How do I work out if my leisure battery is doing anything?

[TacticalBrick]

I bought a T6 (2018) a few weeks ago and I noticed tonight there's a leisure battery under the drivers seat. It's not on the spec sheet, so it's after market. It's also got an Autoterm diesel heater.

I don't know anything about leisure batteries on campers and I cant get any good photos except the ones I have attached. Is there anything I can do with it? I don't plan to convert it. It's going to spend it's life with me towing our caravan, a yearly drive over to Europe and driving my boys and I out to a field for some camping in a tent on occasion.

I'm starting to think someone was going to convert this and gave up on the idea. The fact the dealer has just put a new cambelt, waterpump, crank seal, & EGR valve on it perhaps lends some weight to that theory. Contrary to that theory though, the last owner fully sound deadend it and put some beefy Alpine speakers in the bulkhead.

There's very little in the way of USB chargers, so could I utilise this battery somehow to add those easily?

 

[Dellmassive]

looks like a Renogy 20A dc-dc charger.

and a xxxxx leisure battery.

plus small fuse box.

 

[Bigsidavies]

Probably had the LB installed just to run the diesel heater. Had to do that in my mate's after he took it for a heater install and they asked him where his LB was.
You'll be able to use it to add a few USB sockets and lighting and it will recharge as you drive along.

 

[TacticalBrick]

Thanks for the info! Handy to know why it's there. As there's a distinct lack of usb ports in the rear for the kids, utilising it for some usb charging ports sounds like a great idea.

One problem though, I have no idea how to go about that. Is there a handy guide?

To get full access, and see everything underneath, is it a driver's seat out job?

 

[Anakin]

That fuse box would be a great place to start, running a cable towards the rear to feed some USB sockets. Taking the seat out is only 4 bolts and photos will aid the forum in giving you more advice.

 

[Bigsidavies]

Seat out is a 5 minute job.
Looks like a small fuse box attached to the Renogy, so it should be a case of running a +I've from the fuse box to a usb socket wherever you want to locate one or more.
Have a look at the various electrical build threads on here, but you need cable thickness that will take more amps than the sockets will draw. Then you need to account for the voltage drop over the length of the cable.
There's a handy calculator on the 12v Planet website. Take your time and have a read and ask questions on here and you'll sort it easily enough.