Thanks for your channel - a lot of good advice. We have a CV 60 and yes it’s the first van without ‘vehicle’ battery 240v charging we have ever owned.... Apparently it’s the fault of the ‘Smart Alternator’. Having now fully charged the vehicle battery from the solar panel regulator 2nd battery output, our ‘auto self start’ works at last too! Previously it only worked after at least an hours drive, as on site, or in the drive, it goes flat (less than 12v) in less than two weeks of door opening, firing up some electrics, alarm, and step operation. Again our old vans steps were from the leisure battery... I guess most new Fiat vans could be suffering this too, or is it our ‘budget’ vans only? I am surprised more is not known about this and publicised for us oldies who expect things to be the same and not worse! Two weeks on site isn’t unreasonable? It can’t be doing the vehicle battery any good at all.
@@RickandHeather I'm not over keen on the stop start either, but if you've got it - flaunt it! It never 'happened' in the first 1,400 miles! Sorry only once after the A3 for an hour, I thought it was broken.... Now it does work, (if I keep my wire down the middle of the van connected), I'll turn it off!
Great stuff Ricky and Heather. As ever very informative and to the point. Will be great when you can get out in Pearl but meanwhile great to get all these little jobs done. My list is growing rapidly and we haven’t got our CV40 yet ! Regards Graham
After watching your video I was inspired to fit a vehicle battery maintainance device. However my battery looked different to yours (there is a “box”on the negative terminal with wires coming out of it) so I put the connectors directly onto the battery terminals not the easiest but job done.
Hi Rick and Heather , Not long picked up our CV20 70 plate , As mentioned on the CV owners site we was told not to worry about the starter battery and the leisure battery as it all looks after itself . Well , within the first week the starter battery just about managed to start the van . I charged the battery for a day as the charger ammeter was off the scale , went back to the dealer and the technician maintains that the solar panel will look after both battery’s , I asked where they put the van Dc to Dc charger and I will check to see what is fitted as I cannot seem to get any information on the products fitted , The technician said Elddis buy the vans and the wiring looms are already in place and the Dc to Dc charger (if that is what has been fitted ) is behind the panelling somewhere. I have contacted Fiat and Mentioned that it states in the manual to unclip the negative lead before charging , which I did , I measured the voltage on the leads from the battery and There is no voltage back feed from the Leisure battery / solar panel as the leisure battery is fully charged and would then charge the flat starter battery if this is how it should work . Which makes me think what the dealers technician said is not right . Fiat said if it has stop start fitted you would have a smart alternator and produces its own problems with charging , I haven’t got stop start fitted and is a basic 160 amp output alternator as Fiat said and with no Ct on the negative lead of the battery . Measured the battery voltage today and it’s slowly dropping from when I last charged it. Would be nice to know what equipment has been fitted and perhaps drawings and specifications of the gear as when the warranty runs out it will be an option to perhaps upgrade to better gear . Im going to get in touch with Elddis to get some sort of information about the important stuff instead of a manual that tells you how to work a microwave , will keep you posted
Thanks Colin, the standard charge control can be wired to charge the van as well but ours wasn’t (you’ll see if the second output is wired on yours) the b2b only puts out 4 amps I’m let to believe hence why a lot of people fit a stand alone one, we’re very low power users so don’t have issues often, the separate battery charge connector I fitted was really only if we left the van for weeks on end without using it (like in lockdown) we’re out most weeks to be honest so I haven’t needed it much. Cheers, definitely keep me posted 🖤🏴☠️
Just see your video of connection a fitting for you van battery... did you know when you put you campervan on hook up it charges the van battery first because the leisure battery recharges from both the solar panel and the vehicle charger put your multimeter on first then plug it in you will get 2 voltage readings..🙋♂️
Hi ric ..like that wee battery monitor..could I connect that straight to the leisure battery terminals...I also have a double USB plug at the kitchen which we wanna keep ..could I splice into the back of them and would that show me a true reading of the health of the leisure battery 🔋 Ta .
You can as long as you put a switch on to turn it off when you aren’t in the van or it will draw power all the time, splicing into the existing wires will give a fair idea on the battery health yes.
Hi, Really informative videos, we have a CV20 too. Does being connected to shore power not charge the main vehicle battery as well as the leisure battery?
