Does anyone know if it is possible to install a leisure battery in a Burstner caravan which does not normally use a battery system as in normal British practice. If it can be done any ideas as to how, and would it be an idea to build in a charger?
------------- He who has not made a mistake has not made anything
If it is designed to be 240v electric hook up only, personally I'd stick to that.
It is of course possible, but it would entail a major strip of interior panelling to install transformer / fuseboard / wires / switches / light fittings.
If you did want to go ahead as a major project, the simplest was of acheiving charging is to carry a normal car batter charger and plug it into any outlet. But of course once you are on ehu, you have defeated the need for 12v!
I have one fitted in my Burstner but I had it fitted when I bought it.I don't see why you couldn't fit one yourself but you would need a Gel battery if you fit it inside the van as they don't have a vented external battery box.
saxo1, thanks for the Gel battery suggestion, I will research into that. I have come to the conclusion, having looked at my old van from 1990 (getting damp and tatty) that the Zig 12v unit is hooked onto the 12v circuit from the battery so might be possible, with appropriate fuses to do something similar.
------------- He who has not made a mistake has not made anything
Noticed that Gel batteries can be very pricey, eg £160 for 55amp hour. I realised that my ABI Jubilee 1990 vintage, although in an external box and sealed from the inside is not actually vented other than through a tiny gap where the cable goes through for the mains hook up which would be blocked with the cable in place. I am thinking of maybe building a sealed box into the external locker, perhaps with a scrap part from another van. Might consider using part of my Jubilee as it is quite damp and may be scrapped anyway.
------------- He who has not made a mistake has not made anything
As it happens, when I picked up the 'van, it had been built to UK spec with a battery with a charger unit and 13 amp sockets (6 in all!) so the problem is solved. Thanks anyway for the suggestions. I did note that the Burstner manual (enormous book!) mentions a setting in the "Configure System Regulator" section there is a setting for a Gel battery where a jumper needs to be re-positioned. An interesting setting is that it is possible to configure it to turn all the internal appliances on at night and off during the day.
If anyone needs any help with a section from the manual I would be glad to copy the relevant part for you.
------------- He who has not made a mistake has not made anything
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Battery in a Burstner Caravan
