Hooking up to a leisure battery...Please Help!!!

[Rod_5082702]

I know this may be difficult to explain in a text, but I've just bought a caravan and I'm having difficulty understanding how I can hook up the leisure battery. It appears the chap who I bought the van off must have ran his internal lights (and fridge, I guess) off his car battery constantly, as the 12s plug (the white/greyish cable) goes directly in to the van, and appears to join to the internal 12v cabling. I can't see anywhere where I would connect in the battery. I'm either missing something simple, or I'm going mad!!! Please help.

 

[354]

What is the make model and year of the van?

Most vans have the battery situated in a seperate locker.

 

[Rod_5082702]

What is the make model and year of the van?

Most vans have the battery situated in a seperate locker.

Thanks for the reply. The Caravan is a '82 GLT Monolite Transcontinental. I appreciate that most vans will have a seperate locker for the battery. I know where I can put a battery, I just don't know how I wire it into the existing 12v wiring. There's no obvious connections - just the 12s cable that conects to the internal wiring. I don't think the chap I bought the van off has ever used a seperate battery other than run the 12v off his car.

 

[rayc]

Rod, Run red and black 2,5mm wires from where you are going to locate the battery to the junction you have identified where the 12S connects to the van electrics. Connect the black - to the van negative (black?) and red to the van + supply (red?). Connect clamp on battery terminals to the leads with the red supply via a 20 A fuse.

Make sure the battery is suitably clamped in position and that there are some vent holes (you may not be charging the battery in situ but you may be tempted).

Remember that pin 4 in the 12S socket will have the supply + on it (assuming it was wired in normal convention) so be careful not to short it out when disconnected otherwise the fuse will blow.

 

[rayc]

Rod, Run red and black 2,5mm wires from where you are going to locate the battery to the junction you have identified where the 12S connects to the van electrics. Connect the black - to the van negative (black?) and red to the van + supply (red?). Connect clamp on battery terminals to the leads with the red supply via a 20 A fuse.

Make sure the battery is suitably clamped in position and that there are some vent holes (you may not be charging the battery in situ but you may be tempted).

Remember that pin 4 in the 12S socket will have the supply + on it (assuming it was wired in normal convention) so be careful not to short it out when disconnected otherwise the fuse will blow.

Rod, I see that you think the fridge may also be connected to this supply? I hope this is not so as the lights and water pump would have been fed from the permanent feed as described in my earlier reply, with + on pin 4 ( green in the 12S cable )and - on pin 3(white in the 12S cable).

The fridge should have been fed from a supply only switched when the car engine is running. This would have the + supply on pin 6 (red in the 12S lead) with - on pin 3.

if you want any more info just ask. Ray

 

[Rod_5082702]

Rod, I see that you think the fridge may also be connected to this supply? I hope this is not so as the lights and water pump would have been fed from the permanent feed as described in my earlier reply, with + on pin 4 ( green in the 12S cable )and - on pin 3(white in the 12S cable).

The fridge should have been fed from a supply only switched when the car engine is running. This would have the + supply on pin 6 (red in the 12S lead) with - on pin 3.

if you want any more info just ask. Ray

I appreciate your help. Thank you. You're correct about the fridge - my mistake. I now understand the theory of connecting direct from the leisure battery to the internal 12v wiring (black & Red), but how will this effect the 12s cable that is also connected to the internal cabling. Forgive my stupidity, but am I to assume the two shouldn't run at the same time?