Electric capacity.....normal or? (1 Viewer)

[sylvester1954]

I know that this might merit a how long is a piece of string but l was never the sharpest pencil etc..
I have a AS Kingham with an added solar panel and an additional leisure battery.
I have the van parked up for a week now and checking this morning the leisure battery capacity is already down to 35% even though the solar panel is feeding the batteries when/if the sun is out. When l parked her up a week ago capacity was at 90%. The leisure battery is voltage is just about 12V (EC480 control panel reading). Nothing is left running apart from the leaving the shutdown switch on and Strikeback alarm. Would funsters on here with the knowledge suggest that this is the norm or would they recommend that l get something else checked?

 

[Stealaway]

How big is the solar panel and how big are the battery's?

 

[sylvester1954]

How big is the solar panel and how big are the battery's?

Solar panel is 100w and two 105 amp leisure batteries both just 12 months old

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[pappajohn]

Down to 35% after a week......New battery needed.

How did you measure the voltage ?
Just reread your post.
Check the voltage using a multimeter directly onto the battery terminals, preferably at night when the solar panel is dead.

 

[adonisito]

I'd check the batteries with a meter first.

 

[Stealaway]

Can you risk leaving the alarm off for a day or three to see if that is causing the big discharge?

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[Lenny HB]

Either the battery is duff or it's not getting a solar charge possibly the regulator or panel but my money is on the duff battery.
This time off year the panel will only produce a couple of amps with bright full sun but will be more than enough to keep the battery fully charged.

 

[Jaws]

A loss that big across two batteries is very worrying.. I would not expect that much loss without a solar panel let alone with

I do not know how Strike Backs are wired ( perhaps @eddievanbitz can pop in and say ) but usually an alarm system is connected to the cab battery rather than the hab ones.. Mind you, nowt wrong with doing it either way..

And if the alarm is on the cab battery then it would seem you have nothing to drain the batteries at all.. so that just points to duff batteries

 

[Stealaway]

Solar panel is 100w and two 105 amp leisure batteries both just 12 months old

What make of battery's?

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[Wagoneer]

The leisure batteries should only discharge a very small amount with everything turned off.

The starter battery is more prone to discharge at this time of year with the vehicle electronics consuming about 10Ah per week. The alarm is usually powered by the starter battery and add to the draw from the battery.

I charge my starter battery every 2 weeks, whereas the leisure batteries only require charging every couple of months when the vehicle is laid-up. I don't have solar.

 

[EssexBoy]

Could the "shutdown switch on" be a clue?
I mean, as it's on, is there something still on standby that's not obvious... like a TV booster or a cupboard light....

Can you turn the shutdown switch off and see what happens?

 

[Jaws]

Normally a shut down switch ( I think that is probably an isolation switch ) would be left on..
Is the button on the panel turned off ?

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[madmick1945]

Had a similar thing and found 1 duff battery pulling the other down

 

[Munchie]

We have 2x80amp agm batts and 100watt solar.
Van has been stood for a month with strikeback growler on.
Not a lot of sun but both leisure and engine batts are ramjam full!

 

[sylvester1954]

Normally a shut down switch ( I think that is probably an isolation switch ) would be left on..
Is the button on the panel turned off ?

The shut down switch on the EC500 PSU is left on as recommended. I also leave the button on for the EC480 Control panel as I assume they are both linked insofar as one has to be on with the other....?

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[sylvester1954]

Normally a shut down switch ( I think that is probably an isolation switch ) would be left on..
Is the button on the panel turned off ?

Big thank you for everyones input .....

The shut down switch on the EC500 PSU is left on as recommended. I also leave the button on for the EC480 Control panel as I assume they are both linked insofar as one has to be on with the other....?

 

[Jaws]

If you are leaving the control panel on that is where the battery drain might well be..
As for the Switch on the panel..
That is I believe the on off for the 240v mains for the unit.
Oddly, on all the Sargent instruction books I have and have read it is recomended it be turned off before plugging in EHU and off before unplugging.. However, as that is the 240v side ( by the sound of it ) that would not affect the batteries at all

Is this your panel ?

