# Leisure Battery - sourcing full fitting service in the south of england



## gwagirl (Nov 8, 2012)

Hi,

I've just joined, hope this is the right place to post. I did a search but seems most people are doing DIY fittings of leisure batteries.

I am in Sussex and trying to find a trustworthy place who will supply and fit a leisure battery system for my van. - of course i will travel to a good installer.

I have a VW transporter T4 panel van, which basically has a bed frame in the back. Ideally I want to run internal lights, charge laptop & phone, and perhaps run an electric blanket in the winter. From what I have read I think i need a split charge system, which will charge up the leisure battery as i drive. sometimes i stay on sites with hook up, as i have a mobile hook up unit thing, but i'd like to have a bit of power when sleeping stealth or on a non hookup site. 
My knowledge of the electrics and the physics of the wattage etc is non existent. So i'm looking for advice as to what kind of battery i should be looking for, what questions to ask etc. and any suggestions of where to go to get it done. i think i should be paying around £250-300 for this but again not sure if this is accurate. 
any advice much appreciated 

thanks!


----------



## FULL TIMER (Nov 9, 2012)

pity you weren't closer I could have done it for you, anyway have a look here; Voltage sensing split charge relays. 12v & 24 volt.
it will give you an idea of parts needed and prices I would reccomend the durite relay as they are well made and reliable, if you end up going to a caravan repair place to get the job done don't let them fob you off with one of the cheap rubbishy things that come in a kit for caravan tuggers, these are much better.
just had another look on that site and came across these http://www.split-charge-relays.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p272_70a-split-charge-relay-fitting-kit.html they look like a good buy


----------



## gwagirl (Nov 15, 2012)

hello, thanks for the advice. i've had a look around and found a fitting company. what do you think of this:

Leisure Battery solutions for Caravans, Campervans and Horseboxes from Sussex Installation Team LTD.

there is a split charging system option near the bottom of the page, all in for 259/279. it doesnt specify the make of the battery though.....


----------



## ellisboy (Nov 15, 2012)

That seems rather expensive when you can source all the bits yourself,it's really quite easy to install.Im in sunny Bournemouth and can help out if you don't mind travelling.Send me a pm if your interested.


----------



## FULL TIMER (Nov 15, 2012)

what I don't like is they don't actually tell you what equipment they will be using , personally I would stick to the 140 amp self sensing relay by Durite. I also don't like the fact that they just show a battery mounted to the floor I would always try and mount the battery in a proper battery box and vent through the floor.


----------



## n brown (Nov 15, 2012)

that's a good offer from bournemouth!


----------



## whitevanwoman (Nov 15, 2012)

Don't do anything until Firefox has posted - he helped me with mine and I was the same as you, zero knowledge of 12 v elecs. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things to do with motorhomes. 

As for cost, the Smartcom split relay as recommended by members on here was about £15 from ebay, the wire was about £15 from Maplins, the terminal connections were about another fiver, in line fuse holders were a couple of quid from ebay, and job lot of fuses was a quid from the pound shop. The battery was donated by a friend but usually about £80 I think for a new battery. I don't think there was any other costs except about a tenner for a battery box which helps keep the terminals and wires etc protected. 

It would have only taken about an hour to sort it with me doing it under Firefox's (very patient) instruction,  had we not had to crawl under the van and find a suitable place for the earth and scrub it clean which took another couple of hours and messing around - luckily there was a hole in the floor otherwise we'd have had to drill a hole through. But you could possibly find an easier earth than I did, and people on here can advise you about that. 

I would really recommend you do it yourself. Having done it myself, I am confident about fixing it if it goes wrong and about wiring in stuff on my own, eg led lights, cig socket etc, and so when something goes wrong, I don't stress and panic, but just get my tools out and get down and have a good look and I can usually suss out the problem, eg blown fuse, loose connection etc. And if I can't sort it, I take some photos and post on here, and usually there's loads of help and advice so I can do it. And I've learned loads about 12v elecs from doing it so now I have a better understanding about what gadgets I can use and how long for etc.

Edit : just seen Ellis boy's offer, and am not saying that Firefox is any better, just cross posted.


----------



## maingate (Nov 15, 2012)

ellisboy, known to us as the mad axeman is a good choice.

As long as it's not a full moon. :scared:

Only kidding, they are a friendly, helpful bunch on here.

I would trust them with my life (although, not with my wallet). :lol-049:


----------



## Firefox (Nov 16, 2012)

Thanks WVW 

Well like you say Ellisboy and also nbrown, maingate and FULLTIMER are also pretty handy at this kind of thing.

Gwagirl, I'd hope you could get done for around roughly half of what you were thinking if you don't go to to a garage and if you watch and/or help you'll learn how to fix it should it go wrong


----------



## kenspain (Nov 16, 2012)

Give John Cross a ring he is in Sussex he has a good rep from a lot of motorhome owners 
01580881288,:wave:


----------



## vindiboy (Nov 16, 2012)

Hi and welcome to the site, you mentioned Electric Blanket in your post , that won't run from Batteries unless you have a big Inverter, what you really need for your blanket is MAINS ELECTRICITY and this will mean being connected to  a hook up , as in Campsites.main Electricity is very common in Motorhomes.


----------



## vindiboy (Nov 16, 2012)

vindiboy said:


> Hi and welcome to the site, you mentioned Electric Blanket in your post , that won't run from Batteries unless you have a big Inverter, what you really need for your blanket is MAINS ELECTRICITY and this will mean being connected to  a hook up , as in Campsites.main Electricity is very common in Motorhomes.


   Whoops I see you actually have a Mains Hook up [ portable ] I must pay more attention, [ used to say that on my School reports too  ]:dance:


----------



## Robmac (Nov 16, 2012)

There are actually several makes of Electric Blankets which run on 12V. But I don't know what sort of draw they would be on your batteries.


----------



## Firefox (Nov 16, 2012)

You can get some low wattage electric blankets 75-125w which would run off a 150w inverter. Not to be used all night due to the power drain on the battery, but would be fine for 1/2 an hour to take the chill off. I think Kangooroo uses one to suppement Shaun the Sheep.... (hot water bottle  )


----------



## n brown (Nov 16, 2012)

vindiboy said:


> Whoops I see you actually have a Mains Hook up [ portable ] I must pay more attention, [ used to say that on my School reports too  ]:dance:


 could try harder


----------



## ellisboy (Nov 16, 2012)

There's a 12 volt blanket forsale on eBay at the moment.


----------



## John Carroll (Nov 16, 2012)

*whar a great question.*



gwagirl said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've just joined, hope this is the right place to post. I did a search but seems most people are doing DIY fittings of leisure batteries.
> 
> ...


i too have a vw transporter,i bought a leisure and havnt a clue what to do with it,i got a big long ext.with 3 plugs on the end of it..i cant put a plug on..hopeless with electrics plss let me know what happens or where it gets done,i got a 12volt tv but scared to use it in case of flat battery thx so much john...


----------

