Info on installing battery 16.49.2

borstalboy

borstalboy

Active Member
Apr 17, 2012
129
103
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Northern Subs SA
Hi all just after some information on how do I set up a battery for my van I have been told there is a battery charger built into our 12v system.

First of all let me say I know nothing about electrical issue.

So should I have a go at added a battery my self or if not how much would i need to pay into have some one do it.

If I need to have someone do it for me can any one recommand some one in SA.
 
Burnsy

Burnsy

Well-Known Member
Mar 26, 2012
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Newcastle
Hi borstalboy,
Your van should be set up for it so it's just a matter of adding the battery. There should be a battery box located under one of your lounges and 2 wires (1 black and 1 white) with lugs on the end so you can slip them over the studs on the battery and tighten with nuts. A 100amp gel battery is the norm for this application but when you connect wires the black should be positive in other words it goes to the + on the battery (don't know why Jayco wired the expandas that way).

Anyway if the box and wiring is there which I assume it would be than it's that simple and I'm sure you'll handle the job. When you have battery in and terminals on then replace battery lid and secure the strap to hold lid on. To charge the battery as you mentioned, when you are connected to mains (240v supply) turn on your battery switch which should be located near the setek unit (black cover with fuses in it) and it will then charge your battery.

When I connected the wires to the battery I checked the polarity of the wires first as I doubted my mate who said black was positive but he was right so I can only assume yours will be the same. I don't know if you have a meter to check this but I'm sure the setek is diode protected anyway, someone else will probably verify this on this post. Hope this helps! :)
 
cancan

cancan

Member
Sep 26, 2011
231
18
18
Manly; Brisbane
Why would they use black for negative....doesnt make sense when nearly everything else uses red for positive and black for negative...logic defies some places
 
boots33

boots33

Well-Known Member
Jun 25, 2011
708
679
93
Maudsland Gold Coast Hinterland Qld
cancan said:
Why would they use black for negative....doesn't make sense when nearly everything else uses red for positive and black for negative...logic defies some places
Click to expand...

welcome to the wonderful world of low voltage electrics. A place where wire size is determined by including the plastic cover in the measurement, Where trailer wiring uses white as the earth connection and uses a pin clearly marked as reverse lights to run power. Where nearly every battery manufacturer has a different idea on what point a battery is fully charged or considered flat. etc... etc.. etc... It is little wonder there is so much confusion and (sometimes heated) debate both within the industry and without.

On my 14 jayco have used brown as battery + and white as neg for most of the light runs but have used the more traditional red + and black - in other areas. I have also noted that the exposed Nut on the light where the bed end light plugs in is wired to positive, while it is not likely to cause problems there really is no excuse to expose live power when it can be avoided. Hey electric guru would be interested to know if yours is the same or whether i just have a friday afternoon special.

Borstalbaoy I Think it might only be the outback models that have the battery box and wiring as standard (not sure though) and as burnsy has said above if the box is in place fitting the battery will be a snap. if you don't already have the box etc fitted then it should be a fairly cheap job to have done by a sparky if you don't feel up to mounting the box and running the wiring.

If you want to have a go at fitting it up we can guide you through the process step by step and as well as saving a bit of cash you will have gained some knowledge of how it all works. You will need a few basic tools of course and there is no better time to get the addition of a few shiny new tools for your kit passed the home finance department. :)

The first step will be to check and see if you already have the battery box installed and what setec unit you have st20 or st35(probably the 35).
 
G

gavin.davis59

Member
Mar 21, 2011
56
5
8
Naracoorte.SA
We dont have the outback but got it prewired for the battery,came with red(inc.fuse)and black wire.I would have thought these would have been the most common colours concerning batteries?
 
Alan

Alan

Active Member
Feb 3, 2012
117
39
28
Altona Vic
borstalboy said:
Hi all just after some information on how do I set up a battery for my van I have been told there is a battery charger built into our 12v system.

First of all let me say I know nothing about electrical issue.

So should I have a go at added a battery my self or if not how much would i need to pay into have some one do it.

If I need to have someone do it for me can any one recommand some one in SA.
Click to expand...

We had to pay $110 for our battery box and wiring for our 12. We procured a 110 ah gel battery and with a deal of concern i just checked how i connected the wires to the battery. The white is on the negative and i put the black on the positive only because it has a red piece of heavier wire added on the end to take the fuse. Until now never thought about the wire colours but it is really dumb, is white wire cheaper than red.
 
cruza driver

cruza driver

Hercules
Staff member
Nov 9, 2010
6,550
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Mighty Victoria
benandjordansmum said:
sorry to highjack the thread... does the battery button need to be switched on to charge the battery when on mains power?
Click to expand...

