# Fitting another leisure battery



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I know this has been well covered, and I have done searches and read everything (I think), but not found an answer to my problem (yeah yeah euthanasia will help me).

I can't find anywhere that sells both battery clamps, the ones with the butterfly nuts to fasten lower gauge wires ontoand/or cable end terminals that can be sweated on properly, my cable sizes are 16mm2 and 20mm2

They're in a 01 Ducato, one under each front seat, batteries (2 x 110ah) are in, cables run, but can't use them yet.

Does anyone know of anywhere I can get them from?

Kev


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## navigator (Aug 31, 2006)

Hi Kev,

Try this website:

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/battconns/battclamps.php

Regards,

Ian


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks Ian   

I just rang them, they had everything in stock, £13.21 for four cable ends, and two battery clamps including VAT and postage, just a shame they won't arrive before we go away, I could have fitted them while we were away, I like to do something to while away the time, I stripped out one side of over head cupboards last time we were away to get a 12" TV/Video we weren't going to use.

I need to have a sale of all the stuff I've taken of this MH.

Kev


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

On a slightly different tack.

Now that I'm sorted re extra battery, I have now to fit the Solar Panel, I have all the stuff except the cable to do it with, and the courage to drill through the roof.

My plan is as follows, and if there is a flaw in it I'd appreciate being told, not doing it till after easter hols anyway so no panic.

Do roof stuff, mark out where panel is to go, prime roof, stick brackets to roof, remove panel when gunge is set, wire panel, put wire from panel through gingerly drilled hole with grommet for hole and fancy doodah to stop water ingress elbowy type thing see>>> elbowy thingy <<<

Behind the Laika leccy panel is a 5" deep void, and in the 'Ceiling' there is a 1" diameter hole roughly where I want to drill, I plant to borrow a 6" nail and after finding the centre of this hole, gently tap it with a small hammer, to hopefully make a tiny lump in the roof surface, which I then smack with a center punch, and drill correct size hole, to accept cable and grommet, cable on the roof has to be special UV stuff, but once inside can use ordinary automotive heat resistant stuff, lots cheaper 

Use choc block to join wires, fasten choc box to sound surface, run wires to Regulator solar connection, but don't connect yet , then run from the battery connection to one of the batteries, all easy (I think) so far, but then I come to the problem which is puzzling me there is a connection on the regulator which says 'load' and bearing in mind all my 12v stuff is already wired in and working fine, what do I put on this 'load' connection :? :? :?

Any ideas.

Kev.


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## SaddleTramp (Feb 15, 2007)

Hi Kev
If you are looking for cable, I got 10 meters of each (Black + Red) from here www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk and the cost was only £18 inc postage the wire is 5mm OD to allow for long length.


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## madontour (May 19, 2008)

Don't know if this helps but my regulator allows me to use the solar panel as a glorified photoelectric switch. Once it goes dark (ie no outpt from the panel) anything connected to the 'load' is turned on. The 'load' is switched off after a (configurable) delay or when it gets light.

Mike


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks Les,

I'll probably go to *Aire & Sun Power* for the cable, he's not too far from me, and his advice might prove useful, plus it keeps my money local, I hate to be too far from it :lol:

Mike, I think you need to to tell us a bit more about that one, I've never heard of it before.

Kev.


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Kev_Behr said:


> . . .Behind the Laika leccy panel is a 5" deep void, and in the 'Ceiling' there is a 1" diameter hole roughly where I want to drill, I plant to borrow a 6" nail and after finding the centre of this hole, gently tap it with a small hammer, to hopefully make a tiny lump in the roof surface, which I then smack with a center punch, and drill correct size hole, to accept cable and grommet, cable on the roof has to be special UV stuff, but once inside can use ordinary automotive heat resistant stuff, lots cheaper
> Kev.


I'd sharpen the point of the nail so as to make a sharp imprint in the roof - but bear in mind that the 'imprint' will be pointy up and you may have a problem trying to drill in the precise spot !


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Kev_Behr said:


> . . . the problem which is puzzling me there is a connection on the regulator which says 'load' and bearing in mind all my 12v stuff is already wired in and working fine, what do I put on this 'load' connection :? :? :?
> Any ideas. Kev.


Your not alone ! I've wondered too - if the 'load' is lights or fan or whatever its obvious that given daylight or sunshine they will operate - but come night time ??


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

When fastening the panel to the brackets, is it worth making the panel tiltable?
I thought something like bolts and butterfly nuts, then you could manually tilt the panel towards- (ish) the sun for better performance.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

vicdicdoc I'll just use a centre punch to tap it down again as I will only give it a light tap from inside. (your user name brings some strange images to mind :lol: :lol: :lol: male gynecologist called victor) :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Spacerunner, I did consider it, but I'll see how it goes 1st as is, as I've just gone from 80ah with no problems up to 220ah, so I don't envisage the need for massive charging, I'm only using stuff up or already had lying about total cost so far is under£150, inc battery and solar panel.


Kev.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I've just been thinking about sweating on the ring terminals to connect my two leisure batteries together, and I was reading some threads about electrics in general, and it occurred to me that I hadn't seen any mention of fuses between the batteries.

Do I need to fit one, if so what amps, and do I need to get a 16/20mm fuse holder.

Sorry if it seems to be a bit of a dumb question, but I'd rather look a little bit daft, than be a lot dead.

