Fitting a Split Charge Relay - Self built DIY VW T5 camper conversion

I bought a split charge relay kit from a company called Simply Split Charge in the UK. You can buy the entire kit via eBay: ebay.eu/2xWlec3
Here is my (slightly unconventional) installation video.
Any questions or comments please post up and I'll aim to respond to everyone. Also feel free to share wherever appropriate.
DISCLAIMER:
Do not try this at home - All electrical work should be undertaken by a trained professional, not a monkey with a wrench!
GEAR USED FOR RECORDING...
Main Camera: Canon G7X Mkii
amzn.to/2yI4yE7
Small Tripod: Joby GorillaPod
amzn.to/2yxQxZZ
Secondary Camera: iPhone SE
amzn.to/2hUXquh
You can experience more of G Dub TV via the following channels:
Website: www.gdub.tv
Twitter: gdubtv
Facebook: gdubtv
Instagram: gdubtv
Please like, share, comment below, subscribe and most of all... enjoy the journey!
All music courtesy of www.bensound.com

[@GDUBTV]

Have you ever had any accidents when working on the electrics on your van? What important tips can you share with others?

[@longhairmullet]

Yep THIS IS the detailed installation that none of the other vids show, how to wire things up through the automobile. Drill holes through dash, pull in through glove box, pull cables around, up and under to final destination. Wheew, I needed this missing link! There are as many different set ups as there are vans know, but this shows more detail of how it will all need to be routed throughout the van. Great to ‘’SEE’’ the work that goes in!

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks, glad it helped! :)

[@CampervanAdventures]

Lolol I've watched most of your videos,my vans finished now but little jobs your doing or are planning on doing take me back.....I keep meaning to do a video on my van plus putting up my vango kela 3 awning(once it stops all this rain)lol,I've had my van since last august so on a time scale not to bad......I love all the good feedback when people see it and know I've done the whole thing myself,puts a really big smile on my face......just need the nice weather now to 😊 enjoy.All the best,Paul

[@GDUBTV]

+Wolfburg T5 Sure is fun!

[@paulatherton4670]

Thanks for the advice. I fitted mine yesterday. Installed it within an hour. 👍

[@GDUBTV]

Great!

[@Sunkennn]

Just a little comment on the routing of the cable. It is not a good idea to have a cable with high current running next to sensitive electronics such as the stereo, it is very likely that it could cause interference and noise coming from the speakers. Maybe not an issue in this case but a heads up for anyone doing something similar. You would be better of routing the cable straight down from the grommet and under the floor mat as far away from speaker wires as possible. Other than that, nice and helpful video.

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks pal, no issues with mine, but yes, try to avoid that folks!!

[@ZetecinsideMotorsport]

Thank you for your excellent video. I was struggling to find the place where the cable passes through the bulkhead and your excellent video pointed me in the right direction. Thanks again.

[@GDUBTV]

Glad you've found it helpful 👊🏼😎

[@russwalker675]

Top vid, keep em coming! A tip for the connection of the terminals.. i would solder the terminal to the cable. The technique would be to flux the cable, put on the terminal and heat it up so the flux dissolves and cleans, you can then feed the solder cable in to the terminal through the small hole while its hot to seal the connection

[@GDUBTV]

+Russ Walker Thanks :)

[@russwalker675]

I see your son soldered the lights for the units so principle is the same.. top work on the van! Looks a peach!

[@MrPaddy1000111]

Not a bad install, whip to halfords and get a proper grommet for where that cable passes through the metal panel though. Ive seen them arc weld themselves if they rub through and cut through things like a plasma torch!

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks, its on the to-do list, got a box full of grommets now!!

[@dannyire1]

great video man, i was dreading this as i know eff all about electrics but having watched this it seems a lot simpler and straight forward. cheers man happy camping

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks :)

[@stripfix1979]

Great work mate.. Just watched all your vids straight through.. I'm just getting ready to start my t5 conversion and your vids have made me a lot more confident so many thanks.. Also I live in sussex so not too far.. Will give ya a shout if I get stuck lol

[@GDUBTV]

Once you get going it all falls into place. Good luck with your conversion!

