Leisure battery locations - why?
- Thread starter RobFlynn
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- leisure battery
No specific reason. Mine is under the passenger seat as the pipework for the diesel heater is under my drivers seat. Others may have it the other way due to seat swivels, the fuses under the passenger seat or to reduce the cable length from the starter battery to the DC-DC depending where they put that. Either way, the space is the same and both seats bases have a ground point unless there are other mods getting in the way.
From my perspective I dunno why people don't choose the passenger seat base for the rig. a lot of vans start with a bench seat instead of single passenger swivel and as a swivel is a relatively cheap mod, it's easier to focus all the electrics to the driver's seat base and have a swivel on the bench. Then after a while bench is upgraded to a single swivel. Maybe it's a trend. I'd have thought more apt for amps t be under the drivers seat. Who knows?
An interesting discussion. My van has a double passenger seat that flips open with plenty of room, so from that perspective it would be ideal for a leisure battery. But if I want a swivel seat then all that changes, so need to consider the future changes that may be required.
I don't have a leisure battery at the moment, but will be something I will be looking at, hence following this discussion. I did quite like the ecoflow delta system as another option. So far by being careful with energy usage we haven't needed any additional power, but have a jump starter pack just in case.
I have always been mindful of power usage after being on boats, and not being able to start the motor due to both start and house batteries being too discharged
I don't have a leisure battery at the moment, but will be something I will be looking at, hence following this discussion. I did quite like the ecoflow delta system as another option. So far by being careful with energy usage we haven't needed any additional power, but have a jump starter pack just in case.
I have always been mindful of power usage after being on boats, and not being able to start the motor due to both start and house batteries being too discharged
It's because the kitchen units are on the driver's side, so keeps all the cableing to one side .. battery and fuse box feeds.
But as above you can place anywhere.
Left ,right or rear.
But as above you can place anywhere.
Left ,right or rear.
My build is progressing slowly - kombi as daily and two kids so edging towards the BIG STUFF. I’ve got 2 amps under the the single passenger seat and just about finished a battery/b2b charger build completed under the driver’s seat. I have a primary midi-fuse box alongside the battery but not the room I wanted for another blade fuse box for lights, fridge, etc. it got me thinking as to where to put it. It actually makes quite a bit of sense to put it behind an access panel on the n/s near the tailgate. Very easily accessible as opposed to being buried at the back of a cupboard. Cable runs from the fuse box to fridge would be a little longer, but no difference in heavy cable length (seat to back) if the seat installs were reversed. Ball-ache but maybe better.
Thoughts?
Any concerns over voltage drops?
Thoughts?
Any concerns over voltage drops?
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Yes.
Depending on the charger.
Some chargers will back drain a small amount of power.
A better option is a charger that has the quick disconnect cable that can be clipped in quickly.
Like victron, noco and ctek for example.
Depending on the charger.
Some chargers will back drain a small amount of power.
A better option is a charger that has the quick disconnect cable that can be clipped in quickly.
Like victron, noco and ctek for example.
Hi thanks for quick response. Yes the charger has quick connectors so next step seat removed.
Next q that earth point under the seat is it ok to trim it to help battery lie flat. ,?
Do we need battery padding Carpet etc to stop battery rubbing under seat ? Or just pack the battery tight ? Lots of edges everywhere.
Thanks in advance hope this helps others.
Next q that earth point under the seat is it ok to trim it to help battery lie flat. ,?
Do we need battery padding Carpet etc to stop battery rubbing under seat ? Or just pack the battery tight ? Lots of edges everywhere.
Thanks in advance hope this helps others.
Yes you can trim the earth bolt, but it is also useful as your ground point for the battery. I put a foam pad under the battery, cut from a floor mat, just to protect from anything sharp. You’ll need a strap or something similar to tie the battery and stop it sliding around.
A picture speaks a thousand words. Thank you. To help anyone else, I've repositioned the battery to the back of the seat frame and mounted on a battery tray which bolts down using the chairs fixings which also gives the battery more space below the chair. Strapped it down with the webbing and used door edge protector strip to cover the many sharp edges.
Nice job. Do you have a link to the tray you used please?
The Drift has a heater so can be charged in sub-zero temperatures, plus has UK support. No heater in the Eco-worthy, so could be an issue if you use the electrics in the winter, and overseas support. Both are manufactured from mostly (all probably!) Chinese components. Fogstar also do the Eco model which doesn’t have the heater which maybe worth a look.
+1 for moving it towards the back, we welded up a tray for a friends that the battery slot's into on all 4 sides to prevent movement and bolts to the seat base using some existing holes. It then has a strap that goes around it to prevent it coming upwards. It's pretty sturdy!
Finished product look's allot like @ginkster expect we have a fair chunk of OEM wiring still in place and fuses for sliding doors - curious what you did with the OEM relays etc @ginkster ?
Passanger, but with a feed over to Drivers for a fuse box reason being addition of a diesel heater in the future.