Yes Alan is right, I just leave my switch on all the time when plugged in at home and when towing. My switch was actually fitted upside down from factory too but it was fixed under warranty.
 
boots33

boots33

Well-Known Member
Jun 25, 2011
708
679
93
Maudsland Gold Coast Hinterland Qld
Alan said:
We had to pay $110 for our battery box and wiring for our 12. We procured a 110 ah gel battery and with a deal of concern i just checked how i connected the wires to the battery. The white is on the negative and i put the black on the positive only because it has a red piece of heavier wire added on the end to take the fuse. Until now never thought about the wire colours but it is really dumb, is white wire cheaper than red.
Click to expand...

It would appear that jayco just buy in bulk whatever they can get at a good price.
 
borstalboy

borstalboy

Active Member
Apr 17, 2012
129
103
43
Northern Subs SA
Ok just had a look to see what unit I have in the van and it is a ST20 11. So now for the silly questions I noticed what looks like a blade fuse that was marked Batt, is this just a cover for where I need to connect the batt to or is it just a fuse
 
boots33

boots33

Well-Known Member
Jun 25, 2011
708
679
93
Maudsland Gold Coast Hinterland Qld
borstalboy said:
Ok just had a look to see what unit I have in the van and it is a ST20 11. So now for the silly questions I noticed what looks like a blade fuse that was marked Batt, is this just a cover for where I need to connect the batt to or is it just a fuse
Click to expand...

You will need to gain access to the rear of your St20 to connect the wires, depending on your expanda model you may have to take out a few screws to get at it. Some models have them so as you can get to the wiring without removing the st20, on my 14 it is mounted below the fridge so have to pull it out to get access. Yes the blade fuse marked Batt is the main fuse that connects to your battery, on your ST20 it should be a yellow 20A fuse. If you don't have a fuse in it you will have to fit one when you install the battery. Have a look at the block diagram bellow to get an idea of how it all connects.
block.jpg
As you can see the positive connection goes through a 20A inline fuse then on to the main Battery switch and finally connects to the "BAT +VE" terminal on your ST20. The inline fuse should be as close to the battery as you can get it but not inside the battery box. The negative wire connects strait from the battery negative to the "BAT -VE" terminal on the ST20.

If you have to remove the ST20.....

First make sure you don't have 240v power connected to the van.

Remove the one screw where the fuses are located. Then remove the complete plastic front panel. It is held on by six clips, three on the top and three on the bottom. The easiest way is to push up on the bottom of the panel with you hands until it unclips at the top and then move it down to detach the bottom clips. Take care you don't bend the blade fuses when removing the panel.

IMG_4937.JPG.......................IMG_4938.JPG

Whith the front panel removed you now just have to remove the four corner screws and slide the ST20 out. The ST20 is quite heavy so have an old towel or similar to rest it on so as not to damage the floor. You can see clearly in the last pic where the wires will connect to. For the ST20 6mm twin sheathed cable should be fine for the short distance you will need to run. In the pic above right you can see the main battery switch that Jayco use.

IMG_4941.JPG........................IMG_4944.JPG

You can see you must use covered crimp terminals to connect to the ST20 as there isn't a lot of room where they connect in. you will also need a set of crimp pliers to make sure you get a good connection.
 
Last edited:
ElectricGuru

ElectricGuru

Member
Sep 5, 2011
189
22
18
SE Brisbane
boots33 said:
On my 14 jayco have used brown as battery + and white as neg for most of the light runs but have used the more traditional red + and black - in other areas. I have also noted that the exposed Nut on the light where the bed end light plugs in is wired to positive, while it is not likely to cause problems there really is no excuse to expose live power when it can be avoided. Hey electric guru would be interested to know if yours is the same or whether i just have a friday afternoon special.
Click to expand...


Hey Boots, had a check and mine is -ve on the bed end light nut. Agree 100% about the exposed power, not good.

On my 2006, the wiring is the same as described with black being +ve and white being -ve with some yellow +ve wiring thrown in for a few circuits. Caused me a few headaches but making sure I had a good multimeter with polarity is a good way to stay out of trouble.

Good info mate, nice photos. Have done the same thing a couple of times. BTW, what do you have coming through the AUX input?

As Boots has said, do not have 240V power on the van and if in doubt, get an electrican to check.
 
ElectricGuru

ElectricGuru

Member
Sep 5, 2011
189
22
18
SE Brisbane
Cheers Boots

Nice setup mate. Very tidy wiring. :)

Only thing though is that there is a blocking (one-way) diode in the aux connection that you loose 0.6-0.7 Vdc across.

I have mine going direct to the batery so the voltage is as high for charging as possible.

Cheers

Gil
 
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