Note to self!

In the shenanigans of fitting the panels under the RIB seats must of turned on the power to the sub-amp under my seat! It's wired to the liesure battery ! Flat as the preverbial pancake! Hoping my "smart" 12v battery charger can sort it! 

27/03/22

Overnight charge & desulphate if it needed it! All back in place and sub amp SWITCHED OFF! 🙄😂

Could've been worse could've been the main battery! Which is why I choose to take power from liesure battery! 

Although, as the liesure battery is only charged via solar panel best have the 12v system live! It's not used on campsites etc so won't be a problem.  But wouldn't be a problem if I'd switched it off! Need a on/off with a light methinks!

So far so good

Been monitoring the main battery.

I connected the 5amp solar dash panel to the DIN socket as per AA advice. .03 discharge over a few days which were dull/ raining/cloudy so that was less than what was happening when Sterling Power unit connected!

A few days later and under sunny skies increase in volts from 12.3 - 12.54! So far so good 

Battery is a Exide 80 amp Stop/ Start so it's looking like this basic setup is working well. 

When the new SP unit was fitted it was wired up exactly as the diagram. I sent the unit back and SP were very helpful updated the program etc. But although a little better, wasn't good enough for my use. My van isn't a daily driver, it's a holiday vehicle or trips the tip occasionally lol, 21k miles 2016 T6

06/03/22

Removing the sterling power unit. 

Isolated the live feed from main battery. Disconnected liesure battery.

Removed main battery feed and ignition feed

Refitted the MPPT unit to leisure battery and solar panel.

All working fine! 

So disconnected battery temperature from SP unit. And removed the SP unit. 

So I will be able to check how the two batteries respond to this.

The leisure battery feed via the MPPT unit is working fine on a sunny day today feeding 13.2 amps with an output of 12.6 v checked lights, fridge and propex heater all live and all off when I turn off supply from solar panel.

I can know monitor the main battery properly to see if the sterling unit was draining it, doesn't make sense at this point, but I can't isolate leisure battery with this new SP unit, as it causes all sorts of problems if the leisure battery is isolated. Alarm going of on SP unit telling me it's not connected to leisure battery! 

The campervan won't be used as a daily drive so often now I'm retired, so the only way to stop the two batteries from "equalising" is to isolate, and if I forget to reconnect the SP unit sounds alarm that won't turn off straight away and last time I needed to do a reset! So a few weeks of monitoring will show up any issues but hopefully none!

Wires everywhere but if this works I'll buy a better MPPT unit ( current one is basic but does the job) the newer albeit 3 X the price at least has more controls and possible adjustments to suit. 

We'll never freecamp as it frightens the wife, we have mains hookup when on official sites so probably won't need a fancy unit! 

Next couple of jobs

Fit leisure battery isolater. Tick!

Purchase and fit IKEA wall unit on top of OS units

Top Panel OS units

Couldn't get a decent match in "oak" for the top of the fridge /cupboard units so opted for white as per the units. ( There will be a wall unit fitted on top of these base units so it'll all match anyway!). 

Trip to B&Q sorted a panel in white. Size needed was 1450 x 450 length of the panel is 2.5m so that leaves enough to make housing for Porta Potti! 

So once cut to size I needed to make a cutout at rear to allow heat to disperse from fridge! 

The base units have steel braces X 2 on the top of side panels. And the screws supplied sit proud of the brace. Which means to get the unit top to fit means recessing the braces into the side panels or making corresponding shallow hole for the screw head! Nowt bloody simple ever! 

Or by just screwing the top to the bases there is a small gap between unit and the top of about 2 mm max. White sealant ! 

21/02/2022

Removed metal struts from units and fitted top via the same screws that held struts! Sorted .

If only I could find my countersink bit I could flush in the screws ! Another hunt required 🙄

I'd already decided to re use a small tambour door below the fridge but as the push button catch fell apart on the cupboard next to fridge, I'd had enough so took some measurements and a break at last! I've a couple of tambour doors that I can re use! A lot lighter than the door as well! Main one was only a few inches short of being usable for the whole cupboard, annoying but not a problem as I need to put a shelf in above the wheel arch anyhoo! So I'll just take it to the front edge of the cupboard and fit the other below the shelf! Or use a piece of the old door at the bottom as a stop, come to think of it, bonus of nothing sliding forward and hitting the tambour door! 

Result 22/02/22

Tambour door fitted with a little sanding of the edge 2mm to enable it slide easy into the spiral, just need to cut and fit a "pelmet" at the top to cover the door spiral. Saves a fair bit of weight as well than the traditional door.

Just a shelf to fit, then can move on to the cupboard at the top! 

Door catch trails

It always amazes me how quality over the years gets worse! Annoyingly couldn't get chrome push button door catches for offside cabinet only brushed! 

So went about fitting the spring loaded push button one on cupboard next to fridge. 

First off the whole thing flung apart when I opened the catch! So had to work out how to put it back together etc. It would appear that once the main catch is installed the back is held in place by it! So finally got it installed , now for the catch all lined up so fitted it to wall of cupboard, except the small screws do not resess onto the plate, and that 1 mm was was crucial to the latching of the catch! 

So I had to recess the strike plate by said mm!

Note to self :

Next time allow an extra mm when fitting the push button assembly! 🙄.

sterling power unit

Had a reply from said company re solar panel charger side of the B2B .

It would appear if voltage is right it would turn the charger on, basically it " thinks" ignition has been turned on! Seems a bit of a fault tbh but insignificant in real terms!