# battery charging



## colin47 (Sep 26, 2013)

HI, New to this site also motorhoming, have a bailey approach 740 2013, can someone tell me if I connect the power supply from my home to the motorhome, will the leisure battery and the engine battery both be charged, or will it only charge the leisure battery, otherwise can I connect a trickle charger to the engine battery without disconecting the battery, as I dont want to lose any information to the van by disconecting the leads, hope someone can help
many thanks
colin


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## organplayer (Jan 1, 2012)

*Organplayer*

Hi Colin 47. We have a Bailey 740SE and have had fitted a little gizmo called a Battery Master between the leisure and engine battery. No further worries about the engine battery going down. As we have had a Webasto dsl heater installed, a Sterling battery to battery charger has also been fitted by VanBitz. The Battery Master feeds a small trickle of power from the leisure battery to the engine battery automatically. I realise this does"nt answer your question directly. To ensure you get a 100./. gen answer, why not give Bailey Tech. Dept at the factory a call. I have found them helpful in the past. Hope you are enjoying the van. Best wishes.


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## LaMB (Oct 20, 2011)

The engine battery is not charged when you plug into the mains. A separate trickle charger would be ok to use. I installed a small 12v solar panel on the dashboard (ebay) to keep the vehicle battery topped up, following a flat battery, which I think the vehicle alarm drained.


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## delawaredandy (Oct 12, 2012)

Bailey owners

Please excuse my ignorance but what system do Bailey install for charging, I only ask owing to the fact I have a Auto trail and my Sargent system decides what battery needs charging and charges accordingly I never have to switch from one battery to another or have any additional chargers. !!!!

info welcome


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I fitted the BatteryNaster to our Swift and it is a brilliant piece of kit, easy to fit and very efficient.

It costs about £70 direct from VanBitz who designed it I believe;

http://www.vanbitz.com/product/battery-master/

it does not appear to be listed as available through Outdoor Bits...... although the fitting instructions are.....

It took me about 1/2 hour to fit and keeps the vehicle battery topped up as well as the leisure and cannot drain the vehicle to supply the leisure.

To me it is a godsend and saves having to remember to alter switches or connect other chargers.......

Dave


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

While there are cheaper options to the Battery Master from VanBitz as has been discussed here before, at or around the £25 mark, the Battery Master does do a good job with just three wires to connect and back-up from both supplied instructions and a phone line help if totally confused. They will even fit it for you.... at a price.

There is no simple answer to the question about vans charging both leisure and engine batteries. Some vans like the Hymer groups fitted Electroblok may be set up to automatically look after the whole electrical system. There are other systems that do the same but not all of them. I think that most of the most recently built vans will include the full works.
If and when it becomes affordable, the built in system (or Battery Master) can ideally be supported by a solar panel that should mean the sun keeps your batteries fully charged even when the van is not being used.

Alan


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## PEPPS (Mar 19, 2013)

*charging*

Did i read on the forum last week about connecting both leisure to the vehicle batteries to keep your vehicle battery fully charged if you have solar panel by means of a wire from positive pole on the leisure battery to the positive pole on the vehicle battery with a inline fuse then to take the fuse out when starting and running the vehicle please correct if i was miss informed what size fuse and holder would it want

Mick


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Errr! No No No No! Do not do that please; too much room for errors!

You need a controlled link between the batteries and a solar panel control box of some kind.

The most common on the market being the Battery Master, from Eddie at VanBitz but there are others. Price for DIY from £26 to £70 or add about £60 to have it fitted.

This (these) unit automatically diverts the appropriate amount of juice, when and where it is needed, with a little coloured light to show all is well.

Alan


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## colin47 (Sep 26, 2013)

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS, GOING TO MOTORHOME SHOW IN OCT, WILL LOOK AT THE BATTERY MASTER, OR 12V SOLAR PANEL,
WHAT WATTAGE IS RECOMENDED,
MANY THANKS
COLIN


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## 944T (Apr 23, 2008)

You could just permanently attach a smart charger to the battery and leave it plugged in to the vans 240v.
I have had a car and bike permanently attached to smart chargers for years.
No need to disconnect leads, they automatically switch off and automatically de-sulphate 
Just remember to unplug your hookup before you start your engine............always a good idea.
Cost about £30 ........far better than a resistor and diode in a box for twice the price.


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## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

OK got a Battery Master and was just wondering the best way to connect this on a Bailey 760?


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## LaMB (Oct 20, 2011)

Camdoon said:


> OK got a Battery Master and was just wondering the best way to connect this on a Bailey 760?


I fitted ours to the charger/distribution/fuse box under the 'dining room' seat.

There you can pick up the red and black wires from the leisure battery and the wire going to the vehicle battery (which I think was a thick Green one, it's too dark to see now).

It has been in for a few weeks now and the leisure battery seems to be ok although whenever I check the red led is showing on the battery master.


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## 91502 (May 1, 2005)

Hi all

Is this normal for the vehicle battery not to charge ?
We have had 5 MH's and they have all charged both sets of batteries when on hook up but they have all been Hymer's so maybe this is particular to them?

James


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## LaMB (Oct 20, 2011)

JP said:


> Hi all
> 
> Is this normal for the vehicle battery not to charge ?
> We have had 5 MH's and they have all charged both sets of batteries when on hook up but they have all been Hymer's so maybe this is particular to them?
> ...


Maybe not just Hymers, James, but certainly the Baileys don't - maybe the new models do.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

LaMB said:


> JP said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all
> ...


Does the alternator charge the leisure batteries on Bailey MH's? Who manufactures the control panel etc?


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## LaMB (Oct 20, 2011)

rayc said:


> LaMB said:
> 
> 
> > JP said:
> ...


 

Yes it does. I think the fact that Bailey probably use a 'caravan' control panel/distribution unit (it is 'Bailey' branded) has something to do with it - caravans don't have a vehicle attached. As to who manufactures the panel for Bailey, I don't know.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I would have thought that a brand new modern motorhome would be wired up to charge all batteries, considering the cost I cannot believe there are still some not fitting this. 
Does any make of motorhome come with an option for solar panels to be factory fitted.

cabby.


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## LaMB (Oct 20, 2011)

cabby said:


> I would have thought that a brand new modern motorhome would be wired up to charge all batteries, considering the cost I cannot believe there are still some not fitting this.
> Does any make of motorhome come with an option for solar panels to be factory fitted.
> 
> cabby.


I tend to agree cabby, but as Bailey were new to the market, I guess this was one thing that they 'overlooked'. A Battery Master at £70 and half an hour fitting it, isn't much of a problem anyway.

I'm sure there are less vans with solar panels than with, so that isn't a consideration for manufacturers. It's a fairly easy DIY job anyway from what I have heard.


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