The Dispatch | Expert | Scudo Hub

Isaac_Blanc

Member

From: Manchester, UK

Registered: 2024-09-05

Posts: 41

Leisure battery installation

Here are my notes from installing a leisure battery & DC-DC charger in my 2018 Peugeot Expert Mk3. Its a very simple setup where the leisure battery is charged only by the alternator. There is no solar and no mains hookup. I shall spare you the detail of how I chose all my components; there are lots of articles describing this process elsewhere. However, I will put a list of components below.

Leisure battery: 100Ah LiFePO4 from Eco-Worthy
DC-DC charger: Victron 12/12-30A DC-DC Non-Isolated
Big charging cable: 16mm^2 cable
Big terminals: copper tube terminals with 6mm holes
Big fuses: 60A midi link fuses
Big isolator switches: 100A isolators
Fusebox: this cheap eBay one

As seen in the wiring diagram above, everything is grounded to the chassis to reduce the amount of black cable I needed to buy, and to reduce the number of holes I needed to drill. Of course you can, in principle, ground things to any part of the chassis, but I chose to use the existing grounding points made by Peugeot. I figured these guaranteed a good connection and saved me from having to grind paint off other parts of the chassis.

The first step was to find a route from the starter battery in the engine bay to the cab, where the leisure battery and charge controller would be installed.

And then the fusebox connects to my lighting, ceiling fan, diesel heater etc...

Last edited by Isaac_Blanc (2024-09-30 10:26:15)

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2018 Peugeot Expert Mk3 1.6L BlueHDi 115 hp

tee_cee

Member

Registered: 2016-03-18

Posts: 633

Re: Leisure battery installation

Looks good, and you can always add solar etc. later.
I'd keep an eye on these fuses though. I had used 60A maxi fuses for my DC-DC, and there were fine at 20A, but melted within an hour with 40A.
I've now replaced with a midi link fuse, and it still heats up but not as much as the maxi. Time will tell

Isaac_Blanc

Member

From: Manchester, UK

Registered: 2024-09-05

Posts: 41

Re: Leisure battery installation

I'm using 60A midi link fuses too, although my DC-DC charger runs at only 30A. Shall post back here if my fuses melt. Frustratingly, I wasn't able to find a specific rule on how to size fuses for specific expected currents. The advice I found online all seemed quite 'loose'. However, the Victron DC-DC charger manual actually specifies what fuse to use.

Last edited by Isaac_Blanc (2024-10-07 22:04:19)

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2018 Peugeot Expert Mk3 1.6L BlueHDi 115 hp

tee_cee

Member

Registered: 2016-03-18

Posts: 633

Re: Leisure battery installation

The problem is with cheap materials and poor contact resistance. I tried tinning the maxi fuse with solder and that slowed the rate of heating down. But it still melted. The midi fuses seem much better, but still heat up. I'll keep checking for a while.