Where to plug into mains if not at home or at campsite

[zisdorf]

Hello,

We have moved, and our new parking spot does not have any ability to plug in (please make fun of us for not realizing this until after we signed the paperwork and gave a deposit....we just assumed we could find a solution, and now we know we cannot!).

We therefore are looking for advice of where we could possibly hook up other than the obvious answer of a campsite.

Co-workers could be an option, but we work from home as freelancers and don't have any. "No dice" as they say.

We even took the van to the VW dealer and asked them to plug in while they did other work. They instead did a "speedy" charge, which a) cost 15 Euros and b) doesn't charge to 100%.

Anyone else have have ideas?

 

[T6 CFO]

If all else has failed it's sounding like the solar panel option is your best bet.


Mike

 

[2into1]

Does the van get used 'properly' (at least one decent long run a week), and all year around? If so, I'm not sure how big a problem this is. I accept the mains charger does a better job of maximising the charge of the batteries (by using float voltages etc), but I don't think it's claimed that any actual harm will be done, providing the van gets well used.

 

[Stuart]

Does the van get used 'properly' (at least one decent long run a week), and all year around? If so, I'm not sure how big a problem this is. I accept the mains charger does a better job of maximising the charge of the batteries (by using float voltages etc), but I don't think it's claimed that any actual harm will be done, providing the van gets well used.

Agree. The early Beach didn't even have EHU and just relied on the alternator to charge the leisure battery,

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Or replace the split charge relay with a B2B charger, which will do a better job of charging the batteries while driving.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

I don't think you will find any portable chargers that hold enough power
And if you have no friends to call on
Have you thaught about those electric car charging places??
Solar panels??
Otherwise I think you have answered your own question.......go to a hook up campsite every couple of months, and get a charge and free holiday

 

[Hotel California]

Eventually you will find a spot , family or friends ...
Charging the batterys on hook up frequent so they say extends the life of the batterys , so not beeing able to do wil maybe ending up you need to change them say for example in 3y where else it would be 4-5y...
I would not worry to much , many Cali owners don't ever charge 24h on hook-up and are ok .
If you can charge them do it if not , so it be.

 

[Lewis]

maybe ending up you need to change them say for example in 3y where else it would be 4-5y...
I would not worry to much , many Cali owners don't ever charge 24h on hook-up and are ok .

A really reassuring post that puts the issue in context. This is something I'd worried about unnecessarily - changing the battery a little more often than others would do needn't be the end of the world I suppose.

 

[andyinluton]

Do you use the van as a daily driver? & what are your capabilities as a mechanic? how frequently will you be camping on hook up, have you considered perhaps taking the batteries out & charging them at home perhaps every 3 months or so ?

 

[GrannyJen]

A really reassuring post that puts the issue in context. This is something I'd worried about unnecessarily - changing the battery a little more often than others would do needn't be the end of the world I suppose.

Thanks to a gremlin with my charging system I went 9 months virtually unable to give my batteries a prolonged charge. The engine charging did just fine. Into our 4th year now and batteries as good as ver.

The main thing is to keep a decent charge in them. Drive the vehicle regularly. In fact, it's a Cali, an escape module, how could you not drive it regularly

 

[IanE]

We've had our van from new and it's now just six years old. It lives on the street and until about a year ago (when I got somewhere to hook up once a month - approx(!)), the only time it got a mains hook up was for a couple of weeks a year when on holiday in summer. The batteries are still good for a couple of nights at a stretch using the heater, lights and fridge - in fact the control unit was still showing 80% available at the end of the two nights in the lakes last week. We don't tend to need more than 2/3 nights on the batteries before driving on.

Just my experience! I would have been on mains hook up monthly from day one if I'd had that facility

 

[IanE]

It does get used throughout the year.

 

[Pineweasel]

It does get used throughout the year.

My experience is similar. Our Cali is four years old, driven regularly and only plugged in 2 or 3 times a year at campsites. The leisure batteries have not noticeably declined, still able to to power everything for several days if necessary.

 

[sidepod]

Any lamp posts nearby?

 

[zisdorf]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

We don't use the van for daily driving, but we drive it at least every other-weekend (including in winter) for a minimum of 2 hours and more often for 5 hours. And a few longer trips. I think that constitutes regular enough driving for the batteries?
Even after 8+ hour drives, the fridge struggles to last a night. Same after the 30 hour drive from Munich to the Isle of Skye - we got through the night but not much more of the fridge. Our aux heater has never lasted more than a couple hours off mains...
I took the van into VW in Germany just before the warranty expired - they claimed the batteries were perfectly fine. During the drive to Scotland, when we were positive they were not fine, we took it into the Edinburgh service center (Clark Commercials, in Loanhead -- highly recommend them!!! Plus, you can visit the Stewart Brewery nearby while it's being looked at) and the very competent technician told us the 2 leisure batteries are still meeting minimum specifications but have definitely degraded --- he charged it up with a quick charge but instructed us that would do better if we gave them a 3 day charge. So, that's what we're after!

