Can I or should I?

Cal54

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Leisuredrive Renoir
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Since 1996
Looking for advise guys. I recently changed my van to a small limited facilities vehicle. The conversion on this (new to me) vehicle was done just 12 months ago and I’m wanting to install a 2nd leisure battery (compressor fridge). I realise the advise is to ‘match’ batteries re age etc but I’m wondering if, given the relatively recent conversion/battery installation, this is essential. Should I/ can I just add another battery without changing the original?
 
Some of the potential problems might be
Cable size
Charging the battery using existing on board equipment

Otherwise it's usually a very simple job. You might want to consider changing or adding 'stuff' to make it function better including a large inverter and b2b.

I would just go for it (and have done) and get the largest capacity lithium battery I could afford and that will fit and not be too bothered about adding another battery but go for replacing your current one, unless it's relatively new AND lithium !

Having said that, there are plenty of Funsters happy with non lithium so carry on asking questions until you've got enough info to make your decision.
 
MisterB - thanks for your prompt response. I will investigate but suspect that the inbuilt charger in my Leisuredrive camper won’t support lithium. My previous van had 2 leisure batteries (lead acid) and 2 x solar panels, which worked well, and solar is my next consideration. However the new camper is more basic, just 5 metres long and is also my everyday vehicle. I sold my car!
Not sure on the benefit of an inverter when it is a compressor fridge, as it only runs on electric (EHU or battery) - what am I missing in your recommendation?
Thanks
 
i am by far no expert on these matters, i only know what i have done and what works. With regards to the on board charger, my moho on board charger doesnt provide a lithium profile either, so mine is set to lead acid. that means it doesnt fully charge the lithium but its damn close enough and by installing a B2B and solar, it does charge fully with their help, though i keep reading if you dont charge or discharge fully, then your battery will live longer !! Ive had my set up working now for around 12 months and it has done everything i asked for it AND more!


re the inverter, i made the suggestion because once you have 'enough' lithium on board, you might want to take advantage of the power it can provide. i have a 304Ah lithium and a 3kw inverter - i use them to boil a kettle, run a microwave (at the same time), run a dual induction hob, george foreman grill, pizza maker etc and have reduced most of my dependency on lpg, so my 'fill ups' are less frequent. My inverter has a pass through facility which has advantages if you go on site and use EHU. As you have a small vehicle you may not require any LPG at all (if you do have LPG of course) once you go to a compressor fridge and large lithium battery.

as previously mentioned though, some funsters manage perfectly well with non lithium set ups, but you will need to confirm that they are also running a compressor fridge and take advantage of their suggestions, as i said, i only really know what works for me !
 
Best to buy a similar battery ah wise and connect it in parallel and go with it. I have used mixed batteries for years and they have been OK and still using them as a back up system alongside my lithium. As said make sure you have decent cables. Just go for it.

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Thanks MisterB - most of that I understand!
I do have lpg purely for the 2 burner hob (no heating in this van - yet!), but the area for the bottle only takes the Campingaz small bottle. However when on hook-up I do tend to use a portable induction hob and have a slow cooker and Ramoska which I also like. I now understand your comment re the inverter. Definately food for thought as I certainly didn’t realise that lithium batteries could be charge by existing chargers albeit not to full capacity.
Thanks again for taking the time to educate me😁
 
Have no idea CAL 64 but we did add a 2nd battery to 2 of our vans without matching. Seemed to work ok at first but in both cases after 3-4 years one failed, surprisingly, in both cases the newer battery. Only have one in this van and fairly decent solar but we have a 3 way fridge.
Pictures of new van please, hope you have a loo 🤣
 
We have a compressor fridge and changed battery to lithium to cope without ehu. Also took up no more space and lighter and more power (went for 230) Prepared to be wrong but you say fridge is either mains or battery. Ours only runs on battery. If on hook up the mains electricity is charging the battery which still powers the fridge.
 
