Leisure battery - help me spend my money.

I'd agree with just 1 battery for now and a new charger.

A 100ah lithium is pretty much double a 100ah AGM battery.
 
You will want a DC to DC charger. Loads of options.

Mine is a Renogy 50A, can connect solar to it as well.
 
Ok quick update - after all your help I didn't actually get anything ordered before the deadline .
Had 2 core minis in my basket , then one , then one and a charger ....then fell asleep with my phone in my hand and woke up at 3am having ordered nothing and the discount code had ended 😫
 
Ok quick update - after all your help I didn't actually get anything ordered before the deadline .
Had 2 core minis in my basket , then one , then one and a charger ....then fell asleep with my phone in my hand and woke up at 3am having ordered nothing and the discount code had ended 😫
Just wait until you're 50, it gets worse!
 
They've had that 300Ah mini core battery for £539 on three separate offers in the last two months, keeps catching my eye.:whistle:
Regarding multiple batteries the pluses would be stowing multiple small objects being easier than hiding something the size of a dustbin under a seat, the downs, there's wiring, isolating and balancing those bad boys.
 
I've got an EcoWorthy 100Ah LifePo4 thingy under my passenger seat, loads of capacity for what I need (no fridge). Only charging it with 120w solar folding thing I put on the roof, nothing else.

4 nights away this weekend, doubt I'll need to bother with the solar panel unless I need to top up the SB (also with solar) but then it looks like a lovely weekend so doubt I'll need the heater running so it's just lighting and gadget charging from leisure battery.
 
That's good to hear doncarlyon :D.

We typically do 3 months in spain through the winter months and have for the last few years done mainly sites with ehu .
Our typical draw is from our powered coolbox , telly, lights , tap and charging devices .
On a pay as you go metered site we use we get by on a pound lasting us 2 days so I'm confident we don't need too much juice .
 
Ok so just noticed the deals back on again :D....
Now can I actually hit the button without falling asleep?...again :whistle:

1x 100ah battery
1x dc2dc charger with mppt ...what size? 40?
Do I need a shunt to monitor stuff (no BT on that batt).
Am I right in assuming the dc to dc will just charge while the engines running and if I want to charge off EHU then I'll need another charger for that ?

Solar 'might' be added at a later date depending on time/money .

Our van is a t5.1 so doesn't have stop/start if that's of any relevance regarding dc to dc charging .
 
From personal experience get the Renogy DCC50S and you've got up to 50A charging from the alternator or more normally the input is split 50/50 with the alternator and solar input.
You can get an external mains EHU charger, I've got the 30A Victron but again from personal experience the only time I've used that was for putting in the initial charge.
I would get solar before the EHU charger as it's free electric and gets you off grid, get the biggest wattage panel/s you can and that way you can sell the 100Ah battery in the future and put in a 300Ah!
I've got a Renogy shunt and display, it tells me at a glance what's going on with the battery, two arrows up means power is going in despite the 3.5A draw of the fridge, arrows down and I'm eating into the battery, you can see how many Amps your kettle is pulling from your inverter.
IMG20240817131543.webp
:thumbsup:
 
Ok so just noticed the deals back on again :D....
Now can I actually hit the button without falling asleep?...again :whistle:

1x 100ah battery
1x dc2dc charger with mppt ...what size? 40?
Do I need a shunt to monitor stuff (no BT on that batt).
Am I right in assuming the dc to dc will just charge while the engines running and if I want to charge off EHU then I'll need another charger for that ?

Solar 'might' be added at a later date depending on time/money .

Our van is a t5.1 so doesn't have stop/start if that's of any relevance regarding dc to dc charging .
A shunt is very useful, especially with no BT. Personally I’d spend a little more and get a battery with BT, without it you’ve no way of monitoring the internals (such as cell balancing, temperature etc).

Yes, the DC-DC only charges with the engine running.

As Stay Frosty say, go solar rather than a mains charger. It can be done for £2-300 DIY. It’s a game changer and frees you up from EHU. I’ve not plugged in since fitting solar and not fitted my mains charger. I also hardly ever need to use the DC-DC. I don’t use an inverter.
 
Also you get the bluetooth adapter with the DC50S so you can monitor what it's up to.

I don't really want to stick a solar panel on top of mine, so thinking of a solar blanket and just having the cables under the bonnet ready for if i want to use it.

Don't have an inverter so do use EHU if away for a few days, for a kettle and air fryer.
 
Also you get the bluetooth adapter with the DC50S so you can monitor what it's up to.

I don't really want to stick a solar panel on top of mine, so thinking of a solar blanket and just having the cables under the bonnet ready for if i want to use it.

Don't have an inverter so do use EHU if away for a few days, for a kettle and air fryer.
That's what I do with my solar, 120watt folding Renogy, cables under bonnet so I can charge either leisure battery or starter battery when necessary. No EHU, no DC to DC.
 
2 KW inverter here, gas hob and grill but if I was starting from scratch rather than beefing up what the conversion had come with then mains hob and microwave... possibly hot water but then again. 🥸
I saw Lee's dellmassive single solar panel and will go that way if either or both of the two present 175 watt panels cark.
I'll be honest the success of this whole off grid free electric thing with the camper has made me want to disconnect our incoming supply at home too and go off grid there... I've already got a spare 1 KW inverter, the first camper one so well on our way...ish.:whistle::geek:
 
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Thanks for all your feedback , without you lot I really wouldn't have much of a clue .
So better battery first ...duo-tech ? Do I need a battery with heater? I don't 'do' cold and clear off to spain each winter in the van to escape it or is it more about buying that one because of the BT ?
DC50S next then ...does the display for that tell me more necessary info that is needed over what the battery monitoring will ?
I'm trying to simplify it as much as poss so I can get my head around it . 😊
 
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