# trigiano leisure battery



## 98667 (Apr 14, 2006)

Hi all,

I have a 2003 trigano tribute. The leisure battery 85amp is looking dead, so was going to replace. 

Has anyone any experience of changing this to two 120amp batteries. Where do you position the other battery as the current space is too small.

How do the monitoring devices work with the extra battery and power. E.g. the power charge indicator, will it still work to show you the current charge of the two batteries now?

Any info or links to how to do this would be much appreciated

Thanks

Ron


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

inishfree said:


> Where do you position the other battery as the *current space is too small.*


Hi Ron, nice play on words .. :lol:

Sorry, I can't advise on where to position the second battery, just general advice. 
If at all possible site it as close to the existing one as possible, failing that choose a location that is ventilated and preferably outside the habitation area. Route two heavy cables between them but you must fuse both ends of the positive cable if there is the remotest possibility of it getting damaged. 
Your existing equipment, battery voltage etc will work perfectly, if you need more advice on cable sizes, connecting etc please ask or PM me.

A handy link 
http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm


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## 98667 (Apr 14, 2006)

*Trigano tribute battery replacement*

Thanks for that. Could I trouble you for a few more points.

The current battery is in a plastic container under a long side seat. This contains the water heater and hot air heater, so no more room for another battery here.

Could I run 7 foot connection cable to another battery I could place under the drivers seat?

If so what size of cable would I use. I mention this idea because I read of another trigano owner having 2 batteries under each seat at the front. I had something similar in my VW T25 but it didn't enclose them in plastic container.

This leads me to the other point around safety. You mentioned try and position outside of vehicle, but the trigano tribute is built with the existing battery inside? How much of a risk will it be if I put another battery under the driver seat (as per my T25 arrangement) I can't see any other room for it.

This then leads to the quesiton of weither I need the second battery. I just assumed this would make sense to keep a good power supply seeing I nearly always wild camp at the weekends.

If I'm still making sense, then the choice of which battery make to go for is next. I've heard I'd be best to buy 2 new batteries so that they both have the same power to be run in parallel. Gel or standard water? Also seen these http://www.elecsol.com/. I really need advice on best make as they all look the same to me without any prior knowledge, and the main let down with the van at the minute is lack of 12 volt power when away.

Thanks for all the help so far

Ron


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## RobMD (May 9, 2005)

Hi Ron!

There has been a lot of discussion on batteries in the forum, so put out a search for them if you want different opinions.

As far as what to go for and where, Ideally they should be exterior to the van, but on smaller vehicles it isn't always practical. I have one under each front seat. If you place them there the largest you will probably get in the space is around 85 Ah. 

It is a good idea to fit identical batteries to be as sure as you can that both are sharing the load. For general purpose use, Ordinary leisure batteries (Lead-Acid) are as good as any, and they can often be bought at shows for a reasonable price. I certainly wouldn't waste my money on Gel batteries.

If you get Lead-Acid and they have a place to fit a vent pipe, run this down and through a small hole in the floor. If they are the sealed-for-life type, there won't be provision for venting.

For cabling between them, I used the cable from a set of spare jump-leads. I fused them with a large Audio in-line-fuse, as the cable from the jump leads was to large for an ordinary fuse holder.

Your existing charging set up should cope with 2 X 85 Ah batteries with no problem, but if you are considering very high capacity batteries, you may need to fit a better charger than that normally factory-fitted to M/Homes.

Mine last me O.K. for most normal use. I don't run a microwave or other equipment with a heavy demand, but do use my laptop along with the other routine items such as lighting, water pump etc.
I did find that a long weekend without charging depleted the one battery I had, but 2 cope with it OK provided I can either hook-up or run for an extended perion in order to charge them right up.
In addition, I recently had a Solar Panel fitted, anf this has improved matters considerably.

Hope the above has given you something to think about!!!


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## 98667 (Apr 14, 2006)

Thanks!,

Could you adivse when charging, if you plug into the mains overnight, should this recharge your leisure batteries fully?

I.e. how long does a mains charge take to fully charge a flat leisure battery 4,5,6 hours?

Also I usually have to travel 1.5 hours when going away at the weekend, do you think this is enough journey time to recharge a flat leisure battery.

I've a feeling my current battery is damaged and not holding the charge, so wanted to get a feel for what is normal regarding charging 

many thanks

Ron


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## RobMD (May 9, 2005)

Evening!