Not on this specific vehicle set up, the battery to battery charger is only 1 way, so your alternator charges both but your solar or on board charger by default only does the leisure battery (the original solar controller is capable of charging both if connected) I cover the solar in a different episode. As a side note normally the engine battery going flat wouldn’t be an issue but with lockdown etc the van hasn’t moved and the tracker will drain it if not occasionally charged.
@@RickandHeather we're in the same boat! Got the CV20 last years version, at the end of the summer and got one trip in before locdown started again! It's not moved since. I've left it connected to shore power thinking this would be protecting both batteries (we have the original solar controller connected) - fingers crossed - I'll go out and try starting it in a minute!
@@RickandHeather , so lunchtime battery checking session complete and....it was very nearly flat - I've got a CTEK 7.0 so have got that on recharge (powered on the Van's 240v which is connected to shore power - hope this is ok?!). Glad I watched your video - you've potentially saved me a new battery :-)
Cable for what part? All cable so far is existing except the brown and blue which I added to move the usb, that’s such a tiny draw of voltage you could use a lot thinner than I used, it’s just some old 240v flex cable from something I kept, I hoard old bits of wire, if I was doing something big like adding a battery etc I’ll source the correct size. Glad you’re enjoying the videos happy Boxing Day to you too 👍
Hi Rick. Enjoyed the video. Electrics made simple. One question - are you not concerned about impacting the warrenty by making these additions and changes?
I’m sure the warranty is affected on certain parts of it yes BUT I’ve not paid all this money out to “make do” with things in the wrong place, I’d argue for example that “if” the heater (for example) packed up nothing I’m doing affected it, I don’t really see a warranty being affected by drilling wood or moving a socket.... if so then so be it, we bought it to use not to put up with items supplied as standard.
Could you advise me about charging the vehicle battery please? I have a Elddis Majestic 135 motorhome which I bought new in 2017. I also have a CTEK Multi XS4003 charger which I use to charge my car battery, I intended to use it to charge the motorhome vehicle battery during the winter months but in the Peugeot Boxer handbook it says when charging the battery to 'disconnect the battery' (p142) and again on p143 it says 'never charge a battery without first disconnecting the terminals'. Do you have to disconnect the terminals on your battery prior to charging?
A lot of modern cars say this, I believe it’s to do with the very sensitive fuses and electrical stuff on the battery (certainly if you look at the battery you’ll see that) a friend of mine who is an AA patrol said as long as I didn’t turn on my ignition while charging it is fine, so far I haven’t had an issue following that advice.
@@RickandHeather Thank you for your reply and I will try the charger and see how it goes. It will be better to connect charger and leave it so it can 'pulse' charge to keep the battery in trim during the cold weather.
On the engine battery? You can leave this type of charger on all the time if you want yeah, if you mean the leisure charger we plug back in when back in winter but solar does the job in summer yes say hi at Peterborough 👋
Great video - very informative. Does the engine keep the leisure battery charged? I.e. if the leisure battery were getting low could you turn the engine on for an hour or so?
@@colinrice6272 I’d ask on the cv Facebook page I’m not sure if I’m honest, also depends on if you have a smart alternator fitted (if your van has stop start)
Nice one rick. Your right, What a stupid place to put USB sockets. I liked the voltmeter, where did you get it and do you know if you can get dual battery checker?
I have no usb at all in the cab area, not by the tv aerial for sure, ours is a 2022. Sorry meant not in the Hab area... there are some on the dash but only powered when the engine is on. So when parked up there is no way to charge a phone, crazy for 2022.
There’s a thing called “scheduled videos” you record and then automatically release them whenever you like 👍 (but yes I’m that dedicated I work on Christmas Day 😂)
Another great upload, thank you. My son is a sparky so will soon be adding campervan electrics to his skillset!! Just one question, there's not much room between the rear doors and your new usb site. Did you consider another location? And, will you be adding more electric sockets? Oh, and, would you replace the lights with ones that have usb sockets? Keep up the great work guys!
