Autosleeper Harmony leisure battery and solar panel help

[RichardB]

Hi all
Bought our 1999 Autosleeper Harmony on Peugeot Boxer in September and have spent the last few months sorting out a few problems - including leaking windows, damaged washroom panels and removing previous owner "modifications" that were not quite as professional as they could be!

The last 3 main jobs I have are to reseal the washroom, sort the gas (see other post) and sort out the leisure battery.

In the process of doing the work, I found out that the leisure battery wasn't charging from the EHU due to a previous owner wiring modification. This has been fixed but the battery is not keeping a charge - probably because it has been left uncharged and was reading less then 8v at one point.

I am going to replace the battery but have a problem with limited space as it is under the driver seat. The current battery is an 85ah but I think I have found a 100ah replacement that will fit - just need to remove current one and measure it.

As we are planning to do more wild camping without EHU I need to make sure I have enough battery power.
The first question I have is has anyone fitted a larger capacity battery under the seat of a Harmony and what did they use. If a larger battery wont fit I could consider fitting a second battery but the only place I can think it will go would be under the passenger seat in what is currently a safe - would that be a feasible option and has anyone done it?

I am also thinking of fittings a solar panel and that might be enough to allow me to only have one battery.
Not being built for climbing on roofs, has anyone fitted a solar panel to a harmony roof or know what size panel (both physical measurements and charging capacity) that will fit on the roof

Lastly, is there anyone in or around East Yorkshire who could help me fit the panels?

Cheers
Richard

 

[Deleted member 38556]

Hi all
Bought our 1999 Autosleeper Harmony on Peugeot Boxer in September and have spent the last few months sorting out a few problems - including leaking windows, damaged washroom panels and removing previous owner "modifications" that were not quite as professional as they could be!

The last 3 main jobs I have are to reseal the washroom, sort the gas (see other post) and sort out the leisure battery.

In the process of doing the work, I found out that the leisure battery wasn't charging from the EHU due to a previous owner wiring modification. This has been fixed but the battery is not keeping a charge - probably because it has been left uncharged and was reading less then 8v at one point.

I am going to replace the battery but have a problem with limited space as it is under the driver seat. The current battery is an 85ah but I think I have found a 100ah replacement that will fit - just need to remove current one and measure it.

As we are planning to do more wild camping without EHU I need to make sure I have enough battery power.
The first question I have is has anyone fitted a larger capacity battery under the seat of a Harmony and what did they use. If a larger battery wont fit I could consider fitting a second battery but the only place I can think it will go would be under the passenger seat in what is currently a safe - would that be a feasible option and has anyone done it?

I am also thinking of fittings a solar panel and that might be enough to allow me to only have one battery.
Not being built for climbing on roofs, has anyone fitted a solar panel to a harmony roof or know what size panel (both physical measurements and charging capacity) that will fit on the roof

Lastly, is there anyone in or around East Yorkshire who could help me fit the panels?

Cheers
Richard

I have a bank of five 120AH batts on mine
I ran 6mm cable with 30Amp fuse to link them together
Three in a locker & two in the front

If the cable is run through a hole seal around it with silicon to stop chaffing / shorting out and water ingress
Plus a solar panel 230W
Hope this helps

 

[suej]

I have a bank of five 120AH batts on mine
I ran 6mm cable with 30Amp fuse to link them together
Three in a locker & two in the front

If the cable is run through a hole seal around it with silicon to stop chaffing / shorting out and water ingress
Plus a solar panel 230W
Hope this helps

Gosh, what's your van..a huge AmericanRV?? lol Sounds like your generating enough power to light a town!!:lol-053:

Sorry I'm not tecchy enough to answer your questions Richard, but I manage without EHU when on site or wilding with just 2x110 leisures and a solar panel ?80 and have everything running off 12v and LED lights without problem so you don't need too much, but it depends on what your going to run

Sue

 

[Deleted member 5816]

Battery

Hi Richard is your Harmony standard one or the ES if it is the standard version on the several Auto-Sleepers we have had I fitted a second battery in the floor locker behind the drivers seat by boing this it kept the battery links short we have always wild camped and never run out of battery power you may get a 95A battery under the driver seat so then you could add another giving you 190AH with a small PVC this should give you loads of power convert your Fluorescents to LED and this will save too.I answered your post on the gas bottles. We never found the need for going solar panels.

Alf

 

[oldish hippy]

well igot a copy of autosleeper citreon relay and fitted a 110 amp battery underneath my seat

 

[Deleted member 5816]

Battery

Hi which model or what year is your Relay and is it in a battery box or did you fit a AGM battery

Alf

well igot a copy of autosleeper citreon relay and fitted a 110 amp battery underneath my seat

 

[spigot]

Hi Richard,.
I have an 04 Symbol which is very similar in size & layout to yours, also on a Boxer van.

I also wished to fit a 110a under the driver's seat, but couldn't as the seat tubes got in the way, maybe your seat structure is different.


What I did though, was to fit an extra 85a but not under the passenger seat, where we we keep all our road atlases & maps in a tray, but in the compartment containing the Truma & Eberspacher, where I raised it on 1 1/2 inch wood rails to clear the pipes & fixed it to the wall of the compartment. I then connected it to the other with heavy cable & 30a fuses.

Our roof layouts don't leave much room for solar panels. I managed to fit 2 x 40w giving a total of 80w which I find sufficient for my needs & I don't go near campsites.

Fitting is simple, I bored a pilot hole from INSIDE the van for the cable, I did this at the front right hand corner of the wardrobe. After fixing the panels with stainless steel screws & plenty of Sikaflex, I ran the cable down the inside of the wardrobe (via a regulator on the front) & out the vent on the bottom of the gas locker, underneath the van & up through the hole in the floor that houses the overflow pipe for the Truma & connected to the second battery.

This is a cheap way of doing it, but there is no wiring on veiw, if Auto-Sleepers did the job they would remove panneling & that sounds very expensive.

 

[RichardB]

Thanks everyone for your comments and pictures.

I will be measuring the space under the driver seat this weekend to see what I can fit and go from there.

I can't put a second battery directly behind the drivers seat as there is nowhere to put it on a Harmony as the space behind is used for the rear passengers feet.

I think the best option at the moment is to stick with one battery but to get a couple of 40w solar panels and then see how I get on - I can always see about a second battery if I need one

There is already an old hole (currently covered and sealed) where a TV coax cable came up onto the roof so hopefully I can use that to feed wires from the panel without needing another hole drilled.

Would still be interested to hear from anyone in or around East Yorkshire who could give me a hand as I am not confident about attaching the panels to the roof...



Richard