@andyinluton The idea of charging them in the house is interesting. But I'm definitely no mechanic nor electrician...how do you "plug" a battery into the wall? What kind of converter system is needed?

@TwentyOneThirtyFive can you explain what the B2B charger is and why it'd help from alternator charging (and how much it might cost)?

 

[motacyclist]

If all else has failed it's sounding like the solar panel option is your best bet.


Mike

Yes, doesn't have to be a fancy roof mounted one, there are plenty of options on Amazon here.

 

[andyinluton]

Thanks everyone for the responses.


@andyinluton The idea of charging them in the house is interesting. But I'm definitely no mechanic nor electrician...how do you "plug" a battery into the wall? What kind of converter system is needed?

[

I was thinking you would use a normal 12v leisure battery charger, if you were to google - Halfords Leisure battery charger - the £39 one is what I would buy in this country. Im sure your local car parts place would have something similar.

 

[Digger]

Outside charging point in back garden allows charging using caravan cable. Electrician only charged £80.

 

[Hotel California]

If your cali is a 2012 and batteries don't last a night you better change them .
Thats what i meant in the post above , not frequent on hook-up is no problem but as you see afther 3-4y .....they are over theire best.
My 2012 had never any issues battery last 3-4days without hook-up (fridge and heater) but mine goes in 220v at home every month at least 12h

 

[zisdorf]

ok, thanks for the advice @hotel california - before dropping a few hundred on batteries, I wanted to give a chance to the advice of a full 3 day charge...
The idea of doing it in the house for a 39 quid charger (thanks andyinluton!) is indeed intriguing but now that I've looked into the challenge of removing the under-seat battery myself it doesn't seem like something I would be doing enough to justify that as a realistic option.

 

[Hotel California]

Taking battery's out to charge up inside us pretty silly due the work , risk of damaging things .

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

can you explain what the B2B charger is and why it'd help from alternator charging (and how much it might cost)?

B2B - Battery to Battery. Basically charges your leisure battery from you cranking battery, but in a more effective way than a split charge relay (also known as a Voltage Sensing Relay - VSR) which really just takes the constant alternator output once the cranking battery has reached a set voltage (13.something volts).

The B2B behaves more like a 240v charger would,going through bulk, absorbtion and float phases (there's probably more), so is capable of fully charging the battery and maintaining it in that state. Obviously the charge rate will determine how fully you can charge, but a 120amp one will charge a battery pretty quickly!

Probably the most well known are the Sterling chargers, but there are plenty of other makes out there. https://sterling-power.com/collections/battery-to-battery-chargers

Costwise, they aren't cheap £300ish for a high amperage one. You'll need to consider your alternator output (probably quite high on a Cali) and the maximum charge rate for the battery type.

I looked at fitting one, but my van is plugged into the mains 24 hours a day when not in use and the batteries will last me 5 days when off in the wilds, so I didn't consider it necessary.

There are also Alternator to Battery chargers, which are similar. However, if you are parked in the sun all the time, solar may be a better option.

hth
dan

 

[Bramco]

£300 for a b2b charger means solar would be a cheaper option. Couple of hundred and it will keep the batteries charged when you aren't using the van but also when you are camping and haven't got hook up.

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

£300 for a b2b charger means solar would be a cheaper option. Couple of hundred and it will keep the batteries charged when you aren't using the van but also when you are camping and haven't got hook up.

This is true, but you do need to consider the environment the van is parked in. For instance, my van lives on a sloping driveway, which pretty much points the van roof north-east, in the shadow of my house. A fixed solar panel would not be effective in this instance (I could fit an angle-able one, or stick a removable one in the windscreen). Any level of shade (tree, lamppost) would make solar less effective.

If the OP's van is in the sun all day, then I agree that a solar panel would probably be a better and much cheaper option.

 

[DavidofHook]

I am sure that the manual says that you should charge the batteries on the mains for 48 hours before taking a (camping) trip. This is a substantial chargeing regime which suggests that solar could be a waste of money. Something to do with getting a deep charge.
We have recently been looking at the possibility of moving to a property where you cannot charge the van ( idea is now dumped by the way!) and we had thought about speaking to a local garage to see if we could park the van round the back for a couple of days with the other cars and things and use their socket to charge up. It needs an amenable garage, ideally a local one and, I suggest, not a VW one.
Just a thought.