Also the batteries concerned are under the two front seats, one of which is about 18" from the oven, should I have any concerns re inflammable gasses exploding when the batteries are charging say from the solar panel or the EHU.

Kev.


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## Raine (May 10, 2005)

Be brave, my hubby (an electrician) put a BIG heki in the bedroom of our autotrail cheyenne 696g cos it only had a little one, and i like light!,and it did make it lovely and light! he had it all set up, marked out taped ready, and found the fixings weren't long enough, he had done all his homework but we actually had a later body on our mh than stated (good for us) and the insulation was thicker! so he managed to get hold of the longer fixings within a few days, and bingo!He had a taupalin(?) over the top, already! It was brilliant, he is a clever lad, sadly we sold the van cos we wanted a jetski, which is brilliant, got a tugger and sited it by the sea, loved the jetski, and the sea, but not being in one place, so sold van, kept jetski, and now have a autosleeper duetto, which we are shrinking into.........................lol no room for a big heki tho, but it is amazingly light!


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## pieterv (Feb 3, 2009)

The "load" connections are usually under voltage protected, i.e. the load gets switched off if the voltage drops too low.

However, there is no need to connect anything to them. As you said, everything is already wired in on the motorhome side, and it might be a bit of a hassle (and potentially too high a drain if you were to switch a lot of users on at the same time) to have it go through the solar regulator.

I just left them unconnected.

Pieter


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I'd still love someone to say just what if anything they are useful for, (what do you have connected to yours???) I'd like any power coming from the panel to go straight to the battery, then when it/they (not sure if the engine battery will get charged or not yet) are charged up to the brim, I might (but doubt it) have some left over to run an egg timer.

Kev.


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## arh (Dec 8, 2007)

All the info that I've read on the subject (which is quite a lot as I am in the process of fitting a 220amh battery and extra S/panel to ring the watts up to 170) says "ignore these terminals if fitting to a M/home or similar, they are for static use"


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Hmm, not heard of the before, not mentioned in my instruction leaflet either, (not that it in any Engleish i ever spake)


Kev.


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## pieterv (Feb 3, 2009)

The load terminals are not just for any "left over" charge from the solar panel. They will draw from the battery if needed (i.e. load bigger than what solar panel can supply). Only extra they offer is that they will disconnect the load if the battery voltage drops too low to protect the battery from deep discharge.


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## madontour (May 19, 2008)

hello again

My regulator is a Stecca 10 amp - which i think is reasonably common.

The "load" is turned on when it goes dark (ie = no output from the solar panel). I have an outside light connected to the load which I turn on if we go out and expect to be back late. The solar regulator then turns the light on when it gets dark ready for when we get back.

Mike


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## pieterv (Feb 3, 2009)

Hi Mike

That is another kind of use of the load terminals than what I have come accross, so indeed gives you another option. So just a matter of checking the spec of the regulator to see what its load terminals do, I suppose.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

It does seem to be a bit of a redundant connection, I can see the use for the outside light, except it would only help to remove some of the charge you got the panel for in the first place.

Frank tried to explain it a while ago on another thread, but I didn't grasp it then either.

Kev.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

It's all fitted and working now, I came across no problems at all really, the worst parts was running the wires to the batteries, through the backs of cupboards, down behind the wall panels, I had to remove the sink bowl, and all the pipes to get access, that was a bitch to do, I wish I'd taken a photo of how the pipes ran, it took a full day to get it back in there again. once you know your wire and fuse sizes, it's mostly common sense, but needs several coats of looking at before you start to remove stuff for access, it took me best part of a morning to remove one panel, only to find it wouldn't do me any good, if possible, go straight down to the floor, and back up to the batteries.

The method I was going to use to mark the spot to drill down into the roof proved a bit off in actuallity, as the roof is fibreglass, and my 6 inch nail went right through it, with little or no effort at all, routing to the controller was easy, it was going to the batteries which was most difficult, but thats because I wanted a short wire run.

Kev.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I meant just finished the Solar/regulator, not the battery inverter bit.

I have however now fitted the 35mm battery cables, I ended up managing to do it all in side the van, the only visible bits are the megafuse boxes 2 behind driver and 1 behind the passenger seats, I really didn't want to go through the floor, and use grommets, I just don't trust them to give adequate protection to the cable, I've used one on the -ve cable, as it makes no difference if it wears through and it makes it look a little tidier.

The floor over the transition from van to hab areas, was ripped out, (only way) and I had to make a new floor section, the concertina heater hose going under it was cut out and I put some 1 1/4 inch waste pipe in to allow the air across, it should in face work better as the original was almost flat anyway, this then gave me more than enough room to run the +ve & -ve cables, running the +ve was the trickiest as I needed to avoid any sharp edges, bending the bugger was fun too, but by far the worst bit was putting in the final fuse, but I must have done it properly, as I heard no fire engines during the night, no smell of any plastic melting.

So that part of the job is complete, I now have to save up for the 1100 watt inverter, I've already mounted the fuse box, I'll run the cable next week, then it'll just be a matter of whacking another great fuse in to make it all safe and sound.

If anyone wants to see pictures of mountings, just pm me your email address and I'll take some for you, I can do pics of the fuse box positions, the cable runs and where the batteries live.

Thanks again to Sargents for the cables.

Kev.


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