[@elizabethestevez6184]

If I want to run solar at a later date I am thinking I miggt be better going for a CTEK split charger but am assuming wiring will be the same principal.

[@Kiestaff85]

nice one mate great help! seemed daunting at first but now seeing this vid on how to feed it all through is great. cheers and keep up the good work

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks for the positive feedback!

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Wow ! what a find !. When the better weather arrives I intend to do this and was actually living in fear of doing it. But now with such clear and precise instructions particularly as I didnt know about that hole behind the battery it doesn't look a too difficult job. Hope your going to do another one fitting the cupboards ha ha. So great to finally find a video that gives clear instructions without some fancy music booming in the back ground ( probably an age thing on my part ). Thanks a lot and you've definitely got another subscriber.

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks, great feedback! One thing to note is to fit a rubber grommet in the metal plate behind the battery. It's the one I drilled through. Also there are a couple of videos on the units! Thanks for subscribing 👌🏼

[@jakemuk]

hi mate, nice vids, you should ideally use a hydraulic crimper for those size crimps, as it forms the perfect bond inside,

[@GDUBTV]

+FishingAdventure Thanks, i just bought a ratchet one, didn't realise you could get hydraulic ones! #doh

[@brokenrat2176]

As a matter of interest. Did that van have a smart charge alternator? I believed a split charge didn't work with smart charge. My T5 is 2004, but not sure if it has smart charge. Alternator has free run pully on it though.

[@GDUBTV]

Mine was fine on a 2005 T5, but I believe later ones (fitted with smart alternators) need a different split charger

[@IgotQuestions.]

How powerful can be the leisure battery ? Is there any danger for the alternator of is to powerful ?

[@Trentmatthews]

I am building a leisure battery/ secondary battery system for my Volkswagen van. I’m wondering if I can use a lithium battery, for my secondary battery, even though the battery for my vehicle is not.

[@paulloom9876]

Very helpful as I need just this information.

[@marknewton2240]

Do you need the positive and the negative to be fed from the car battery to the leisure battery? Or just a positive?

[@GDUBTV]

Basically the positive from the vehicle battery and leisure battery both go into either side of the split charge relay. The relay is grounded to the chassis via a grounding block, the leisure battery is earthed to that block. The vehicle battery is obviously already earthed in the engine bay. Hope that helps mate.

[@the1truegooner519]

Obviously this vid is a few years old but hey worth an ask! I have done the same setup but I'm at connecting the batteries up which one do I connect up first and which terminal first? Thanks

[@GDUBTV]

I connected up the leisure battery first and always connect the earth/negative (usually black) AFTER the live/positive (usually red)

[@the1truegooner519]

@@GDUBTV great thank you

[@112bergo]

Thank you great video, looking for a video like this for ages. keep it up pal

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks 🙌🏼

[@airborneoptics3176]

Hey dude, love the videos always help me gets idea of the task at hand before jumping straight in! Hope to see a video soon of you doing the electrics from the battery for lights and 240 sockets as that's where I'm stuck at with my conversion Any suggestions in the mean time? Cheers again

[@GDUBTV]

+Airborne optics Ive fallen behind a bit. Hope to have a video of the electrics done soon!

[@Lwhite1989]

Amazing video, was really dreading this job but this has put my mind at ease. One question, how difficult is it to remove the trim around the gearstick? Cheers

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks for the positive feedback, really appreciate it! From memory (I can't quite remember 100%) it wasn't that hard. I think I touch on removing gear knob trim in this video, from approx 1min 30secs, check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX-5gntupqeUkKs

[@jameshockley7547]

Love the vids! Very helpful as I'm just behind you in terms of mods so following closely. Top job and Thank you! Keep em comin....

[@GDUBTV]

Ahh thanks for the encouragement dude, hope your conversion is going well :)

[@collie9874]

Great Video pal..love it...you explain very well which is what I need.. thanks

[@ryanllewellyn2071]

Was the 12v/100ah leisure battery sufficient enough to run multiple devices, lights and a fridge? I’m looking into buying one now so any help is appreciated. Thanks

[@GDUBTV]

It was ok for about 2/3 days on a full charge without using electric hook up. Depends on how cold you have the fridge and how long lights are used for. Lots of variables. Get 2x 100Ah batteries if you can!

