I looked at the Westy charger diagram and I do not believe the output of the alternator comes all the way to the OEM charger. I see the conexion from the STARTER Battery. Would installing the the Stirling Alternator to Battery Charger (130A) be limited to routing that connection to the Stirling and then Stirling to battery? By disconnecting the OEM from the starter battery, then the starter battery would never charge when in shore power then.
Westy house battery/charging problem
- Thread starter Allobet
- Start date
I finally managed to ask for help removing the old batteries and dropping the firefly batteries. They fit well except the height prevents the bar holding them down to fit well. I connected everything back and they have worked nicely on our first trip. I will replace the solar charger with an MPPT charger (Renogy Rover replacing the adventurer) and I also got a B2B charger but I still haven’t figured out where to install it. Firefly batteries come with screws rather than battery posts so I bought some adaptors to replace the screws by posts and reuse posts connectors rather than changing all the wiring.
I also got a NOCCO charger to connect the batteries in trickle charge mode.
Only time can tell if the expensive firefly batteries will be worth.
I also got a NOCCO charger to connect the batteries in trickle charge mode.
Only time can tell if the expensive firefly batteries will be worth.
It turned out my new batteries on order are similar to the ones from Firefly. Today I managed to swap out the old Exide Gel batteries. Everything went well with a little help from my wife when lifting them out/in. The new ones are a perfect tight fit. Even the securing bar was possible to refit with some slight bending at the ends and the use of thick washers (5 mm) between the bar and the water tank.
I'm now fully charging the batteries separately so they are synchronized when I connect them together. The onboard charger was previously changed to a more modern model from https://www.fraron.de/batterieladegeraete/austauschkit-iuou-automatikladegeraet-12-volt-20-ampere-westfalia-james-cook-vw-t4-ford-nugget-california-camping-bus/a-85859176/. It fits where the original charger was positioned and works with the Westfalia Central Electronics charge indicator.
I'll complete the wiring once the new batteries are synchronized.
I also have a Sterling Alternator to Battery charger in my drawer. Maybe I have time to install it in a week or so....
I'm now fully charging the batteries separately so they are synchronized when I connect them together. The onboard charger was previously changed to a more modern model from https://www.fraron.de/batterieladegeraete/austauschkit-iuou-automatikladegeraet-12-volt-20-ampere-westfalia-james-cook-vw-t4-ford-nugget-california-camping-bus/a-85859176/. It fits where the original charger was positioned and works with the Westfalia Central Electronics charge indicator.
I'll complete the wiring once the new batteries are synchronized.
I also have a Sterling Alternator to Battery charger in my drawer. Maybe I have time to install it in a week or so....
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The new charger is for shore power (110/220v) whilst the Sterling is for charging from the alternator. Sorry if I was unclear.
The Sterling unit raises the charge current so the time required to recharge the house batteries is significantly reduced.
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The final installation and wiring of the new batteries. The shunt for a Victron BMV-712 Smart battery monitor is incorporated in the system - a great instrument with bluetooth functionality that shows the complete battery status on my smartphone.
As a test I let the Espar heater and fridge run for 24h at 0° Celsius and then checked the voltage. Total amphours used was 40Ah, and the voltage during heater running at medium power (13W) was 12,55 (after 24h). I think the batteries will be great for our off-grid winter camping.
I have also found a possible place to install the Sterling Alternator to Battery charger. It fits perfectly on the backside of the driver side seat console with a little trimming of the edges on the charger. This location simplifies routing of wires from the alternator to the charger and out to the batteries. The existing wire to the house batteries can also be reused.
As a test I let the Espar heater and fridge run for 24h at 0° Celsius and then checked the voltage. Total amphours used was 40Ah, and the voltage during heater running at medium power (13W) was 12,55 (after 24h). I think the batteries will be great for our off-grid winter camping.
I have also found a possible place to install the Sterling Alternator to Battery charger. It fits perfectly on the backside of the driver side seat console with a little trimming of the edges on the charger. This location simplifies routing of wires from the alternator to the charger and out to the batteries. The existing wire to the house batteries can also be reused.