A flat battery should recharge overnight (10 to 12 hrs) if it is not damaged, which is a possibility if it has been heavily discharged a number of times.
for starters, if it is not a sealed-for-life battery check the level of liquid in the cells. It should be just above the plates.
Also, remove and replace the battery connections to ensure good contact.
Does the battery charge at all when connected to a hook-up? if not, check for a blown fuse on the 12V side, or a tripped breaker on the 240V side. Also, if you know where the charger is located, it may be fitted with a fuse or reset button (when mine stopped charging, the fuse was tight in the holder and was making a poor contact).

A short trip of 1.1/2 hrs will be insufficient to charge a depleted battery.

If you are considering fitting 2 batteries, it is better if they are the same age, type and capacity. Coupling an old battery with a new one will very likely give rise to problems.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi inishfree

If you do add another battery (lead acid) inside the vehicle... a warning....do not forget to equip it with a vent tube to the outside.......it is also worth checking that you have one fitted to the existing battery too...they do get mislaid quite often.

Link to Thread about exploding batteries

Mike


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## 98667 (Apr 14, 2006)

Hi All,

Thanks for that, great info. I checked my current factory fitted 85amp battery and discovered the tube had been crushed by the battery and although there was a small hole for the tubing, it wasn't going near it!

great link for the exploding battery comments.

I have decided to go with 2 Elecsol Leisure Battery 110amp joined in parallel.

I can fit one in the existing battery compartment and run 6 foot leads to another battery compartment I need to make.

Could someone advise on

If I fuse the live wire between the 2 red positives on the batteries 
how big a fuse do I put in?
Do I put a fuse either end?
What is the fusing here to prevent?
The plastic box the current battery is in. Is this to prevent gas leaks or minimise the damage from an exploding battery?
Should i get a plastic box for the second battery?
Where would you get one?
could I run a 6 foot tube from second battery into a y joint to join the other tube from battery 1 to utilise the one hole in the floor of the van?

Will the current Trigano tribute 2003 built in charger cope with these size of batteries?

Would an overnight charge on these batteries be ok before you set off for the weekend? (is that what most people do before they go away for a weekend, charge the night before?)

Sorry for the rambling, but I've other people on board and want to be sure I'm dealing with electricity sensibly...

I know someone consientious will reply as you have all been most helpful

Thanks

Ron


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## RobMD (May 9, 2005)

Hi There!

The Positive connection to the van electrics should be fused, and this will deal with any faults on the van side.
The fuse in the cable connecting the positives is to protect the cable joining the 2 batteries together. As such it should be rated lower than the capacity of the cable. Fit the fuse as near as possible to the terminal of the second battery.
The battery box is there for spillage. this shouldn't occur with Elecsol batteries anyway. On my van, the batteries are in a shallow tray!

The drain pipe should be as short as possible, and preferably without any horizontal sections. It would be better to drill a separate hole for the tube.

The charger will probably cope OK, but big batteries take longer to top up if depleted. OK if you are travelling daily, but if only short hops are being done, it will be necessary to hook-up at regular intervals to keep them fully charged.
If the 'van is left for a couple of weeks without use and you have an alarm on at all times. It would do no harm to give them a few hours on Hook-up before going on a trip.

Have fun!


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## 98667 (Apr 14, 2006)

Hey Rob,

That's great advice.

Regarding the cable between the batteries, I was told to use starter cable?

Is this correct or how have you done it.

Was size of fuse would I get for this type of cable?

How do you keep your batteries from not moving ( I am placing the second one in a space under the settee in the side of the van, so there is nothing securing it at present.

Many thanks

Ron


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## RobMD (May 9, 2005)

Hi!

I used starter cable as I had a spare set handy. They were flexible copper and ideal for the job.

If you buy a set, it will tell you somewhere on the package what amperage they will take, but a 25 or 30 amp fuse will be plenty unless you intend running very heavy equipment such as a large inverter.

To secure mine, I used a battery tray which I bought from Autosleeper which can be secured to the van, and the battery clamped into it similar to the starter battery.
You could also use a battery box and after placing the battery into it pack out the sides with pieces of wood to stop it moving around.
You should get Battery trays and boxes at any caravan or motorhome dealer that had an accessory shop, or look in your local cheap shop for something that can be used directly or adapted.


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