We bought our van last year and it came with came with a leisure battery which was completely shot so i replaced it this year with a new one.
The battery charges from a separate charger which is controlled by a 3 position rocker-switch - see pics. (i'm sure someone will tell me why it has three positions)
When not on EHU the battery only powers the lights. Although we don't intend to do alot of stays "off grid" I would like the option to power the external Whale water pump and also the Fridge. Would it be a big job to re wire the electrics so that the battery will power these as well? Also any ideas about the cost?

Thanks, Ian

IMG_20200809_112444898.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) IMG_20200809_112437875.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

You cannot power the fridge from the battery. Well, you could but the battery will be drained in next to no time. If not connected to the mains, you must run the fridge on gas..

hth...

The lights and pump should work whether on mains hook up or not, also the battery should charge from the tow car when connected and with the engine running.

The 12V side of the fridge should only work when connected to the tow car and not from the leisure battery.

I see that each battery terminal has two wires (the negative terminal has a red wire conected to it for some reason), do you know where these wires are connected to?

I suspect one pair go to the charger via the 3-way switch, and the other pair to somewhere in the BIP unit.

Although the switch has 3-positions, maybe there are only 2 wires connected to it so it operates like a simple on-off switch - maybe you could unscrew it and have a look.

To configure the system properly it would need a modification to the BIP unit, an additional cable run to the underfloor junction box to enable en route charging, and a habitation relay, fuses etc.

A good day's work, plus materials.

Not that I'm advocating the approach I took, but I will just point you to the post I made a while back that might give you a better insight into the electrics. It has a couple of links to 'generic' articles elsewhere that describe the general principles..

Question for Eriba Electrical experts??

I suspect the electrics in my van were of an earlier generation that yours, so I had different issues to resolve, perhaps...

hth....

Cabbie,

I am thinking of adding some 12v circuits to my existing system and have already purchased a multi-fuse holder in readiness. Could you explain a little more regarding the "red LED fuse blown" circuit - could this be added to my multi-way fuse holder for example? I have not seen such a useful gizmo on the market!

Thanks

Dave

Dave - the sort of thing I used when rewiring the 12v supply was like this...

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/p...051/category/63

If a fuse blows, the little red LED lights up, so you can immediately see where any problem lies...

hth....

Edit: Having just looked back at the original article, it seems that all the photos I added illustrating the work, have disappeared. Dont know why, but I can provide them if they are interest to anyone...

Thanks for the reply
I had assumed that the battery would operate the pump as well as the lights but it definitely does'nt
You are correct about the wiring. I can only see two wires going into the switch.When the switch is first down position the battery is charging.
I have'n't checked if the battery charges from the car or if the fridge operates I'll have a look next time out.
I am thinking about getting a motor mover fitted next year so i guess it would bre a good opportunity to sort out any other issues at the same time.
Final question (for now!) The van has a 12v cigar-lighter socket. Could this be powered off the Battery? I'm not sure what we would use it for other than to power a radio.
Ian

Cabbie - thanks for the reply - interesting piece of kit.

Ian - you can power all sorts of items off the cigar lighter - USB charging for example - anything that needs a 12v supply - even a TV

Dave