UK suppliers of vehicle expedition equipment?

MikesVX80

Observer
Hi all,

I am after some equipment/supplier suggestions please, and currently I am struggling to find UK suppliers for the following. I'd rather not ship stuff in from abroad if I can help it, can't be bothered with the hassle of import duty, etc.! So, things I need:

1. Split charge system inc. leisure battery (this would be a third battery, as my 80-Series already has two batteries as standard with 24 volt starting)
2. LED interior light upgrade (replacing OE bulbs; I've seen some LED ‘panel' kits and others that are just an LED in a bulb fitment?) + additional LED light units that can be mounted on interior trim panels
3. 12V  230/240V power inverter and UK 3-pin plug sockets suitable for automotive application
4. Water tank to fit in the rear footwell of an 80-Series for fresh water storage
5. Heat exchanger to work in conjunction with water tank to provide warm water for shower

I would like to source and fit all this stuff myself, partly to save on the very high costs charged by a lot of “expedition preparation” companies, but more important is so I know the vehicle inside out and how it all works, so I can fix any problems in the field.

Many thanks for your help.

Mike
 

nick disjunkt

Adventurer
Hi there,

you can get absolutely everything you need in the UK, you just need to look in the right places.

1.Split charge system. Many people use the Battery to Battery chargers from Sterling, I have one and I have been reasonably happy with it. It may work well in your application as it would allow you to safely charge a 12v leisure battery from the 24v starter batteries, with the added bonus of using a multi-stage charge programme rather than relying on the fixed voltage from the alternator. There are many places that stock them but http://sterling-power.com/ is as good as any.

If you want something more simple, there are many suppliers of marine split-charge relays. The BEP marine or heavier duty Blue Sea products are both great, and can be bought from Merlin at http://www.power-store.com/

I know that National Luna are popular with 4x4 enthusiasts but I have no experience of them and have no idea if they do a 24v model.

2. LED interior light upgrade. If you just need a replacement bulb, I would be tempted to find what you need form one of the many suppliers on ebay. If you want to buy interior light fittings, I can recommend anything from Labcraft. I bought most of mine from http://www.dun-bri.com/ and http://www.furneauxriddall.com/

3. 12V 230/240V power inverter. These can be be had almost anywhere, depending on the quality you want. Decent ones from Studer, Victron or Mastervolt can be expensive but are easy to find from any of the off-grid type suppliers. I bought a Studer unit from http://www.brightgreenenergy.co.uk/ but I've had good experiences buying Victron gear from from http://www.onboardenergydirect.co.uk/ too.

http://www.antares.co.uk/ do their own range of vehicle electrical systems. I have no experience with them but I like the idea of having all components supplied form the same manufacturer.

4. Water tank. There plenty of suppliers of off-the-shelf tanks, it's just a matter of finding one of the appropriate size and shape. http://www.caktanks.com/ are not always the easiest company to deal with but they have a decent range. I got my tanks built to size at extremely reasonable prices by Neil at EMPF http://www.plasticwatertanks.co.uk/ . Getting custom built allowed me to get the tanks made at the perfect size and to fit a huge number of reinforcing baffles inside.

5. Heat exchanger. I'm not sure exactly what you want here. If you want a heat exchanger to provide hot water on demand you will not be able to extract enough heat from the engine coolant circuit without a huge heat exchanger. Most people use a calorifier which extracts heat from the engine or another heat source (webasto/eberspacher/mikuni) to heat a small tank. I used a square BXS unit from Quick marine but the Indel units from Webasto's UK supplier are well regarded http://www.webastomarine.co.uk/ and are proven in expedition trucks.

You can heat water on demand using a propane boiler but these only run on propane and do not allow you to use the engine heat to heat a water tank. Morco are one of a few suppliers but I do not fancy their chances on a vehicle bouncing around off road.
 

MikesVX80

Observer
Fantastic, thanks for all the suggestions! A few queries, based on looking through the links above:

1. Split charge system; there seem to be no end available, any idea exactly what I need? I'd like it to power the leisure battery, which itself will power the inverter. This in turn will run the fridge, charge laptops/camera gear, etc. I would also possibly like the option to trickle charge via a solar panel mounted to the rooftent.

2. Any idea what size bulbs I would need to replace the standard filment interior lamps (80-Series)? I read somewhere about a 31mm fitment, but I'm not on my own computer and about 100 miles away from the car right now!!

3. Power inverter - see point 1., above

4. Water tank - looks like I need to go take some measurements and see what fits! Will also speak to Neil @ EMPF re: custom tank. Could you give me a guide for what you had made and at what cost, please?

5. I've seen underbonnet heat exchanger's from an Australian company specifically for shower capabilities (this is a request from the missus rather than a necessity for me!!), but can't remember the company name now! But that is basiclally what I want to achieve - using water from the fresh water tank above, piped through the heat exchanger (taking heat from the engine) and warming the water for a shower. Will also need a suitable water pump to run the system.

Please keep the suggestions coming, thanks! :)
 

Jersey4x4

Adventurer
I use a CTEK 250S DC to DC charger which has a MPTT solar controller built in so that would do what you want it to do and it's very simple to hook up

I got mine from amazon uk
 

nick disjunkt

Adventurer
F
4. Water tank - looks like I need to go take some measurements and see what fits! Will also speak to Neil @ EMPF re: custom tank. Could you give me a guide for what you had made and at what cost, please?

5. I've seen underbonnet heat exchanger's from an Australian company specifically for shower capabilities (this is a request from the missus rather than a necessity for me!!), but can't remember the company name now! But that is basiclally what I want to achieve - using water from the fresh water tank above, piped through the heat exchanger (taking heat from the engine) and warming the water for a shower. Will also need a suitable water pump to run the system.

Please keep the suggestions coming, thanks! :)

Hi, I paid £485 for a 450 litre rectangular tank, and £95 each for two 65 litre triangular shaped tanks. EMPF was less than half the price of TEK Tanks, and the quality is great.

Regarding the heat exchanger, if you are intent on doing an on demand system using engine heat, I would just fit the most efficient one that you can in the space. Either a shell and core type, or a plate type will work, but the bigger it is, the faster you will be able to pass water through it while still transferring enough heat to have a warm shower. If the unit is too small, you would only be able to get a trickle out at a reasonable temperature. I would put a gate valve on the cold water input to control the flow rate, and a thermostatic mixing valve on the output to maintain a reasonable temperature.

A calorifier really is a better solution if you have the space for it. You'll heat the water to 90 degrees after a reasonable drive, so only 10 litres of water in the calorifier will give you more than 20 litres of shower temperature water once mixed with cold water. My 25 litre calorifier gives two long hot showers and enough water to fill a sink and wash the dishes.
 

rlynch356

Defyota
Front runner (A SA Company with distribution in the UK) can supply a foot well water solution with pump as well.
http://www.frontrunner.co.za/water-solutions/front-runner-40l-water-tank-footwell.html
and john craddock in the UK (as a supplier)
http://www.johncraddockltd.co.uk/accessories/front-runner/

i can give you US suppliers for most of the gear but some comes from SA/AUS anyway so your better served in the UK.

For LED's, superbrightled.com in the US has just about everything.

shower/heat exchanger.. (US company but complete kit..)

http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-Sit-Shower-Shave-Kit-p-30485.html#.VOAZ4kKc9UQ

cheers..
 

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