This week I could return to the electrics. I had previously invested in a CTEK M200 battery charger (about £120) which I could now install in the van. It is a waterproof charger made for use on boats but it fits the specification of my system and will fully charge my two batteries in a few hours. CTEK are renowned for making quite reliable chargers for this kind of purpose too.
I fitted the charger on the shelf and screwed it down in place. The shelf above it will need to allow for the charger leads to connect through to the leisure batteries and the plug to connect to a socket from the consumer unit.
While the charger will keep the batteries topped up when connected up to the mains, they will also need to be charged from the van alternator while the engine is running.
For this, I need to run a thick (16mm) cable from the main vehicle battery positive terminal, under the van, to the leisure batteries (via a smartcom unit and a big relay). I made up some cables, and after removing the old relay from under the bonnet, I fitted an 80A midi fuse in a fusebox in its place. Another cable from here goes underneath the van and up underneath the leisure batteries where the electrics are housed.
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