You’re correct there isn’t much room for the usb, that’s partly why I added the switch so we can plug the leads in and leave them coiled in a net pocket we added and then turn off with no fear of the wires getting damaged. The usb light swap is an option but I wanted the socket low down. We don’t really use 240v so the 2 sockets are plenty or if you use the hob one (under the big drawer) and the microwave one there are 4 total
@@RickandHeather Ah, I see, great idea re the cords! I don't have a microwave so only 3 sockets including one for the telly, but moving the usb ports will help as I do get interference from the USB port. Stay safe peeps x
@@michelleharris3550 you can always run a extension lead up from the hob one (if you have an electric hob?) to somewhere behind the cooker easily I’d imagine? Shout up if you need anymore “advice” (my opinions may not suit everyone 😂)
![เปิดบ้าน โคตรสวย ป๋องกพล รู้จักตั้งนาน เพิ่งรู้ว่ารวย!!! l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tmgCF_2HfYI/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for your channel - a lot of good advice. We have a CV 60 and yes it’s the first van without ‘vehicle’ battery 240v charging we have ever owned....
Apparently it’s the fault of the ‘Smart Alternator’.
Having now fully charged the vehicle battery from the solar panel regulator 2nd battery output, our ‘auto self start’ works at last too!
Previously it only worked after at least an hours drive, as on site, or in the drive, it goes flat (less than 12v) in less than two weeks of door opening, firing up some electrics, alarm, and step operation. Again our old vans steps were from the leisure battery...
I guess most new Fiat vans could be suffering this too, or is it our ‘budget’ vans only?
I am surprised more is not known about this and publicised for us oldies who expect things to be the same and not worse! Two weeks on site isn’t unreasonable? It can’t be doing the vehicle battery any good at all.
Glad you’re enjoying the videos, we don’t have stop start (I hate it) but yes smart alternators are annoying as is the crazy wiring in my opinion 👍
@@RickandHeather I'm not over keen on the stop start either, but if you've got it - flaunt it! It never 'happened' in the first 1,400 miles! Sorry only once after the A3 for an hour, I thought it was broken....
Now it does work, (if I keep my wire down the middle of the van connected), I'll turn it off!
@@paulsparks5071 we have it in the car, I turn it off as soon as I start the engine 😀
Great stuff Ricky and Heather. As ever very informative and to the point. Will be great when you can get out in Pearl but meanwhile great to get all these little jobs done. My list is growing rapidly and we haven’t got our CV40 yet !
Regards Graham
Thanks, I try to be to the point so as not to bore too much 🤣 hopefully you’ll hear about your van soon!
loved this very informative , makes sense moving it , great video again , (so handy when the wife can hold the camera)
Certainly easier with her help, you know how long tripod and repositioning of stuff takes! 😂
After watching your video I was inspired to fit a vehicle battery maintainance device. However my battery looked different to yours (there is a “box”on the negative terminal with wires coming out of it) so I put the connectors directly onto the battery terminals not the easiest but job done.
Hopefully it helps, I avoid all the electrical fuses and stuff myself to be fair, the modern vehicle is a strange thing....
Great video as always, makes total sense to move the usb socket to somewhere where you can use it when needed, hope you both had a good Christmas ⛄
A bit quieter than we’d have liked but it was nice all the same, hopefully you had a good one too. 🎄
@@RickandHeather quieter than normal as well, we went back into lockdown from this morning
@@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain I’m sure most of us will be come January unfortunately
Hi Rick and Heather , Not long picked up our CV20 70 plate , As mentioned on the CV owners site we was told not to worry about the starter battery and the leisure battery as it all looks after itself . Well , within the first week the starter battery just about managed to start the van . I charged the battery for a day as the charger ammeter was off the scale , went back to the dealer and the technician maintains that the solar panel will look after both battery’s , I asked where they put the van Dc to Dc charger and I will check to see what is fitted as I cannot seem to get any information on the products fitted , The technician said Elddis buy the vans and the wiring looms are already in place and the Dc to Dc charger (if that is what has been fitted ) is behind the panelling somewhere.
