Hello, All. Long time lurker, first time poster.
I have a 2018 Nissan NV200 that I have converted. I rely mainly on shore power for all electrical needs, but I did run a 1.5ah Ventair exhaust fan straight to the van’s fuse box. Do any of you have a recommendation for maintaining the starter battery while running the fan? I would prefer something that I can plug in, rather than solar. TIA
If you’re ALWAYS going to be connected shore power, then keep it connected to your starting battery with a smart battery charger. Smart chargers charge and maintain your battery without overcharging.
If you think that you’ll ever run the fan while not connected to shore power, then connecting it to your starting battery is asking for trouble because a starting battery is not designed for slow deep-cycle discharge AND YOU NEED IT TO START THE VAN! Far better to run a separate deep-cell house battery that’s designed for it, and charge it through an isolator connected to the starting battery. The isolator will keep your fan from discharging the starting battery (runs only on the house battery), but when the engine is running it charges the house battery.
Thank you for the help. The battery charger seems like the winner for the moment. If I need to be off the grid, I will definitely explore the house battery option. Thanks again
Additionaly, the NV200 is based on a Nissan Sentra. Those batteries are quite small and will deplete quickly. Newer vehicles require a solid battery to function properly. When a battery has been weakened and the alternator kicks up amperage to charge it, the rest of the system suffers.
One more thing. The NV200 uses a Jatco CVT which is prone to failure. Be sure to add an external transmission cooler and ONLY use Nissan CVT fluid with it (no other brand). If you need to climb mountains take it easy and give it time. Hard driving and heavy loads will kill those transmissions. For what it’s worth, I was certified as a Nissan Master in 2009.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll look in to the trans cooler immediately. No mountains in the near future, it definitely not out of the question.
In addition, would you suggest a new (better) battery?
The OEM battery is fine. You could switch to an AGM just to increase your ability to run loads. The NV200 may have appropriate programming to accomodate charging an AGM battery. The thing with AGM is they do not charge as rapidly as a standard lead-acid battery so you don’t necessarily want an AGM in place of a lead acid. The best advice I can give anyone is to leave the factory system alone as it was designed only to operate the factory components.
10-4. Thanks again for the help.