help with batteries please

[falcoron]

Hi ive been converting my 2011 2.2 MK7 lwb hi roof transit and need some advice please.

this van was an ex network rail van but was stripped of all the usual stuff inside ( inverter heater water heater sinks etc etc.
I still have the 2 batteries under the drivers seat, one starter and one leisure battery. There is also a buzz bar in the battery compartment with 100 and 60a fused links these still have cables running to them but as all the gear was removed i will be disconnecting them once i know which ones are not needed anymore or have been cut with the equipment removal.

I also want to run a second leisure battery and place at rear of the van and put in a victron ip22 smart charger for when im on 240v hook up so all batteries get charged.

can anyone tell me;
1, if my van has a smart alternator?
2 if i have or have not which way is best to do what i want above?
Cheers

[hectors-tranny]

Not sure about the smart alternator. But I guess if you are asking, you are hoping to avoid having to buy a battery to battery charger? Just stump up the cash - they are so good you won't regret it. Apart from charging your leisure battery up to 5 times as quickly, your leisure battery will last much longer with a B2B charger. If you plan on keeping the van it's well worth doing. Plus the issue of a smart alternator then becomes irrelevant.

So... just buy a B2B charger and connect positives of starter and leisure battery to it, with suitable inline fuses as near to the battery positives as possible. Earth your leisure battery and B2B charger, and your'e done.

[falcoron]

Thanks for the reply,
yeah that sound like a plan and if I have a smart alternator this is my only option. however if I don't have a smart alt I don't need to splash the cash on it as the (already expensive) Victron charger I have now would do fine, also I could then splash the cash on a nice Victron solar panel and controller for off grid charging, which would be my end goal.

any way of checking if the van is smart alt?

[hectors-tranny]

Thanks for the reply,
yeah that sound like a plan and if I have a smart alternator this is my only option. however if I don't have a smart alt I don't need to splash the cash on it as the (already expensive) Victron charger I have now would do fine, also I could then splash the cash on a nice Victron solar panel and controller for off grid charging, which would be my end goal.

any way of checking if the van is smart alt?

Not sure about that.

Regarding the solar panel or B2B thing - if you tend to drive around a bit each day when camping, you simply won't need a solar panel if you have a B2B charger, as they charge batteries so quickly. If you tend to park up with little or no driving for a few days, a solar panel is the way to go. (Although your leisure battery will still last longer if you use a B2B charger )

[falcoron]

Cheers mate need to make a call what I spend it on then.

[Cider Andy]

At 2011 it's likely it's a Euro4 emissions compliant van, in which case it won't have a smart alternator, although 2011 was the crossover year to Euro5. I don't think I've seen an 11-plate Euro5 van but I have seen 61-plate Euro5s.

Are you retaining the double passenger seat? If you're putting in a single seat (which makes it easier to get from the cab to the back), you could store your leisure battery under that instead of wasting space in the back. Single seat bolts straight to the floor using the same mounting holes. As they're quite rare they go for a premium in the UK but there's another forum member offering to bring a seat back from a breaker's in Holland for anyone who's interested. See this thread for details.

[falcoron]

Thanks yes just found out its euro 4 so no smart alternator, the 2 batteries under the drivers seats are attached to the buzz bar after the relay, im keeping these batteries where they are as the replay ect are all there, I am adding an additional battery for more amp hours and its going to the rear as I have a seperate compartment down there for all the electrics, ( Consumer unit, charger, fuse box, fridge ect ect.) its easier for me as the charger is there and is wired up to consumer unit for 240v while hooked up at a camp site. so when hooked up the charger is connected to the rear battery and hopefully charge the rest as its sitting hooked up. The VSR replay kicks in when I start the van so charges the batteries when driving, I was just wanting to know if that is ok to do this way? Also, does the new battery at the rear get attached to the buzz bar under the seat before or after the relay so charging is right from both the alt and the battery charger? does that make sense?

cheers