Batteries not holding charge (1 Viewer)

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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That was my thinking with regard to the rad and the charger, but it appears not to be the case !

I have just unplugged the rad to see if this makes any difference to the batteries.

In the first post above it seems you had done already what you said in the second post ?
I am getting very confused now ! ( not hard I might add LOL !! )
 
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Barney23
Dec 27, 2013
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Thanks to everyone who offered help & advice, will sort problem out one way or another, still love our van though :)
 
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Barney23
Dec 27, 2013
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I have just unplugged the rad to see if this makes any difference to the batteries.

Checked the batteries having unplugged the rad, still reading "fair",
How long should they take to fully charged on EHU ?

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Jaws

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If you are talking a Sargent set up in an Autotrail they may never read better than fair !
I would urge you to use a multi meter to check the voltage across the batteries..
Chances are very high you will be pleasantly surprised (y)
If you do not have a meter they are worth buying.. Halfords do a good selection that start very cheaply ..
They are easy to use and a worthwhile addition to any motorhome.
 
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Barney23
Dec 27, 2013
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If you are talking a Sargent set up in an Autotrail they may never read better than fair !
I would urge you to use a multi meter to check the voltage across the batteries..
Chances are very high you will be pleasantly surprised (y)
If you do not have a meter they are worth buying.. Halfords do a good selection that start very cheaply ..
They are easy to use and a worthwhile addition to any motorhome.

Meter ordered (y)
So am i right in thinking that the on board charger will not charge the batteries as good as a normal battery charger ?
 

Jaws

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No, just the opposite usually Barney
While I consider the Sargent set up overly complex in the extreme it does do an excellent job.. Far better than most chargers in fact ..

It is quite probably not the charging circuit that is causing the lower reading, but the panel not giving an accurate indication of the battery condition :) .. Using a multi meter to check what the battery condition is may well save you chasing fairies .. Chances are you do not actually have a problem at all, just a bit of a low reading :)

When you get the meter, post up the readings you get for us and folk will be better equipped to advise what, if anything, is wrong :)

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Barney23
Dec 27, 2013
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No, just the opposite usually Barney
While I consider the Sargent set up overly complex in the extreme it does do an excellent job.. Far better than most chargers in fact ..

It is quite probably not the charging circuit that is causing the lower reading, but the panel not giving an accurate indication of the battery condition :) .. Using a multi meter to check what the battery condition is may well save you chasing fairies .. Chances are you do not actually have a problem at all, just a bit of a low reading :)

When you get the meter, post up the readings you get for us and folk will be better equipped to advise what, if anything, is wrong :)

Thanks again, I have just tried un-successfully to start the van, so there is something wrong somewhere :(
 

Jaws

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The built in charger will not ( as standard ) charge the cab battery I am afraid, only the hab battery(s)
You will either need a B 2 B unit or indeed a separate charger used temporarily on the cab battery to bring it up
Personally I would invest in a B 2 B that way there is no mucking around.
They are REALLY easy to fit and in reasonably sunny conditions even the charge coming off the solar panel will keep the can battery up a little ( providing the hab batteries are up ..
The b 2 b systems usually work like this.
Once the hab battery(s) are up to snuff they switch some of the charge going to them over to the cab battery.. It is a simply automatic thing that requires no input from the user at all :)
 
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Barney23
Dec 27, 2013
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Since 2012
The built in charger will not ( as standard ) charge the cab battery I am afraid, only the hab battery(s)
You will either need a B 2 B unit or indeed a separate charger used temporarily on the cab battery to bring it up
Personally I would invest in a B 2 B that way there is no mucking around.
They are REALLY easy to fit and in reasonably sunny conditions even the charge coming off the solar panel will keep the can battery up a little ( providing the hab batteries are up ..
The b 2 b systems usually work like this.
Once the hab battery(s) are up to snuff they switch some of the charge going to them over to the cab battery.. It is a simply automatic thing that requires no input from the user at all :)

Thanks again, I has the solar panel fitted at Vanbitz, and as far as I remember, was told that it would charge all batteries, I may even have a B2B fitted, I will check with them. (y)

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pappajohn

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So am i right in thinking that the on board charger will not charge the batteries as good as a normal battery charger ?
The onboard charger serves two purposes....to provide 12v (nominal) power and charge the battery.
Because it provides independent 12v output will be restricted to 13.6v to protect any 12v eqyipment from overvoltage.
A standalone charger will output up to around 15v if the battery is flat and reduce as the battery charges.
To fully charge the battery it needs higher voltage than the onboard can provide.
 
Sep 16, 2010
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Barney 23. On our last Autotrail with the Sargent 325 PSU panel we had to physically switch from "hab" to "veh" in order to get the vehicle batts charged. As yours is a year old you should have the Sargent 500 PSU panel which automaticaly switches between the two sets of batts.. There was the facility to connect an 80 watt solar panel straight into the Sargent 325, as it had an internal regulator. On the Sargent 500 this has been raised to a 100 watt solar panel. Is this how Eddie wired yours ??
Send an Email to Sargent. They give excellent back-up info. Or you can ring them..
Previous posters are bang on about your extra charger confusing the issue. Have you pressed the "charge" button on the PSU ??? Without it "on" nothing 12 volt will be charged. ((The switch goes to green when pressed.
Hope this helps.. Mitch.
 
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Barney23
Dec 27, 2013
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Thanks for that Mitch, will check PSU & ask Vanbitz. (y)

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