hi guys I have a Fiat Doblo van which doesnt yet have a leisure battery. I've just had a quote from one firm and was a bit taken aback. Does anyone know roughly how much it should cost and know of anyone in the Preston, Lancashire area that is good and isnt going to be Dick Turpin!!! Thanks in advance, Jackie.
Hi Jackie, welcome to the forum.
A bit more info required.
Is there a leisure battery already fitted or is this a complete new installation?
I wasn't aware that a Doblo had a secondary 12v system.
------------- I came into this world with nothing and I've still got most of it left.
Installing a leisure battery in a vehicle is quite a complex job if the vehicle was never built with one. There is quite a bit of re-wiring to do and that takes time. The battery itself will probably be in the region of £100, but most of the cost will be labour charges.
The installation is not necessarily complex, but it depends on a number of things.
Firstly, how old is the van? Does it have a standard alternator or a 'smart' one. If it has a standard alternator, then a basic charging circuit will have either a split charge mechanical relay or a voltage sensing one. You will also have fuses in the circuit.
Now if you want to wire up a van to have power distribution, mains hook-up
(either in lieu of or in addition to engine charging) etc... although the components are not individually expensive, there will be a lot of labour charges.
Cost ?? battery, relay, wire & fuses - maybe £150 + labour maybe £100, but that's only having a leisure battery installed. Wiring up lights etc.. will incur a lot of labour costs.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Hi all and thanks for your replies. Apologies i didnt include enough detail!! Shes a 2010 fiat doblo. No leisure battery presently. Standard alternator i assume as no stop start tech bless her. She does already have external EHU and two double sockets. I literally just want a battery fitted/wired and aplit relay charger. Quote for that plus a 2000w inverter (which theres no way i need that much) was just shy of 700 quid all in. Thanks all.👍
Quote: Originally posted by JBate1104 on 08/10/2022
Hi all and thanks for your replies. Apologies i didnt include enough detail!! Shes a 2010 fiat doblo. No leisure battery presently. Standard alternator i assume as no stop start tech bless her. She does already have external EHU and two double sockets. I literally just want a battery fitted/wired and aplit relay charger. Quote for that plus a 2000w inverter (which theres no way i need that much) was just shy of 700 quid all in. Thanks all.👍
at that price i would be looking at getting a solar set up done! battery for £100 and about the same for a panel and then its working all the time there is daylight
Depending on size and type of battery AND type of inverter, that sounds like it could be a reasonably quote.
Ideally you want a 'pure sine wave' inverter if you are intending to power any kind of electronics from it, which are more expensive than 'modified sine wave' types. Modified sine wave inverters are OK for things like kettles and heaters, but can be incompatible with some electronic devices, that includes humble things like phone chargers, not just high end stuff like TV's, because the output is only approximating the sine wave form of normal mains supply.
If a lead acid battery, in whatever guise, remember that it can only be discharged to about half it's rated capacity before it will be damaged, so say a 100Ah battery only effectively has 50Ah usable capacity! With a 2000W inverter, ideally you'd want the biggest capacity battery you could fit! I know you are taking a quantum leap in costs, but a Lithium battery is more suited to a high powered inverter.
It gets difficult to explain the technical background and reasoning to a layperson without giving them a crash course in electronics and electrical engineering - believe me, it's dull stuff best avoided!
Thanks everyone. Really appreciate your help. Its my first year venturing into vans, being a confirmed tent dweller. But as i get older i figured it was easier to have a home on wheels rather than putting up and taking down a 20ft inflatable tent on my own.
Spiritburner has it right. Forget the inverter and use only devices designed for 12V. As for the cost, £700 sounds on the high side, although it depends on the amount of labour, rather than the components.
You might want to consider a 12V power supply / charger since you already have EHU.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
If the vehicle wasn't built with a leisure battery installed then everything is running off the vehicle battery. First thing to do will be to separate the "vehicle" circuits from the "domestic" circuits so that things like the interior lights, 12 volt power points, water pumps etc all run off a separate circuit to all the road lights, horn, wipers, etc. This "domestic" circuit can then be connected to the new leisure battery. That is the bit which may take some time, depending on how complex the wiring is. Once you have two separate circuits (one vehicle and one domestic) then you can set about sorting out the charging circuits. If you already have a mains-powered battery charger it will obviously be charging the vehicle (currently only) battery, so a switching circuit will need to be installed so that you can charge either battery from the EHU, unless of course you just want it to charge the leisure battery.
It's not that complicated a job, but it will be time consuming hence the £700 quote. If that is all in it doesn't actually seem that bad considering today's labour charges.
Forget the inverter and use 12 volt. Use portable power packs to charge phones and stuff like that.
What do you have running in the van when you've been away in it ?
Have you used it off grid or only been using EUH?
Did you get a quote from a conversation company or auto electrician ?
With the wiring and possibly new control panel and relay it's not a massive job. But time wise it's a big job working out what wiring is what and rewiring and routing cables. Which will be much of cost.
As for a battery we've 110 ah and works fine for use up to 4 days no issues. The best thing to do work out what your power needs are and match it to battery big enough.
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Topic: Leisure Battery Installation
via mobile 08/10/2022 at 1:28pm
