2nd battery location?

Hi. I'd like to install a second battery to power my stereo, fridge etc.
Where do people usually locate them! Ideally I'd rather it wasn't inside the van if possible as enough storage space consumed by gas bottles, subs, amps etc,

Having come from air-cooled vw vans, sticking a second battery on the opposite corner of the engine bay was easy. I suspect it's not quite so easy in an old Hiace.

I look forward to your recommendations.

Thx

Matt

mankey wrote:

Hi. I'd like to install a second battery to power my stereo, fridge etc.
Where do people usually locate them! Ideally I'd rather it wasn't inside the van if possible as enough storage space consumed by gas bottles, subs, amps etc,

Having come from air-cooled vw vans, sticking a second battery on the opposite corner of the engine bay was easy. I suspect it's not quite so easy in an old Hiace.

I look forward to your recommendations.

Thx

Matt

Hi Matt, and fellow ex-VW owner

I want to do the same with my super custom, I can only think of putting in a rattan type cube/box behind the rear seats with battery cable ran down the n/s trim to the battery under the passenger seat, either that or I'm thinking of a stand-alone battery box which I'll take charged for tv and awning lights but not have it connected to the van battery.
Before that I need to find my 1amp loss over 3 days with it sat on the drive, really hard to trace it so far.

But you have the old model classic Hiace right?

Because the ones from the nineties can actually take two small batteries in the battery location.

I bought an Optima Yellowtop which is good for starting AND draining, and do everything with a single battery.

What kind of fridge do you have? A compressor fridge?

I was thinking that when/if I added a 2nd battery it would live just behind the first one, at the bottom of a 'pod' I'd make that would fit across just behind the front seats.

Perhaps a relay with a circuit that connected it when the main battery voltage was 14V or over (with a delay to stop it thrashing) would be my way of charging it too, the wires could just pop right on over.

Yes . My van is a 1980's one. Is there sufficient space next to the existing battery?

I was looking around where the stock muffler is. Replacing it would free up space to add a battery box there.
2 in the stock location makes wiring easier... Going to look into that idea first.

Theres no way to fit 2 batteries in the standard space under the seat on my 92 SC

mickB wrote:

Theres no way to fit 2 batteries in the standard space under the seat on my 92 SC

Without mods that's true. However when I got my van the battery was dead so I took it out; and then the tray so I could clean up the area. Underneath the tray there's actually enough vertical space for another battery.

On the outer wall there's a drain tube fro the rood and below that there's air conditioning pipes, so you need to make a little floor for it out of two strips of metal etc., add a polystyrene foam base and a way to secure it, order a shorter (75Ah?) battery and you should be good to go.

GPW wrote:

mickB wrote:

Theres no way to fit 2 batteries in the standard space under the seat on my 92 SC

Without mods that's true. However when I got my van the battery was dead so I took it out; and then the tray so I could clean up the area. Underneath the tray there's actually enough vertical space for another battery.

On the outer wall there's a drain tube fro the rood and below that there's air conditioning pipes, so you need to make a little floor for it out of two strips of metal etc., add a polystyrene foam base and a way to secure it, order a shorter (75Ah?) battery and you should be good to go.

Fantastic thanks GPW again lol