[@elizabethestevez6184]

I had a Sprinter and ran x2 130 AH and never ran out of piwer, had 260 watt solar too.

[@puppapump]

What split charge kit did you buy? There are a few versions (Medium, Heavy and Pro)

[@GDUBTV]

Mine is what they are now calling the pro, think I went for the 7 metre kit as mine is a LWB

[@PJ-vs8dy]

Great vid as always, they're really helping me do my first conversion. Just starting to do this split relay job and I cannot find how to get the centre cover off under the gear stick. I don't want to just pull as I have a tendency to break stuff like that. Any tips ?

[@GDUBTV]

+PJ FPV There is a small notch un the underside where you put a flat head screwdriver to push in a retaining clip and it slides off

[@16vastraturbo]

Is that not good for the van battery tho when the vsr stays on when you turn the engine off??

[@percy3815]

Hey man! Any reason you didn't route the cable up the near side A pillar??

[@GDUBTV]

None at all, basically didn’t know what I was doing! On my T6 I routed it up the A-pillar 👍🏼

[@Crutchley-Mack]

Hey man, nice job! Did you check to see if you have a smart alternator? Some modern vans have them and require a different split relay system to avoid damaging the leisure battery.

[@16vastraturbo]

How many amps are you getting at the leisure battery as it said on the battery max charge 20 continuous amps

[@gman1087]

Wheres the best place to locate the relay...near the battery up front? Or the leisure battery in the back?

[@GDUBTV]

You want to fuse within a couple of inches of the main wiring that connects to the car and lesiure batteries. The relay it doesnt really matter where its located (as far as I'm aware!)

[@juliewah3236]

Great videos my T5 brother from an other mother, just a couple of Questions; the step, does it just prize off ( any tips) and in your video of the Sargent EC160 you said you where going to see if you could still run the built in charger along side this VSR..... any update on that ? The reason for asking is I would like to use the EC160 to charge my leisure/VW battery while on hook up.

[@GDUBTV]

+julie wah hi, step has several push clips, just prises off. The EC160 is able to charge your leisure battery still whilst on hookup

[@elizabethestevez6184]

So GDUB TV, nothing from this split charger has to be wired into backnof the existing EC160 unit, it is just literally wired from main battery to leisure battery. I also want to use the EC160 if on hook up, which will becrare once I have solar, second aux battery and power inverter set up.

[@distortedvision5000]

Great video! Just a quick one, does the - pole run straight through from car battery to leisure battery?

[@GDUBTV]

The positive from the VB goes to the split charger, the positive from the LB goes to the other end of the split charger. Both the VB & LB are earthed to vehicle. Hope that help 👊🏼😎

[@stephdenis9744]

What fuse rating did you put in between the starter and leisure battery? I have a 12V 75AH Starter battery and 110Ah leisure battery. Cable size 16mm or 8mm. I am trying to figure what fuse rating to put... xD

[@GDUBTV]

Usually a 25amp fuse, within a couple of inches of the battery

[@alexanderchafer4462]

Have same van as you but black how long was the cable so I can put it in the same place as you

[@GDUBTV]

I bought a 6 metre wiring kit from Simply Split Chargers. Had less than a metre left after doing other bits. Hope that helps 😎👊🏻

[@johnbanham1722]

Nice vid but its redundant technology with a smart alternator, be interested to know how your leisure battery stood up?

[@GDUBTV]

Still going strong!

[@antandbecksc]

@@GDUBTV Hi, I believe I have a smart alternator in my van 2015 Transit, I bought same relay kit as you, some say I can't use this relay because of smart alternator, I'm not sure what to do, any advice would be great, thanks Paul .

[@raglanrodeo]

Top job. every detail covered.

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks, that's usually the aim, glad I managed it on this one!

[@martinb1363]

Did you have any problems with this kit??

