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benniferj



Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

United Kingdom 2003 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Oslo Blue
Camping 230v switch over / charge batt 2 from mains
Hey all

I’m setting up my 110 ready for a few planned summer trips. It’s already got its roof tent, fridge water etc

I’d like to put a 16a mains inlet on the back of it which can run a few things while we are parked up. My fridge can either run off of 12v or mains. I would like to be able to leave sidelights on or possibly basically keep my second leisure battery energised while parked up. Is there a relay or contractor or something that I can use to basically charge my second battery off of mains? With no repercussions?
Cheers for help, camper setup is a bit new to me but I deal with lots of heavy mains and have no issues with termination and fabrication Smile
Post #773266 15th May 2019 4:45pm
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ARC99



Member Since: 19 Feb 2013
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1831

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Cairns Blue
Similar items to these are fitted to caravans to charge battery's. http://www.youcancaravan.co.uk/electrical-c4/power-units-c34 When on mains I have couples 2 battery's together and charged them both at the same time drawing power from them. Don't make old people mad.
We don't like being old in the first place,
so it doesn't take much to Censored us off.

Richard
Post #773271 15th May 2019 5:51pm
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Keith5



Member Since: 27 May 2016
Location: Scotland
Posts: 352

United Kingdom 2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Santorini Black
We've got for a 240v line into the 110 for when we take a hook up at a campsite.

Coming off a 3 gang socket in there we leave the fridge on mains and have a Ctek connected up to the Aux battery. The outside scene lights and USB sockets in the 110 all come off the aux battery. I've got a bluesea voltage sensing split charge relay between the 2 batteries so while the voltage is over 13v it will be topping up both batteries.

I have a ctek 5.0 but if its just for trickling the battery while camping then I would imagine the 0.8 would be big enough.
https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/mxs-5-0

There are multiple ways of connecting the ctek in, you can get an adapter to charge via a 12v socket or a cable with ring terminals to wire into a spare way on your fuse board in addition to the crocodile clips.

Thanks

Keiht Keith
Post #773275 15th May 2019 6:06pm
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benniferj



Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

United Kingdom 2003 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Oslo Blue
Hi both of you, cheers for the info, the c Tek sounds very easy to work with. I’d want to wire through isolator into batt 2 which has all of my extra camping kit wired to it. I guess the C tek can sustain a few side illumination lights and chargers whilst it keeps the batteries nicely topped up. I will run the fridge and other bits off of the 4 way where possible when parked.

Nice and cheap that C Tek too.

My batteries are currently wired together with a heavy duty isolator between both of their lives. So can either join batteries to charge or leave second battery seperate. Are there any down sides to this? Most people use something like a T Max kit but it just seems OTT as what I have works... I have volt meters on both batteries anyway so can meter when they are split.
Post #773278 15th May 2019 6:37pm
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Keith5



Member Since: 27 May 2016
Location: Scotland
Posts: 352

United Kingdom 2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Santorini Black
No worries.

Your battery will happily run side lights etc and if demand goes over the 0.8A then the battery will buffer that peak with the charger bringing the battery backup over a longer period.

In terms of split charging I have gone with one of these: https://www.bluesea.com/products/7610/SI-A...4V_DC_120A

The first battery is connected up as stock with all the additional items wired off the aux. Keith
Post #773285 15th May 2019 7:03pm
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benniferj



Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

United Kingdom 2003 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Oslo Blue
Ok cool.

C Tek 5.0 arriving tomorrow.
So basically wire it in to my aux battery life and earth and hook that up to the mains feed that I’ve run into the vehicle. I know it’s meant to do all sorts of conditioning ... so operation wise .. get to camp site, connect it up and turn on C Tek feed, continue to use any devices that are plumbed in to the aux battery... no problems from any procedure that the unit is running?
Post #773629 17th May 2019 7:53pm
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Keith5



Member Since: 27 May 2016
Location: Scotland
Posts: 352

United Kingdom 2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Santorini Black
That's pretty much what we do and seems to work well. We plug the fridge into the 240v as well.

I wouldn't put the ctek on a recondition cycle when using it in that way. Keith
Post #773765 18th May 2019 8:37pm
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benniferj



Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

United Kingdom 2003 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Oslo Blue
Brilliant, off to go fit it now Smile
Post #773818 19th May 2019 8:27am
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