Hello from new member

Hello from new member · by Vannette Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:34 pm

ASOF. Thank you for letting me join the group.

I live in the Highlands and own a 2007 Topaz. I’ve owned it since 2016 and normally use it weekly for trips to the beach as well as holidays. Due to the current situation I’ve sorned it and I’m concerned the engine battery might go flat. Does the hook up to the mains keep the engine battery topped up as well as the leisure battery?

Re: Hello from new member · by Paramedic Mon Apr 13, 2020 2:33 pm

Hello and welcome to this most friendly and informative forum. Advice will surely be offered shortly. wave

Re: Hello from new member · by burlingtonboaby Mon Apr 13, 2020 2:43 pm

Hi
Welcome to the forum from chilly Bridlington
Boaby

Re: Hello from new member · by modelman Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:26 pm

Hello & welcome from S/Yorks. drinksallround

Re: Hello from new member · by **roli** Mon Apr 13, 2020 6:06 pm

Re: Hello from new member · by MelB Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:24 pm

Welcome to the forum from S.Yorkshire.

Re: Hello from new member · by justlooking Tue Apr 14, 2020 4:35 pm

Re whether the hook up will charge your engine battery. Unlikely unless a previous owner has uprated the 220/12v power supply. A cheap option is to buy a smart battery charger from Lidl or Aldi (about £15-ish or thereabouts when I last looked) and charge your engine battery directly from that. Alternatively buy a small Ring solar panel battery maintainer (about £30 or so) which clips directly onto the engine battery terminals, and then sit it on the bonnet or wherever.
The expensive option is a solar panel on the roof which feeds both batteries through an MPPT controller. You can adjust the charge priority from one battery to the other through a decent MPPT controller. Probably £300 all up, and a day or so of shoving wires behind panels.

Re: Hello from new member · by Vannette Tue Apr 14, 2020 5:57 pm

Thank you very much for such a comprehensive answer. It certainly gives me food for thought. I’ll look out for Lidl or Aldi selling a smart charger. smile!