[@GDUBTV]

None at all mate

[@toppertruthio]

so in my renault trafic this should be dead easy cos the battery is under the passenger seat

[@GDUBTV]

Sounds much simpler!

[@elizabethestevez6184]

Same in my Crafter.

[@dataglasses]

Do you know if there is a minimum size battery to run such a setup? Thanks!

[@GDUBTV]

Sorry I'm not that clear on the smallest size battery. Ideally you want as big as possible so it lasts as long as possible off-grid contact Simply Split Chargers, there great for technical info 👊🏼😎

[@dataglasses]

@@GDUBTV Someone suggested 33hrs would be minimum so i ended up just grabbing a 30 watt solar panel for my two 7amp hour deep cycle batteries, cheers1

[@Wheelsinthesky80]

Okay, can running reefer with inverter with simply split charger?

[@fyounet]

Hi ! Thanks for the video ! It helps a lot. I have just one quick question : did you connect the (-) pole of the auxiliary battery directly to the vehicle's carbody (sorry if it is not clear :) )

[@GDUBTV]

Yes

[@elizabethestevez6184]

Did that negative pole come with the installation kit?

[@boznein]

what length of cable did you buy(in the kit) from the main battery to the leisure battery? cheers dude

[@GDUBTV]

Hi, I bought a 7metre kit from Simply Split Charger in the UK

[@collie9874]

How do I get to ask you a question. I am not in the slightest tech savvi

[@GDUBTV]

+Collie hi, there’s a contact page on my website www.gdub.tv

[@markthompson8511]

Hi great vids very informative, do you have any ideas on a hot water source ? Mark from tonbridge

[@nedyyden]

Where did you find the climate(ventilation) buttons for T5?

[@GDUBTV]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/any0npudod6crKc

[@Bornmirri]

How fast does the alternator charge up the leisure battery?

[@GDUBTV]

Sorry bud, unknown!

[@allanb52]

That homemade grommet is dangerous, when the glue on the pad fails you have steel on insulation, when that cuts you have a possible fire. Please get a grommet. Otherwise good job.

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks bud, its on the todo list later this month, got some proper grommets now, tons of 'em!!

[@grego1111]

Hi, Is the split charge relay and leisure battery both earthed at the same point?

[@GDUBTV]

These are earthed to the metalwork of the van, both at the same point

[@billycostello6485]

Good man how many amps are the fuses

[@GDUBTV]

They each have different ratings. Give Simply Split Charge a call with any specifics. They're a great lot and will happily help with technical info..

[@branchsnapper2228]

Great lesson thanks

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks for watching

[@scandivanman]

What battery is that ?

[@GDUBTV]

It’s this one mate... 100Ah 12V Photonic Universe gel leisure battery www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D8FR3PO

[@willywonka4152]

Hi just starting to do my t5. Did you use medium or heavy duty cable when installing.

[@GDUBTV]

I used the SimplySplitCharger heavy duty kit

[@mistermister8]

Did I really see this guy install a crimp with a hammer? Must be a SmartMeter installer...

[@GDUBTV]

Guilty as charged!! Have got a tool for it now 👊🏼☺️

[@fritzfromswitzerland]

Buy a charge controller... a split relay isn‘t efficient and you could ruin your battery

[@GDUBTV]

Thanks, will consider it for the next build 👊🏼😎

[@corallaroc]

Hell, I was going to have a go until you said 'if anyone dies'

[@GDUBTV]

lol, that's not the end goal 🤣

[@corallaroc]

@@GDUBTV Lol. It does look relatively simple but I'm a bit scared of electric. I'm going to order kit and see if I can make sense of it 😏

[@GDUBTV]

If you get it all from simply split chargers it comes with some great step by step instructions

[@corallaroc]

@@GDUBTV Yeh, thanks. That's the one I'm looking at on Amazon 👍

[@liamdevaney7476]

Rough work

[@GDUBTV]

Yeah, learning along the way, but it works! ;)

[@daxw2460]

@@GDUBTV need too place rubber grommets around any steel work you drill. Protect the cable in a shroud at floor level. Too easily damaged with vibrations. Foot traffic.