Portable battery jumper pack for the MH

[r4dent]

If the leads are too short for engine bay connection you could probably do it directly to the battery.

The Ducato / Boxer battery is usually under the passenger seat and is difficult to access which is why the remote terminals are provided.

 

[GMJ]

Mine is in the front passenger foot well so all good.

I've been a bit silly here really.

If I pull back the passenger carpet and release the floor panel I can access the battery easily and the leads on my Bolt Power will reach.

I am fully prepared for any slandering now coming my way

 

[r4dent]

I would want to know why the starter batt is going low, have you no solar or a switched link from the hab batts to the starter batt.

FYI -There are three common reasons for Ducato starter batteries going low.
1) Security devices (alarms / trackers) which operate 24/7.
2) In vehicle entertainment that uses a small amount of power even when switched off. Often refereed to as "vampire devices".
3) Battery monitoring devices.

Many solar installations are only connected to the leisure battery.

 

[r4dent]

Mine is in the front passenger foot well so all good.

I've been a bit silly here really.

If I pull back the passenger carpet and release the floor panel I can access the battery easily and the leads on my Bolt Power will reach.

I am fully prepared for any slandering now coming my way

My Boxer is in the same place, I find the carpet and panel removal / replacement a real pain in the 4r5e!

I,also, am fully prepared for any slandering now coming my way

 

[wildebus]

FYI -There are three common reasons for Ducato starter batteries going low.
1) Security devices (alarms / trackers) which operate 24/7.
2) In vehicle entertainment that uses a small amount of power even when switched off. Often refereed to as "vampire devices".
3) Battery monitoring devices.

Many solar installations are only connected to the leisure battery.

On 3), not many people monitor their STARTER batteries so that not generally a problem I would say (but not impossible).
For 2) , Many motorhome makers rewire the original ignition-controlled radio feed and bypass it so the radio/media pack is always live and drawing power even when "off". One of the first things I did when I got my Autotrail was to rewire that BACK to have ignition control, but also fit what I called a "Drive/Camping" switch, that allows you to chose to have the radio turn itself off with the ignition key, or bypass it (which means it will draw power even when off). This means that when you are parked up in Storage or on the driveway, you can make sure the radio is not sucking the power out the battery for no good reason. There is more info on this Motorhomebuilder thread - https://motorhomebuilder.com/threads/not-a-self-build-but-a-tweaker.67074/page-3#post-875143.

I do recommend having some kind of trickle charge device to keep the Starter Battery from getting too low, especially if you have devices noted in 1) or don't have a Drive/Camping style radio kit. IMO, the Ablemail AMT12 is the best one on the market, but there are more basic devices available from VanBitz, Sterling and Votronic (the Votronic is extremely basic and wouldn't ever recommend it for the price asked), and there are a couple of US products - the Trik-L Start and the Amp-L Start - you could consider.

 

[r4dent]

On 3), not many people monitor their STARTER batteries so that not generally a problem I would say (but not impossible).
For 2) , Many motorhome makers rewire the original ignition-controlled radio feed and bypass it so the radio/media pack is always live and drawing power even when "off". One of the first things I did when I got my Autotrail was to rewire that BACK to have ignition control, but also fit what I called a "Drive/Camping" switch, that allows you to chose to have the radio turn itself off with the ignition key, or bypass it (which means it will draw power even when off). This means that when you are parked up in Storage or on the driveway, you can make sure the radio is not sucking the power out the battery for no good reason. There is more info on this Motorhomebuilder thread - https://motorhomebuilder.com/threads/not-a-self-build-but-a-tweaker.67074/page-3#post-875143.

I do recommend having some kind of trickle charge device to keep the Starter Battery from getting too low, especially if you have devices noted in 1) or don't have a Drive/Camping style radio kit. IMO, the Ablemail AMT12 is the best one on the market, but there are more basic devices available from VanBitz, Sterling and Votronic (the Votronic is extremely basic and wouldn't ever recommend it for the price asked), and there are a couple of US products - the Trik-L Start and the Amp-L Start - you could consider.

Thanks wildebus, I accept all of that.

Trevekoda asked why starter batteries go low, I was just indicating some of the possibilities.
Regular use is the best way to avoid starter battery problems. During the long months of no travel during the pandemic I connected a charger on a regular basis. The only time I've had starter problems was when the battery was on its last legs!
(I shouldn't have said the last bit, it is asking for trouble!)

 

[Wooie1958]

You probably need your own oars for Irish Ferries though… ..

Mine is in the front passenger foot well so all good.

I've been a bit silly here really.

If I pull back the passenger carpet and release the floor panel I can access the battery easily and the leads on my Bolt Power will reach.