I have contacted Fiat and Mentioned that it states in the manual to unclip the negative lead before charging , which I did , I measured the voltage on the leads from the battery and There is no voltage back feed from the Leisure battery / solar panel as the leisure battery is fully charged and would then charge the flat starter battery if this is how it should work . Which makes me think what the dealers technician said is not right . Fiat said if it has stop start fitted you would have a smart alternator and produces its own problems with charging , I haven’t got stop start fitted and is a basic 160 amp output alternator as Fiat said and with no Ct on the negative lead of the battery . Measured the battery voltage today and it’s slowly dropping from when I last charged it. Would be nice to know what equipment has been fitted and perhaps drawings and specifications of the gear as when the warranty runs out it will be an option to perhaps upgrade to better gear . Im going to get in touch with Elddis
to get some sort of information about the important stuff instead of a manual that tells you how to work a microwave , will keep you posted
Thanks Colin, the standard charge control can be wired to charge the van as well but ours wasn’t (you’ll see if the second output is wired on yours) the b2b only puts out 4 amps I’m let to believe hence why a lot of people fit a stand alone one, we’re very low power users so don’t have issues often, the separate battery charge connector I fitted was really only if we left the van for weeks on end without using it (like in lockdown) we’re out most weeks to be honest so I haven’t needed it much. Cheers, definitely keep me posted 🖤🏴☠️
Just see your video of connection a fitting for you van battery... did you know when you put you campervan on hook up it charges the van battery first because the leisure battery recharges from both the solar panel and the vehicle charger put your multimeter on first then plug it in you will get 2 voltage readings..🙋♂️
Where did you get the voltmeter from looks good and matches the socket as well
eBay but it was nearly a year ago so can’t recall the seller (maybe in the comments if someone else asked)
Hi ric ..like that wee battery monitor..could I connect that straight to the leisure battery terminals...I also have a double USB plug at the kitchen which we wanna keep ..could I splice into the back of them and would that show me a true reading of the health of the leisure battery 🔋 Ta .
You can as long as you put a switch on to turn it off when you aren’t in the van or it will draw power all the time, splicing into the existing wires will give a fair idea on the battery health yes.
Hi,
Really informative videos, we have a CV20 too. Does being connected to shore power not charge the main vehicle battery as well as the leisure battery?
Not on this specific vehicle set up, the battery to battery charger is only 1 way, so your alternator charges both but your solar or on board charger by default only does the leisure battery (the original solar controller is capable of charging both if connected) I cover the solar in a different episode. As a side note normally the engine battery going flat wouldn’t be an issue but with lockdown etc the van hasn’t moved and the tracker will drain it if not occasionally charged.
@@RickandHeather we're in the same boat! Got the CV20 last years version, at the end of the summer and got one trip in before locdown started again! It's not moved since. I've left it connected to shore power thinking this would be protecting both batteries (we have the original solar controller connected) - fingers crossed - I'll go out and try starting it in a minute!
@@FatSlugGaming let me know 👍
@@RickandHeather , so lunchtime battery checking session complete and....it was very nearly flat - I've got a CTEK 7.0 so have got that on recharge (powered on the Van's 240v which is connected to shore power - hope this is ok?!). Glad I watched your video - you've potentially saved me a new battery :-)
Turns out shore power and solar is only keeping the leisure battery topped up and not the vehicle battery!
Hi, where did you get the battery monitor that you put in place of the USB sockets in the cupboard please ?
EBay i think but it was 3 years ago 🤷♂️
Merry Christmas Boxer day. What size cable do you use and where do you buy yours? Great info on the channel, I enjoy it a lot 👍
Cable for what part? All cable so far is existing except the brown and blue which I added to move the usb, that’s such a tiny draw of voltage you could use a lot thinner than I used, it’s just some old 240v flex cable from something I kept, I hoard old bits of wire, if I was doing something big like adding a battery etc I’ll source the correct size. Glad you’re enjoying the videos happy Boxing Day to you too 👍
Hi Rick. Enjoyed the video. Electrics made simple. One question - are you not concerned about impacting the warrenty by making these additions and changes?
I’m sure the warranty is affected on certain parts of it yes BUT I’ve not paid all this money out to “make do” with things in the wrong place, I’d argue for example that “if” the heater (for example) packed up nothing I’m doing affected it, I don’t really see a warranty being affected by drilling wood or moving a socket.... if so then so be it, we bought it to use not to put up with items supplied as standard.
Could you advise me about charging the vehicle battery please? I have a Elddis Majestic 135 motorhome which I bought new in 2017. I also have a CTEK Multi XS4003 charger which I use to charge my car battery, I intended to use it to charge the motorhome vehicle battery during the winter months but in the Peugeot Boxer handbook it says when charging the battery to 'disconnect the battery' (p142) and again on p143 it says 'never charge a battery without first disconnecting the terminals'. Do you have to disconnect the terminals on your battery prior to charging?
