Steffan Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 we will be getting campervan shortly 2003--2006 can anyone tell me where the leisure battery is sited and is there room next to it for a second battery,,cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 It varies from van to van but a good place to start looking is under the cab seats or in floor level lockers or in outside lockers on some coachbuilts. The seller should be able to show you, but based on experience you would be very lucky to buy a van that didn't need at least one new battery so budget for it. There is plenty of info about batteries on this website, look in particular at postings from Alan at aandncaravans whose knowledge and experience has been of great value to many of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 Most small campervans have limited space for the leisure battery and you might find it difficult to squeeze a second one in. At any even it isn't just a question of adding an extra 12 v battery, there are issues of compatibility and the length and type of cabling to consider. When you have more idea of what you will be buying ask again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 One of the things that I learnt from Alan is that very often one good leisure battery with an effective charging regime is better than two batteries that you think are good that may not be and can overload the alternator. If you stay on sites with ehu you will probably never know how good or bad your leisure battery is as it is only when camping off site with no ehu for several days without running the engine that you find out how well the system really works. Before you go spending out on extra batteries, cable etc determine what sort of use you expect to be giving the van and from that you can determine how much leisure battery capacity you will need and what charging systems would best help you attain and retain that capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 According to this MHFun entry https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/replacing-leisure-battery-in-trigano-tribute.13765/ the leisure-battery may be beneath the cab passenger-seat. I say “may be” because, with a 2003-2006 motorcaravan (or any secondhand one really), there’s no knowing what modifications an earlier owner might have carried out. So although Trigano Tributes of that era may all have started life with their leisure-battery under the passenger-seat, that doesn’t mean it’s still there. Assuming that ‘your’ Tribute will have its leisure-battery under the passenger-seat, whether you could shoehorn in a 2nd battery would depend on the dimensions of the existing battery and whether there is any other equipment beneath that seat. As has been mentioned above, you also need to bear in mind that multiple leisure-batteries should be the same type, capacity, age and (preferably) make/model (ie. they should all be identical). So - unless the battery that comes with your Tribute is virtually new - it would be inadvisable to connect a new 2nd battery to it. Your best bet for specific Tribute-related information is probably the Tribby Forum. https://www.tribby.co.uk/forum/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 As above pre 2007 tributes the leisure battery was under the passenger seat. there is a web site for tribute owners tribby.co.uk this subject as be raised recently on there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffan Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 StuartO - 2017-08-30 11:42 AMMost small campervans have limited space for the leisure battery and you might find it difficult to squeeze a second one in. At any even it isn't just a question of adding an extra 12 v battery, there are issues of compatibility and the length and type of cabling to consider. When you have more idea of what you will be buying ask again. thanks but it give the model its a Trigano Tribute they are based on a Fiat Ducato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffan Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 thanks for all the replies ,cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffan Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 Tracker - 2017-08-30 11:55 AM One of the things that I learnt from Alan is that very often one good leisure battery with an effective charging regime is better than two batteries that you think are good that may not be and can overload the alternator. If you stay on sites with ehu you will probably never know how good or bad your leisure battery is as it is only when camping off site with no ehu for several days without running the engine that you find out how well the system really works. Before you go spending out on extra batteries, cable etc determine what sort of use you expect to be giving the van and from that you can determine how much leisure battery capacity you will need and what charging systems would best help you attain and retain that capacity. thanks for the help I`am hoping to do 3-4 nights wild then 1 ehu cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 We haven't worked on all years of Tribute, but the majority have had a Nordelettronica fuseboard based system, which are not always capable of handling the extra Alternator drawn by a bigger battery bank. The issue is that the Fuseboard controls almost everything in the vehicle, but particularly Habitation battery charging and running of the Fridge on 12v when on the move. As a result all the Alternator current goes in through the Fuseboard and then out to the Fridge and habitation battery. If the battery bank is upgraded the Alternator charging current can rise beyond the limits of the system. That is potentially up to 50 amps going in through connectors, cabling and electronics designed for much less. The result can be a burnt Fuseboard, even fire damage, see photo. Many