Battery advice - Newbie

[foldtrip]

Hi
I have a spent a day or 2 now and getting familiar with the workings of our expanda.
I have found a plastic case and this is where The battery must go, there was no battery supplied. How does the electric system work? I think there is an inverter switch, so I assume when I get a battery I have to switch over to the 12V system..

What sort of battery do I need?

 

[Bushman]

100 amp hr sealed dry cell or gell battery is usually the way to go. for some strange reason Jayco supply the battery only as an option and if you don't order it you don't get it.

 

[chartrock]

Bushman got it in one. At least 100 A/h gell or AGM sealed battery as this means no maintenance. As long as there is somewhere you can periodically check voltage levels in the battery, then you can almost forget about it. Different model Expandas will have the power supply in different places but it is usually at floor level with a black panel showing. Some vans have them built into the boot but most Expandas don't have a boot. There may also be a switch to turn the 12 volts on or off.

This is the panel in my 14-44-3 at floor level. The white switches on the left are the battery switch and the 12v water pump switch. The switch on the right is the auto gas switch for the hot water system. Behind this panel is the power supply for converting 240v AC to 12v DC and charging the battery.

If your battery box has the cables installed it is just a matter of putting the battery in and connecting it up. Good luck.

 

[foldtrip]

brilliant advice, thanks guys

 

[Anthony Gurry]

hi Chartrock
Im looking to set up my battery system as well, but I don't have the white switches, does this mean I need to install them? or will the system work without them, I have a 2006 Jayco Eagle?

 

[chartrock]

G'day @Anthony Gurry, and welcome to the forum. Those switches are standard on the Expandas. The top one is the battery switch and when switched off, no 12V is supplied to the van and the battery is not being charged. The bottom switch is for the water pump which we turn off overnight as the pump tends to run a short burst at odd intervals when not being used.

Does the Eagle have any wiring for power? Is it set up for 240 power? If it is I would imagine that it uses a power supply like the Setec to run the lighting at 12v.

@boots33 has done a few write ups on power supplies like this one but if you do a search on "power supply" you will find a lot of info. I am not the best person for electrics and electronics.

 

[Anthony Gurry]

thanks @chartrock ive checked my van and have a Centurion 300 power converter, as you can see by the photos I have no battery switches. and when l looked behind their is no battery hook up system, I have also been unable to find any online web help also @boots33 im not sure if you can provide me some feedback as well

 

[boots33]

Hi Anthony

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the centurion power units so am unable to offer much help without being able to physically inspect the unit . Perhaps @DaveS will be able to shed some light on the subject or another forum member with the same unit. is it a centurion 300 or a centurion 3000? If at all possible can you get some more pics of the wiring at the back of the unit. the heatsink mounted behind the unit may be a diode to prevent reverse current flow but will need a better look to know. If all else fails you may have to get your local auto sparky to have a quick look.

 

[Anthony Gurry]

Thanks @boots33 yes it is a Centurion 3000, sorry for the typo, hopefully @DaveS can also shed some light, ill try to take some further pics of the back tonight

 

[boots33]

For what its worth i have found a copy (I think) of the owners manual..... all 2 pages! Not a lot of info but it says Lug A connects to battery positive and lugs B to G are the outputs to your load devices. Are there any terminals with those markings on your unit.



this is for the US version but the 12v side should be the same I should think.

 

[Anthony Gurry]

For what its worth i have found a copy (I think) of the owners manual..... all 2 pages! Not a lot of info but it says Lug A connects to battery positive and lugs B to G are the outputs to your load devices. Are there any terminals with those markings on your unit.

View attachment 23255 View attachment 23256

this is for the US version but the 12v side should be the same I should think.

Thanks for the reply @boots33 ill have a look tomorrow to see if their are the Lug A and B, although when I was looking their was no wires ready for battery connection, but they may need to be added, many thanks for the owners manual,