Looking for advise guys. I recently changed my van to a small limited facilities vehicle. The conversion on this (new to me) vehicle was done just 12 months ago and I’m wanting to install a 2nd leisure battery (compressor fridge). I realise the advise is to ‘match’ batteries re age etc but I’m wondering if, given the relatively recent conversion/battery installation, this is essential. Should I/ can I just add another battery without changing the original?
My van was 9 months old when I added a second battery (same ah and make), so far with no problems. This doubled the days off grid for the compressor fridge. Later I added 280w of solar with a votronic mppt, this was a game changer as I can run the fridge indefinitely during the solar season and even in winter lesiure and can batteries are maintained.
 
hja - you are quite right, I certainly didn’t explain myself very well! I realise the draw is always from the battery but my simple mind just thinks of it as having no negative impact on the leisure battery when I’m on EHU😉

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scotzsue - my main criteria was a cassette toilet not a porta potti!! Not a huge choice in a 5 metre vehicle but I found one 😁



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She? He? They? 🤣 is a beauty.
 
I think you can do what you propose, simply having another battery added.
Of course all the 'experts' will tell you it's not ideal for one reason or another, and probably, technically, they're correct.

You didn't mention the size of the existing battery or if the previous owner managed the fridge off grid?
If you're planning to add solar and can afford it, I'd be tempted to spend a bit extra and swap the current battery for a lithium - drop in [howls of anguish from the experts] using the existing charging regime... you'll double your capacity & save space & weight.

I've investigated replacing my aging LA batteries in my Wildax when they expire, and my research indicates that the cheap'n'cheerful PWM solar & EHU charger will do.
 
Thanks Steven Langtoftlad. I’ve been and checked the battery and unfortunately it is just a 70 amp Banner starter battery.🙁.
Having bought from a dealer I’m not sure how the previous owner managed the fridge/ battery. I do tend to use EHU a lot but I want the flexibility of attending rallies/shows/ths for a few days. I’m thinking a straight swop for lithium and just hope that my existing charger copes. Now just need to find the right one at the right price!

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The reason for the usual advice, in a nutshell is that any group of batteries combined as a single bank will be limited by the weakest in circuit. An older battery loses capacity and will drag the other(s) down. When it fails, so does the new one etc. A fairly new and well maintained one has less of an inherent risk. As a charging circuit, it will only see the combined capacity and will try to keep up. Ideally you need a charger capable of 20% of the battery capacity. So a 100ah battery needs 10a, but 200ah of combined batteries in a bank 20amps.

As pointed out above the current cables may limit it a little, but putting 2 batteries side by side with 35mm short cables would relieve most of this

My advice would be try adding a similar battery (must be same type) and see how you get on before piling loads of money into upgrades that won't always benefit you. We always did this long before smart chargers and lithium were a consideration
 
Getting a matching Banner 70Ahr will cost around £100 + finding a place to put it and fitting cost. Not to mention 20kg of payload.
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/banner/?ordering=&A-10=Wet&A-22=70
But then you'd have 140Ahr of batteries with a useable 70Ahr which I can't imagine would power your fridge for very long not to mention starter batteries not ideal for leisure use.

My personal choice would be to swap the existing battery for something like a Fogstar Drift 105Ahr Lithium which gains you an extra 40% 12v capacity + 10kg payload
If you can afford it.
https://www.fogstar.co.uk/collectio...s/lithium-leisure-battery-fogstar-drift-105ah

What I would be tempted to do is run an experiment to see how long the fridge/lights would run on your existing battery set up down to 50%... then you can do the basic calculation as to whether you can run offgrid and for how long.
I don't know but I suspect not very long :(
 
I would be very careful about putting a Lithium in a Leisuredrive conversion.

The Mains charger is likely a caravan 12v power supply, not even a proper battery charger.

If you decide to go Lithium, take it to someone reputable and get the charger sorted as well.
 
And definitely get a diesel heater installed.

The gas cupboard should fit a spare camping gaz bottle if you jiggle them about, and both should strap in, if you are wanting to carry a spare. But they last for ages just cooking.
 
