How To Install Camper Van Electrics | Ford Transit Conversion | Leisure Battery 12v Power | 008

[@colinchorley3717]

Thanks, really helpful. I'm at the very beginning of van conversion, wish me luck:)

[@SPANNERRASH]

Best of luck! Slow and steady wins the race. I am sure you will have a great camper.

[@BlueWonderLady]

Great video!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thank you!

[@bobmarley_1979]

Well done . I agree, The new lipo batteries are way over priced . Stick with the cheaper ones they will still do the job you need them for. Its not like you need to worry about weight with that van , You can always upgrade if you feel you need to at a later stage , Cant wait to see the van complete and when you take your first trip on the road . 🍻

[@SPANNERRASH]

Sounds like we're on the same page, Clifford! Once its in use I think it'll start to become obvious whether I want to invest that much money into it or not. I think I'm going to get a lot of enjoyment with it even on a budget.

[@kimsmith4409]

Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy new year, keep up the good work

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers! Hope you and your clan have a great one too :)

[@D.T.Hippie]

Best video I’ve found. Thank you. I subscribed

[@SPANNERRASH]

Awesome, thank you!

[@thomas4315]

I had that same one wire solenoid to 2 - 245 at 6 volt on a ford van 150 but it had a 130 amp custom alternator at that used to get very hot at morning , so I don’t think my new transit 250 alternator lower amp surely can handle it, it needed only few times winter with no sun for 1-2 or 3 days, I’ll think I will not put it in, and I’ll just turn it off and put ice bag those day.

[@SPANNERRASH]

I'm guessing that you are not in the UK, no Sun for 1 -3 days :) We rarely see it for months! At least it isn't near the Artic where it goes dark for 2 months at a time. It makes sense to address overheating in your wiring, but I would worry about mixing it with melting ice. Take care.

[@andymoffat8393]

Just get yourself a lithium battery already. For a bit extra you get a much better battery with no chance of leaks and the huge plus is the weight difference. From someone who’s handled many car batteries I’m amazed at the difference in weight. If you make it easily removable it’s well handy for powering small electric dinghy motors

[@SPANNERRASH]

Maybe it's me but I couldn't find a comparable lithium battery for less than five times the cost, that is £500 instead of less than £100. I would really like to use lithium, but really can't justify the price for the way I will be using it.

[@bigped845]

Thanks for doing this video m8

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers pal, I hope it helped you out! :)

[@mulliedog1]

Nice job!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers pal!

[@milnetuk]

Brilliant video, question: I've converted a mk7 minibus and it has 2 batteries under the driver's seat ,from what I understand one is for starting and the other for the lights in the rear which is 55ah ,can I change that for a higher amp hour leisure battery as I'm guessing it already has a split charge system,thanks in advance

[@SPANNERRASH]

This is another question that the forums give lots of different answers to. I suspect that Ford changed the spec so many times that a lot of the answers are right for specific circumstances. I don't know if your bus would have a split charge system, but I did read that a lot of people change the second battery for a larger leisure battery and have used it like that for a number of years without an issue. You could check for the split charge system, by measuring the voltage of each battery, then putting the lights or other electrical accessories on in the back, leave them on for a good while then check the voltage on each battery again. If the starter battery has stayed the same, and the other has reduced then you can be pretty sure that it is a split charge. The main problem that arises is, if it isn't split charge, is that you could run both batteries down to a point where the van will not start. It would be easy to avoid this if you put a simple battery check gauge like this one into your system. :- ebay.us/7kIftV You just need to make sure you don't let the batteries dip too low, (11.8v or so), but you shouldn't let standard batteries go below 50% too often anyway as it makes them age quicker. Unless you are planning to run an inverter and power lots of things the battery doesn't go down that quick anyway. We use an extractor fan, water pump, lights, and multiple phone, tablet and projector chargers and haven't even come close to taking our 110ah battery down below 60%. If you were not moving the van for a number of days this could become a problem, but we are always on the move when we are out in the van so it hasn't been an issue for us. YET! I was disappointed that I didn't have two batteries, because replacing the second one with a larger capacity one, was exactly what I wanted to do. I hope this helps. Let me know how you go on.

[@fuertep2do]

Very nice video but i have a question i have 200 ams solar battery you think it's going to work?

[@SPANNERRASH]

Hi oso, I'm not totally sure what you mean by a solar battery. I assume it is from a solar system? I would think if it's 12v then it should be fine. But there isn't enough information for us to guess it, may be a different voltage for example.

[@lbailey8993]

What was the official name of the fuse box you used to use the leisure batteries power , is it call an Inverter?

[@SPANNERRASH]

The fuse box I used was one of these ebay.us/6HM7sp It isn't an inverter. It takes a 12v feed and you can then connect other 12v circuits to it. Such as lights, water pump, fan etc. An inverter takes 12v input and gives you mains type ac output. But to get a useful power output needs quite a high quality inverter and a good amount of batteries to power it.

[@angeltheodora]

My Ford Transit MK7 (like all others) has two batteries under the driver's seat: 1 starter and 1 aux. When attatching my split relay for my leisure battery should I connect my terminals to the Starter battery or the Aux battery? Thank you!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Not all Mk 7s have two batteries, my doesn't. If you are putting in a split charge relay I would go straight to the starter battery as I would think that if there is anything that charges the Aux battery differently it wouldn't impact how your leisure battery was charged and your starter battery would still be charged first. I think there could also be an issue if you have a "smart" alternator, and I do not know how to check if you have one. I believe a smart alternator reduces output voltage when it senses the starter battery is no longer charging, as a fuel saving thing, but this stops the split charge relay charging the leisure battery. It might be a case of "suck it and see". I hope this helps, and maybe somebody else with experience of using a split charge relay with a Mk 7 that has an Aux battery might add something in the comments.

[@annikahanken8212]

Hi! Thank you, this is really helpful for me too, since I'm converting my 2011 Ford Transit right now and I have two batteries under the seats as well + my own battery for everything "conversion related". Now, I did see 3 Consumer Connection Points next to the car seat. Can I use those as well to connect my battery? @@SPANNERRASH

[@Louisjp1875]

Should you vent the battery? I am going to be fitting a leisure battery soon but no one vents it in the videos

[@SPANNERRASH]

Interesting question. I haven't seen venting mentioned either. I don't think it is a big issue unless you are putting in a big battery bank of lead acid batteries, with phenomenal insulation. For the kind of installation I have done, only one battery, loads of ventilation I am happy with it. But let me know if you find any further information.

[@Louisjp1875]

@@SPANNERRASH thanks for replying. Yeah im fitting just one battery but when i was researching came across venting. And got me worried because my children will be sleeping in there and the battery is going under a bed i have bought a venting tube but dont want to make uneccesary holes in the van if i can help it