[Ralphie]

Hi Gents,

I have recently bought a Facelift System which operates from leisure battery which needs charging.

How easy is it to install a split charger system, where do you feed the cables from engine compartment to leisure battery?

Or am I just as well to run a lead from house and charge overnight (Winter?).

Any advise appreciated.

Ralphie

[Spruce]

Hi Gents,

I have recently bought a Facelift System which operates from leisure battery which needs charging.

How easy is it to install a split charger system, where do you feed the cables from engine compartment to leisure battery?

Or am I just as well to run a lead from house and charge overnight (Winter?).

Any advise appreciated.

Ralphie

What van have you got?

[Ralphie]

Nissan NV200

[Spruce]

Nissan NV200

I don't know anything about that engine, sorry.

You need to find out if your van has a smart alternator and if it has regenerative braking. This article will help you understand the issue.

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/auxiliary-battery-charging-in-vehicles-with-smart-alternators.html

 On most current Euro 6 vans an ordinary split charge relay won't work. You need a battery 2 battery charger. The NV200 has both Euro5 and Euro6 diesel engines.

You could get an idea by buying one of those cheap digital volt meters that plug in a cigarette lighter socket. You then drive around for a while and see how the alternators output voltage behaves. If it charges 13.9v to 14.6v continuously then you have an ordinary alternator and a SCR will work.

If it fluctuates from 12.2v to 17.0v then you have a smart alternator and need a B2B charger.

Im running a Boxer 2012 which doesn't have a fancy charging system. However, Fiat have reduced the output voltage of the alternator. This reduces the charge rate to recharge the battery. It now takes longer to recharge the battery and they increased the starter battery size (capacity) to compensate.

I'm using a Sterling BB1260 battery to battery charger.

[Granny]

How many miles do you do in a day? If you're only local there's not a lot to gain  really, you need to do some miles to get a good charge that beats what you get from an overnight charge. I don't run 240v to the van with the charger in the van. Keep the charger inside, chop the clips off, extend the leads with  2 core lighting wire, I only run 12v to the van, fits under the door seal, takes a minute when you get home.

[carl stanton]

I have simple relay split charger (straight forward alternator/charging) and the longest journey I tend to do is 22 minutes but normally 10-15 and I haven’t had to charge my battery for a couple of years.   Run a pump and electric reel.