Compass 12 Volt Electrics

[Paul_5077620]

Hi I'm looking at buying a 2001 Compass Aztec 600. Its in really good condition, with all the right bits, apart from the 12 volt electrics.

The present owner had a problem with the 12 volt charging unit. Rather than having the part replaced, he had a local electrician wire in a normal car battery charger.

Assuming this has been installed correctly, is it safe? Will it do the same job as the original bit? Or should I have it put back to the original standard?

Cheers Paul.

 

[rayc]

Paul, yes it will be safe and this was a common arrangement before the days of inbuilt chargers.

If it were me I would not use it as a trickle charger but charge the battery and then switch the charger off. Every couple of days I would recharge the battery.

You may find that if you have a radio fitted that there is noise whilst the charger is on.

 

[RogerL]

If the charger has been installed correctly it should be safe but it DOESN'T do the same job as the original unit.

For many years caravans have been fitted with a power supply, technically different from a charger, usually with 10-20 amp continuous rating compared to a charger's continuous rating of 4-5 amps. In fact power supply fitment doesn't even need a battery in place although virtually all UK vans do have a battery.

If you use a lot of 12v equipment like lighting and tv, the charger may not be able to cope.

If the radio is a car type unit it should be able to suppress the interference ok, in a car it would have to cope with a high power alternator and 30,000 volts from the ignition system.