Campervan Engine Battery Charging
Discussion
My campervan is based on a Citroen Relay. The Engine battery is easily accessible under the passenger foot well and I've taken a 16mm positive and negative from it to the back for the battery to battery charger. If the van isn't used for more than 2 weeks we find the engine battery is slightly drained so we've started keeping it on a smart charger while it's parked up unused.
I've read many reports of Citroen Relays not being very happy with the battery being charged whilst still connected so each time I hook it up to the charger I disconnect the battery from the van. Not a huge issue as the negative is on a quick release but it's still a faf I feel I could find a better solution for. Is it true that I should disconnect the battery from the van while charging it? And if it is, is there a better solution; for example cars which have trickle chargers hard wired into them or similar?
I've read many reports of Citroen Relays not being very happy with the battery being charged whilst still connected so each time I hook it up to the charger I disconnect the battery from the van. Not a huge issue as the negative is on a quick release but it's still a faf I feel I could find a better solution for. Is it true that I should disconnect the battery from the van while charging it? And if it is, is there a better solution; for example cars which have trickle chargers hard wired into them or similar?
sebdangerfield said:
My campervan is based on a Citroen Relay. The Engine battery is easily accessible under the passenger foot well and I've taken a 16mm positive and negative from it to the back for the battery to battery charger. If the van isn't used for more than 2 weeks we find the engine battery is slightly drained so we've started keeping it on a smart charger while it's parked up unused.
I've read many reports of Citroen Relays not being very happy with the battery being charged whilst still connected so each time I hook it up to the charger I disconnect the battery from the van. Not a huge issue as the negative is on a quick release but it's still a faf I feel I could find a better solution for. Is it true that I should disconnect the battery from the van while charging it? And if it is, is there a better solution; for example cars which have trickle chargers hard wired into them or similar?
Never heard of it being a problem.I've read many reports of Citroen Relays not being very happy with the battery being charged whilst still connected so each time I hook it up to the charger I disconnect the battery from the van. Not a huge issue as the negative is on a quick release but it's still a faf I feel I could find a better solution for. Is it true that I should disconnect the battery from the van while charging it? And if it is, is there a better solution; for example cars which have trickle chargers hard wired into them or similar?
I hope that the engine battery is separated by means of a split charge relay and not permanently connected?
Votronic do an engine battery trickle charge unit like this: https://www.outdoorbits.com/votronic-battery-maste... (other similar products available).
donaircooleone said:
Never heard of it being a problem.
Votronic do an engine battery trickle charge unit like this: https://www.outdoorbits.com/votronic-battery-maste... (other similar products available).
That’s good to know. I’ve seen lots of things online saying it is or could be an issue but I’ve not been able to validate it as true. Votronic do an engine battery trickle charge unit like this: https://www.outdoorbits.com/votronic-battery-maste... (other similar products available).
Thankyou.
donaircooleone said:
I hope that the engine battery is separated by means of a split charge relay and not permanently connected?
No, I didn’t want to use a split charge relay so it’s connected by a battery to battery charger. I self-built a campervan a few years ago and fitted a pair of solar panels to the roof, mainly to boost the leisure batteries if away without a hookup but they also did a great job of trickle charging the vehicle battery.
My Dad subsequently did the same for his campervan, but with a much smaller/single solar panel. The reason I mention this is because his van is a Fiat Ducato (basically the same as the Relay) and he’s therefore been trickle charging, without disconnecting the battery, for the last five years without an issue…
My Dad subsequently did the same for his campervan, but with a much smaller/single solar panel. The reason I mention this is because his van is a Fiat Ducato (basically the same as the Relay) and he’s therefore been trickle charging, without disconnecting the battery, for the last five years without an issue…
WelshRich said:
I self-built a campervan a few years ago and fitted a pair of solar panels to the roof, mainly to boost the leisure batteries if away without a hookup but they also did a great job of trickle charging the vehicle battery.
My Dad subsequently did the same for his campervan, but with a much smaller/single solar panel. The reason I mention this is because his van is a Fiat Ducato (basically the same as the Relay) and he’s therefore been trickle charging, without disconnecting the battery, for the last five years without an issue…
Ah, great to know thankyou. I think my, rather dubious, sources might have it wrong then which is great news. My Dad subsequently did the same for his campervan, but with a much smaller/single solar panel. The reason I mention this is because his van is a Fiat Ducato (basically the same as the Relay) and he’s therefore been trickle charging, without disconnecting the battery, for the last five years without an issue…
The neatest solution for me would be to charge from the solar too. I have 360 watts on the roof as I’m 100% off grid. I can’t figure out a way to get the charge from the solar MPPT at the rear to the engine battery at the front though. I have positive and negative 16mm cable from the van battery to the leisure battery bank at the rear via a battery to battery charger but I can’t find a way of using those cables to send charge back to the van battery which is why I’m using a smart charger and 230v when at home.
sebdangerfield said:
Ah, great to know thankyou. I think my, rather dubious, sources might have it wrong then which is great news.
The neatest solution for me would be to charge from the solar too. I have 360 watts on the roof as I’m 100% off grid. I can’t figure out a way to get the charge from the solar MPPT at the rear to the engine battery at the front though. I have positive and negative 16mm cable from the van battery to the leisure battery bank at the rear via a battery to battery charger but I can’t find a way of using those cables to send charge back to the van battery which is why I’m using a smart charger and 230v when at home.
I used a ctek dual 250s when I built my van - Does everything in one box of tricks!The neatest solution for me would be to charge from the solar too. I have 360 watts on the roof as I’m 100% off grid. I can’t figure out a way to get the charge from the solar MPPT at the rear to the engine battery at the front though. I have positive and negative 16mm cable from the van battery to the leisure battery bank at the rear via a battery to battery charger but I can’t find a way of using those cables to send charge back to the van battery which is why I’m using a smart charger and 230v when at home.
https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/d...
Edited by WelshRich on Friday 1st April 22:42
I think that settles it then. Complete b
ks on the motor home forums! WelshRich said:
I used a ctek dual 250s when I built my van - Does everything in one box of tricks!
https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/d...
I’ve heard such good things about those. They cram so much in for the price. We’d prioritised long periods off grid in the mountains in winter so we’ve 400ah of batteries and 360w of solar so had to go for separate MPPT and B2B units to handle it. It’s a shame as the units we have don’t have the facility to charge the vehicle battery. https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/d...
Edited by WelshRich on Friday 1st April 22:42
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