Thanks CAB96. I have since asked Leisuredrive and they said no. I really think I need to change the battery as I can’t see a 70 amp starter battery lasting long off grid with the compressor fridge! Whether I go to the expense of changing the charger in order to have Lithium I will need to consider. Might just put a larger deep cycle battery in. I’ve no idea the cost of changing the charger and will need to find somewhere that could do the work.
Re the gas bottle - carrying a spare would be handy just because with my luck the bottle will run out at the most inconvenient time!

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Thanks CAB96. I have since asked Leisuredrive and they said no. I really think I need to change the battery as I can’t see a 70 amp starter battery lasting long off grid with the compressor fridge! Whether I go to the expense of changing the charger in order to have Lithium I will need to consider. Might just put a larger deep cycle battery in. I’ve no idea the cost of changing the charger and will need to find somewhere that could do the work.
Re the gas bottle - carrying a spare would be handy just because with my luck the bottle will run out at the most inconvenient time!
Have a look at Lead Carbon Gel or AGM batteries. They are deep cycle lesiure and do not require upgraded charging equipment to maintain them. Your existing 70ah banner gives 35ah of use - a 110ah lead carbon is a true deep cycle battery and can be taken down to 20% SOC, giving you approx 80ah of useable power. A significant increase in off grid time for not a massive outlay.. Here's an example - there are many others available..........
 
TrudeandDall . Thanks for that info and the link. I’m thinking this is the way forward and I’ll measure the existing battery box later today and see if it fits without too much swearing!!😉
 
I think I would look at visiting somewhere like vanbitz or off grid power solutions to see what they recommend. You don't need a perfect all encompassing solution you just need one that works for you. It might be worth paying for an hour or two of investigation by a professional... You could send them details of your already installed 'stuff' to give them chance to make a recommendation

PS nice little camper !!
 
I have one of these (actually two, one on the leisure and one on the vehicle battery).


The van display on mine reads slightly low. These will log the voltage, so you can look back and have a good overview of what the battery is doing.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which MHF may be compensated.
CAB96 - Thanks for the info. I actually have a little gizmo that just plugs into the cigarette lighter sockets (engine or leisure) which gives me a digital reading. Not sure how accurate it is but I’ve had it years and it has done the job. Not all singing and dancing but it does at least let me know. Currently the leisure battery is sitting at 12.1 but the van hasn’t actually been used for overnights yet and the fridge isn’t on!

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At 12.1v your battery is approximately 50% discharged.
 
CAB96 - Thanks for the info. I actually have a little gizmo that just plugs into the cigarette lighter sockets (engine or leisure) which gives me a digital reading. Not sure how accurate it is but I’ve had it years and it has done the job. Not all singing and dancing but it does at least let me know. Currently the leisure battery is sitting at 12.1 but the van hasn’t actually been used for overnights yet and the fridge isn’t on!
At 12.1v your battery is approximately 50% discharged.
Also just be aware that lead carbon batteries are heavy, heavier than lead acids.
 
Cal54 also the lead carbons are physically bigger than comparable normal lead acid leisure batteries.
I looked at swapping my 2 x 100AH lead acid leisure batteries for 2 x 105AH lead carbons last year.
However after taking into account the size and weight I opted for lithium.
Luckily my vans charge sources were already lithium ready so I only had to select the lithium charge options on them.
My 1 x 230AH LifePo4 weighs 23kgs, where as 2 x 105AH lead carbons weigh about 60kgs.
 
Thanks for the info headlight. I’ve now taken a closer look at the charger and it appears to accept different charging regimes including lithium? The one in my camper is not the standard one that Leisuredrive refer to in there handbook! I have a
NDS Power Charger Pro (PFC0150) and although an Italian website, the English translation suggests it is switchable. I’ll have to take a closer look as the casings look different to mine. I’m wondering if I send the serial number to the company they might be able to confirm🤞
 
I just googled your charger and it says it does have a lithium profile.
Screenshot_20240315_115430_Chrome.jpg

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