battery connection.

phoenix-MT

hi, hope im posting this in the right place.

i have a van and will be connecting a leisure battery through a split charge relay to run a pump off the leisure battery and not drain the van one.
my question is i also will be installing beacons/amber strobe lights which may need to be on for prolonged use with the engine off. i dont want to connect them to the leisure battery as they will drain it with the pump running to. is it possible to connect another leisure battery purely for the lights either to the current one or through another split charge relay to the main or will this over load the alternator and not charge any of them?
i also do not want any of the batteries to drain each other so if it is possible to connect one leisure battery to the other would i need a split charge relay between them aswell as the main? will they charge ok with the engine running?
Hope it makes sense. thanks for replies...appreciated.

Aidan_M_M

to not discharge each other , they'll all need a split charge relay , each .

As to if the alternator will be up to it... depends on the output of it , and the Ah rating of the batteries . One thing I suggest is use ordinary diesel car batteries , not Dry Cell Leisure batteries . Leisure ones don't take alternator charging reliably in the long term , I have found .

phoenix-MT

thanks. so if i run 2 seperate split charge relays fom the main.. 1 to each aux battery then none of the batteries should drain each other?
Would ordinary batteries not drain alot quicker compared to leisure batteries?
Thanks

Aidan_M_M

phoenix-MT wrote: »

thanks. so if i run 2 seperate split charge relays fom the main.. 1 to each aux battery then none of the batteries should drain each other?
Would ordinary batteries not drain alot quicker compared to leisure batteries?
Thanks

yep that'd do it .

The leisure batteries may not last as long under a drain , but it's the long term use I'm talking about . If you do use leisure batteries , I find wet/acid ones last longer than dry gel ones , when you are using an alternator charge , constantly .

phoenix-MT

thanks alot for the info

Aidan_M_M

my pleasure.