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Why not just use the cable already run to the batteries from the alternator and install the dc-dc charger near the camper batteries on a wall? Then you don't have to mess with wiring under the driver's seat. Just a thought, but certainly your idea would work also.
12.58v with a load, after using 40ah, is interesting. It certainly implies a higher charge level then what would be there after 40aH of discharge.
12.58v with a load, after using 40ah, is interesting. It certainly implies a higher charge level then what would be there after 40aH of discharge.
Riptide
Active member
JanM, interesting that your water tank does not appear to have the embedded nuts to attach the battery compartment cover. Do you have the cover?
I would certainly make sure the terminals don't touch the hinged lid, or at least maybe put some rubber on the underside of the lid...
All in all, looks like a great, well-considered installation!!
I would certainly make sure the terminals don't touch the hinged lid, or at least maybe put some rubber on the underside of the lid...
All in all, looks like a great, well-considered installation!!
I checked my notes and pictures again: the voltage was actually 12.55V with a load. 12.58V was without load a minute after I had switched everything off.
The Sterling unit is a alternator-battery charger. Same type as rlent has installed in this thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7333&highlight=sterling&page=29
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I'm not aware of a cover for the battery compartment. Do you have a picture?
Thanks for the advice about protecting the terminals - I'll take care of this immediately. Maybe a thin rubber mat that covers the whole battery area will do?
In the photos below, you will see some small threaded inserts around the perimeter of the battery compartment embedded in the water tank. A thin plastic panel with a sponge like gasket was put on top of the battery compartment and little bolts with washers held the plastic panel down.
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=827714&postcount=1
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=649441&postcount=1
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=576114&postcount=4
In the photo below, you will see the laminate hinged door is not a rectangle but a trapezoid on one side (nearest passenger sliding door). This larger trapezoidal shaped door allowed easier access to the little bolts.
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=594471&postcount=27
On earlier versions of the Westies sent to the USA, the hinged door was rectangular and there were three holes on the side of the door to access the little bolts.
All this effort was wasted because Airstream added heavy battery cables for the generator and the plastic lid could not lay flat.
The European market may not have these threaded inserts, OR these threaded inserts were added to later Westies, including European???
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=827714&postcount=1
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=649441&postcount=1
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=576114&postcount=4
In the photo below, you will see the laminate hinged door is not a rectangle but a trapezoid on one side (nearest passenger sliding door). This larger trapezoidal shaped door allowed easier access to the little bolts.
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=594471&postcount=27
On earlier versions of the Westies sent to the USA, the hinged door was rectangular and there were three holes on the side of the door to access the little bolts.
All this effort was wasted because Airstream added heavy battery cables for the generator and the plastic lid could not lay flat.
The European market may not have these threaded inserts, OR these threaded inserts were added to later Westies, including European???
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Riptide
Active member
I personally don't use the cover; it's a pain in the butt to remove and install all the bolts, due to the fact that the bolts are almost under the cabinet edge. I just found it curious that maybe Westfalia did too, and quit making tanks that needed a cover. I think the cover was more to prevent the escape of hydrogen (whihc is minimal) into the passenger compartment due to battery charging, and less about insulating the terminals. That being said, never underestimate how much energy a battery contains, so it's worth making sure the terminals don't touch anything they shouldn't.
As far as insulating the terminals, thin rubber would have plenty of dielectric strength to insulate from 12 volts.
Again, great job!
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Our Westy is a 2004 European model and doesn’t have the inserts and the hinged door is rectangular.
We also don’t have the large hole at the bottom of the battery compartment that was visible in one of the photos.
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My installation of the Sterling alternator to battery system is now finished. All went as planned. I’ve only tested it on a short trip at home but it seems to charge the batteries at higher amps than originally. I need to drain the house batteries much deeper and see how fast the charging is.
I have one installed, but i didn't mess with anything under driver's seat - wondering what's there and if i should've changed anything
Installed this one by the house-batteries: https://www.renogy.com/dcc50s-12v-50a-dc-dc-on-board-battery-charger-with-mppt/
and also changed the house batteries over to Battle Born LiFePO4 units.
@Allobet - you can see my install here: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/index.php?threads/85933/#post-884161
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