I am fully prepared for any slandering now coming my way

Do we have to form a queue

 

[trevskoda]

Its a good Question. I have a 2017 Autototrail Comanche and it has a changeover switch built in I think as it does flick between the 2 (vehicle and hab batteries) when we are using the MH on hookup. On the occasion of my vehicle battery failing it was because I left the control panel all for a week or so but it did cross my mind as to why the vehicle one drained and not the hab batteries.

Thats only a charge switch, to connect for starting a proper batt to batt cable on a 200ah relay fussed is required.

 

[winks]

I have a Victron Cyrix fitted on ours and never lost the starter battery through winter.

Seems to just get on with it using what little solar is available. The only drain I know of is the alarm but there may be others. Could be a solution for about £40.

Cheers

H

 

[wildebus]

I have a Victron Cyrix fitted on ours and never lost the starter battery through winter.

Seems to just get on with it using what little solar is available. The only drain I know of is the alarm but there may be others. Could be a solution for about £40.

Cheers

H

The Cyrix is a bi-directional Battery Combiner (VSR) so will turn on if the voltage exceeds a certain threshold on EITHER side of the device. This is one of the advantages of a VSR split-charge setup over either a B2B or a D+ (Alternator) controlled Relay for on-the-move charging.

Word of caution ... IF someone has a B2B Charger installed, they do not want to fit a VSR device of any type as well as that will mess up the way the B2B operates and could pretty well negate the benefits of it.
As a linked aside, if there is a B2B fitted, care must be taken how the Starter Battery is maintained. You can get into the situation where you think you are topping up the starter battery but the effect is to actually start to drain it! (this whole area is a bit more complex than might be imagined )

 

[colinm]

Was 'having a play' with the vans this afternoon and cross referenced the jump start points on the X250 and X290 and the battery on (our) X250.
As I thought the jump start points on X250 are actually closer together than the battery terminals, but with the 'gubbins' clamped to terminals the points you would clamp to are as near as dammit identical distance apart.
The X290 is very different, the 'official' jump start points are quite a way apart, but there is a bolt/screw on the top cross member which looks like it would make a good earth point.

 

[MrRob]

Word of caution ... IF someone has a B2B Charger installed, they do not want to fit a VSR device of any type as well as that will mess up the way the B2B operates and could pretty well negate the benefits of it.
As a linked aside, if there is a B2B fitted, care must be taken how the Starter Battery is maintained. You can get into the situation where you think you are topping up the starter battery but the effect is to actually start to drain it! (this whole area is a bit more complex than might be imagined )

Ah! Thats a pit fall I thought of myself when converting from an alternator powered separator system to B2B. I’m quite impressed with myself

I’ve a simple 10 amp fused relay connection to the starter battery to keep starter topped up from the 5a shore power hookup charger … if I forgot to disconnect, would that damage the Victron Orion Smart 12 12 30 … or just confuse it?

 

[wildebus]

Ah! Thats a pit fall I thought of myself when converting from an alternator powered separator system to B2B. I’m quite impressed with myself

I’ve a simple 10 amp fused relay connection to the starter battery to keep starter topped up from the 5a shore power hookup charger … if I forgot to disconnect, would that damage the Victron Orion Smart 12 12 30 … or just confuse it?

It wouldn't damage it. it could confuse it, or the 10A fuse might just blow? (When I bought my VW LT a few years ago, the Starter Battery was pretty knackered and while I was working on the conversion, I just used a simple fused wired link from Leisure Battery to Starter to keep it charged - and if I forgot to disconnect before starting, the little fuse would blow as the starter motor would pull a high current from whereever it could. no biggy and just replaced it.)

However ... what you are potentially doing is connecting the output of the B2B to the input of the same B2B. That can cause it to run at full power and get rather hot (I did this with an Orion 30A when trying out an experimental B2B/VSR configuration and the unit got to hot to handle quite rapidly).

 

[MrRob]

It wouldn't damage it. it could confuse it, or the 10A fuse might just blow? (When I bought my VW LT a few years ago, the Starter Battery was pretty knackered and while I was working on the conversion, I just used a simple fused wired link from Leisure Battery to Starter to keep it charged - and if I forgot to disconnect before starting, the little fuse would blow as the starter motor would pull a high current from whereever it could. no biggy and just replaced it.)

However ... what you are potentially doing is connecting the output of the B2B to the input of the same B2B. That can cause it to run at full power and get rather hot (I did this with an Orion 30A when trying out an experimental B2B/VSR configuration and the unit got to hot to handle quite rapidly).

I’ll try remember to uncouple the batteries before I start the engine. I guess the test will be when the starter battery has discharged a bit … and I forgot to flip the switch. Or I forget to flip switch to keep starter topped up when standing for a week of more. But that’s less of an issue as will likely be home or can use my 6 year old Noco jump pack for the first time on the van