[Closed] Vanistas - leisure battery, yay or nay?

It's more about isolating your starter battery for starting.

For charging a few gadgets you can easily get away with a USB power pack. Get a big one that charges from a cigarette lighter socket and you effectively have a mini leisure battery for minimal cost and easy installation. Led lights can be run from the starter battery without issue.

A fridge is the main reason I have one, but never underestimate the joy at going to start your van in the morning after camping and having the engine start.

😉

Based on your needs, I'd say: no. I've got one in mine, but have a fridge, hob, Eberpsacher, etc, in the camping bit, so it was a necessity.

I thought my power use was minimal, led lights and phone charger. A weekends use at mountain mayhem and I was waiting for the RAC on Monday morning because the van wouldn't turn over.
A split charge kit will be going in soon.

I use a [url= http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/heavy-duty-jump-starter-700a-100psi-compressor-n26nc?cmpid=ppc&gclid=CjwKEAjwmf6-BRDi9fSN7Ijt1wUSJAASawcjcqkVd7QZQjidN-1d1MjCUVqQMTu2enETVEyk7VwxzRoCDtDw_wcB ]Maplin Heavy duty jump starter[/url] not let me down yet.

Problem is the usage you suggest can deep discharge a starter battery due to low current. It's designed for high current short duration.

Doesnt take many deep discharges to speaker your battery....

yep, just get it done so when the tunes stop you don't panic... Had a little electric cool box and unplugging it or running the van for 10 mins wasn't the best solution

Yep, just do it - wiring it in via a VSR (Voltage Sensitive Relay) which disconnects it from the main battery when the volts drop below a certain level.
If you also wire-in a second parallel connection with one of those battery kill keys you can join both batteries back together to start the engine if your main battery does become discharged for any other reason.

I'd also suggest putting things like the radio on the leisure battery if not too much hassle.

Yeah, this is the time to do it, before I replace all the ply and carpet everything etc...

In addition to the words of caution from others...If for some reason you have some current leakage in your circuits you could drain your vehicle battery.

SimplySplitCharge do very tidy kits for fitting everything except the battery. Just add a wee fuse box to run the number of circuits you need. The good thing about a leisure battery being charged when you drive is it is just there ready for you.

Ordered a leisure battery to pick up later, and a split charge from SSC too Tomaso. That's saturdays riding f###ed then....

Friday night with some beers - it won't take long, but that may be more dependent on where your vehicle battery is and where the leisure battery is to be located.

I'd like to put it below the drivers seat, but that means I can't put a swivel drivers seat in there in future sadly. I thought about maybe inside the double passenger seat, but I wann have a swivel in there too, and can't see that working....

So, it's looking likely that I'll make a small box behand drivers seat to house the battery, which is good in that it's easier accessed and running cables will be okay as it'll be next to the B pillar.

What van is it for?
As far as I'm aware you can fit the leisure battery under the drivers seat on a T5 and still fit a swivel. Not sure how though!

Aye, I think it needs to have a bit of fitting done to acheive that! it's a 2007 T5.

07 T5 here with split charge battery under the single passenger seat, both front seats have swivels fitted. I think the split charge and swivels are both original factory/dealer fit in mine. It may depend on the swivel and the height of the battery you have ordered.

Edit: Just checked and the one I have is

Length (mm): 278
Width (mm): 175
Height (mm, to top of terminals): 190

If you dont want the faff of wiring in a split charge off the alternator and your usage is minimal, why not just charge a 'loose' battery off a car charger before you leave home and lob it in the back. Connect your stuff via a couple of crocodile clips.

It's more about isolating your starter battery for starting.

This, but then we also run a fridge off ours.

Mark90 - Awesome! Thanks folks.

I've got a 2010 Caravelle and generally manage without running the fridge when parked up but it would be useful to have the option. The battery tray is massive tho so would I be able to fit a leisure battery in place of the starter one so that if it did run flat, it would just be a jump start and off I go?

Was also thinking some sort of mini charger permanently in place under the bonnet so I could use shore power where it was available (just plug the battery charger in under the bonnet)