of the early Fuseboards, like those up to around 2008, are not capable of supporting more than a single healthy battery, without compromising reliability/safety. The manufacturers recognised this weakness and some later Fuseboards have been uprated to handle the extra current of a bigger battery bank. Some have not. For more detail and photos of later Fuseboards that show the heavier duty components, see our recent webpage on 'adding a second battery' : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/add-a-second-battery.php The webpage also contains information/help on what is required to fit a later Fuseboard if the old one suffers damage and also a 'tip' specifically aimed at improving the Nordelettronica system reliability in some later Triganos. Note that some of these systems won't even support a single battery that has gone past it's best as the Alternator current draw can also become high in these circumstances. Add a second battery AND let the battery bank become tired and you will be looking at a Dealer bill that will make your eyes Water. If you are lucky only the Fuseboard will burn out. If you are not so lucky, it will take the Alternator with it. One Trigano owner that came to us with issues even after a Dealer had replaced the Fuseboard, had been charged over £1,000 and it still didn't work properly, so look after the battery. We have had some very good feedback on the new webpage, suggesting it is worth a read, even for those that don't have a Nordelettronica based power system, as there are some surprise manufacturers highlighted. Most Continental built electronics include the Split Charge relay as part of the device, not a separate item as per many British built vehicles, therefore these all need consideration to any changes you make to the original design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Steffan - 2017-08-30 8:58 PM thanks for the help I`am hoping to do 3-4 nights wild then 1 ehu cheers If you are in the UK then good luck with finding enough pleasant off site camping locations! It's much easier on mainland Europe and if you are in a warm location and are careful you might get away with 3 or 4 days and nights, but if it is dark and cold I doubt a single battery will last that long, but it also depends how good the battery is and how well charged it is when you start. If there is room on the roof it might be worth considering a solar panel, but that probably will not help you a lot if it is cold, wet or gloomy. Back in the old days before it all got complicated I experimented with a van with two leisure batteries only one of which was connected at any one time, and when one battery went low I could switch to the other and that lasted several days even in Autumn. I used to run a cable out (pre EHU days!!) and recharge each with a 4 amp bench charger when we got home if we did not cover enough miles to fully recharge both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffan Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 thankyou very much, very interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffan Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 aandncaravan - 2017-08-30 10:42 PM We haven't worked on all years of Tribute, but the majority have had a Nordelettronica fuseboard based system, which are not always capable of handling the extra Alternator drawn by a bigger battery bank. The issue is that the Fuseboard controls almost everything in the vehicle, but particularly Habitation battery charging and running of the Fridge on 12v when on the move. As a result all the Alternator current goes in through the Fuseboard and then out to the Fridge and habitation battery. If the battery bank is upgraded the Alternator charging current can rise beyond the limits of the system. That is potentially up to 50 amps going in through connectors, cabling and electronics designed for much less. The result can be a burnt Fuseboard, even fire damage, see photo. Many of the early Fuseboards, like those up to around 2008, are not capable of supporting more than a single healthy battery, without compromising reliability/safety. The manufacturers recognised this weakness and some later Fuseboards have been uprated to handle the extra current of a bigger battery bank. Some have not. For more detail and photos of later Fuseboards that show the heavier duty components, see our recent webpage on 'adding a second battery' : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/add-a-second-battery.php The webpage also contains information/help on what is required to fit a later Fuseboard if the old one suffers damage and also a 'tip' specifically aimed at improving the Nordelettronica system reliability in some later Triganos. Note that some of these systems won't even support a single battery that has gone past it's best as the Alternator current draw can also become high in these circumstances. Add a second battery AND let the battery bank become tired and you will be looking at a Dealer bill that will make your eyes Water. If you are lucky only the Fuseboard will burn out. If you are not so lucky, it will take the Alternator with it. One Trigano owner that came to us with issues even after a Dealer had replaced the Fuseboard, had been charged over £1,000 and it still didn't work properly, so look after the battery. We have had some very good feedback on the new webpage, suggesting it is worth a read, even for those that don't have a Nordelettronica based power system, as there are some surprise manufacturers highlighted. Most Continental built electronics include the Split Charge relay as part of the device, not a separate item as per many British built vehicles, therefore these all need consideration to any changes you make to the original design. thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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