where considering changing the battery in your M/Home for a larger one, but changed your mind in case it did not fit in the Fiat battery well. Nothing more than that !.

Cheers Em.

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