A lot of modern cars say this, I believe it’s to do with the very sensitive fuses and electrical stuff on the battery (certainly if you look at the battery you’ll see that) a friend of mine who is an AA patrol said as long as I didn’t turn on my ignition while charging it is fine, so far I haven’t had an issue following that advice.
@@RickandHeather Thank you for your reply and I will try the charger and see how it goes. It will be better to connect charger and leave it so it can 'pulse' charge to keep the battery in trim during the cold weather.
@@robertcrouch4664 our van has a tracker so has to be charged every couple weeks as the tracker is quite a drain.👍
Hi Ric, what setting on the charger when the battery is full do you leave the charger on?
Regards Ted PS meet up with you and Heather at Peterborough
On the engine battery? You can leave this type of charger on all the time if you want yeah, if you mean the leisure charger we plug back in when back in winter but solar does the job in summer yes say hi at Peterborough 👋
You mentioned forums for the CV20. Can you share the websites you use for research please
There’s a Facebook page called elddis and compass CV20 40 60 80 owners
Hi. Can you add purchase details on the voltmeter and terminal clamps. Thx
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/C-Line-Green-12v-24v-Voltmeter-Battery-Voltage-Display-Grey-1-Way-Frame-Boat-HGV/254540274307
The terminal clips came with it, hope that’s what you meant?
@@RickandHeather Many thanks.
I've just ordered via your link. Thank you.
@@michelleharris3550 no worries
Great video - very informative. Does the engine keep the leisure battery charged? I.e. if the leisure battery were getting low could you turn the engine on for an hour or so?
Yes in this van it’s got a one way split charge so the alternator charges the leisure whilst the engine is running.
@@RickandHeather Any idea where this is located as I have fitted Lithium batteries to my CV40 and I might need to change dip switches
@@colinrice6272 I’d ask on the cv Facebook page I’m not sure if I’m honest, also depends on if you have a smart alternator fitted (if your van has stop start)
Nice one rick. Your right, What a stupid place to put USB sockets. I liked the voltmeter, where did you get it and do you know if you can get dual battery checker?
It was off eBay I’m sure Heather’s put a link in a comment somewhere on here? No idea on the dual meter tho!
I have no usb at all in the cab area, not by the tv aerial for sure, ours is a 2022. Sorry meant not in the Hab area... there are some on the dash but only powered when the engine is on. So when parked up there is no way to charge a phone, crazy for 2022.
Is it standard elddis or a dealer special? Surprised you don’t have any cab ones as Fiat usually fit some but I have seen the elddis part without them
Are you doing this on Christmas Day?
You should be chilling...
There’s a thing called “scheduled videos” you record and then automatically release them whenever you like 👍 (but yes I’m that dedicated I work on Christmas Day 😂)
Another great upload, thank you. My son is a sparky so will soon be adding campervan electrics to his skillset!!
Just one question, there's not much room between the rear doors and your new usb site. Did you consider another location?
And, will you be adding more electric sockets?
Oh, and, would you replace the lights with ones that have usb sockets?
Keep up the great work guys!
You’re correct there isn’t much room for the usb, that’s partly why I added the switch so we can plug the leads in and leave them coiled in a net pocket we added and then turn off with no fear of the wires getting damaged. The usb light swap is an option but I wanted the socket low down. We don’t really use 240v so the 2 sockets are plenty or if you use the hob one (under the big drawer) and the microwave one there are 4 total
@@RickandHeather Ah, I see, great idea re the cords!
I don't have a microwave so only 3 sockets including one for the telly, but moving the usb ports will help as I do get interference from the USB port.
Stay safe peeps x
@@michelleharris3550 you can always run a extension lead up from the hob one (if you have an electric hob?) to somewhere behind the cooker easily I’d imagine? Shout up if you need anymore “advice” (my opinions may not suit everyone 😂)
@@RickandHeather Oh, just one last question for today ...... where dod you get tge switch from for the usb hubs?
@@michelleharris3550 I’d already got that in my shed so can’t help there.... loads on eBay or Amazon tho 👍