 

[sylvester1954]

If you are leaving the control panel on that is where the battery drain might well be..
As for the Switch on the panel..
That is I believe the on off for the 240v mains for the unit.
Oddly, on all the Sargent instruction books I have and have read it is recomended it be turned off before plugging in EHU and off before unplugging.. However, as that is the 240v side ( by the sound of it ) that would not affect the batteries at all

Is this your panel ?

Yes that is the same one

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[Jaws]

Yes that is the same one

In that case, no idea who told you not to turn it off but that info is wrong..
This taken direct from the Sargent EC500 manual Special note should be made of item B and F

B) Switch the PSU internal Power Converter OFF. Locate the green ‘Charger’ power switch on the PSU and ensure the switch is in the off position (button out) before connection to the mains supply.

C) Connect the Hook-up Lead. Firstly connect the supplied hook-up lead (orange cable with blue connectors) to the Leisure Vehicle and then connect to the mains supply.

D) Check Residual Current Device operation. Locate the RCD within the PSU and ensure the RCD is switched on (lever in up position). Press the ‘Test’ button and confirm that the RCD turns off (lever in down position). Switch the RCD back to the on position (lever in up position). If the test button failed to operate the RCD see section 3.14.

E) Check Miniature Circuit Breakers. Locate the MCB’s within the PSU (adjacent to the RCD) and ensure they are all in the on (up) position. If any MCB fails to ‘latch’ in the on position see section 3.14.

F) Turn the PSU ON. Locate the black ‘Shutdown’ button and ensure it is in the on position (press button to change, button in = on, button out = off). Locate the green ‘Charger’ switch on the PSU and turn to the on position (press button

You can download the complete manual FOC from Link Removed

From the same site you can also download the manual for the control panel, which again says it should be turned off when not in use

Sooooo.. Get the batteries charged up ( leave on charge for 24 hours to ensure they reach float charge level )

While they are charging pop to Halfords or somewhere similar and invest in a multi meter.. They are easy to use but if you are unsure I or lots of other folk will be able to tell you how to use one.
You need a meter because the voltage indicated on the control panel in notoriously random !

Turn the PSU etc off
Unplug hookup
Leave for an hour and check the battery voltage actually on the battery and make a note of it

Then leave for a week and recheck the voltage

Let us know what is what and hopefully we should be able to offer more info and help

 

[eddie]

The Strikeback should be on your engine circuit

 

[Jaws]

The Strikeback should be on your engine circuit

Cheers Eddie.. thought it would be mate

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[sylvester1954]

Thanks once again Jaws will do as advised and thank you Eddie too

 

[sylvester1954]

While they are charging pop to Halfords or somewhere similar and invest in a multi meter.. They are easy to use but if you are unsure I or lots of other folk will be able to tell you how to use one.
You need a meter because the voltage indicated on the control panel in notoriously random !

Hi Jaws

Bought a Draper Digital multi-meter and guessing a bit what to do next. I assume I set the dial at 20v (?) plug the leads into COM (Black) and V*mA (Red) ...and look for a reading ...?

 

[Jaws]

Hi Jaws

Bought a Draper Digital multi-meter and guessing a bit what to do next. I assume I set the dial at 20v (?) plug the leads into COM (Black) and V*mA (Red) ...and look for a reading ...?

Yup.. it really is that simple for what you are gonna do

With it off hook up and left for a while look at the reading on the control panel

Then with put the meter across the battery ( I suspect you already sussed it but the black to the -ve and the red to +ve ) and see what that reads..
Chances are the meter reading will be higher..
Let us know what it is and we can move on from that

Well done for stepping up and having a go !

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[sylvester1954]

Took off charge 12 hours ago with batteries on 97% reading14v. Just Tested both leisure batteries and both read same as the panel 12.7 as does the vehicle battery 12.5 also. Capacity 95%.

 

[Jaws]

The voltage sounds about right but the capacity is todgers ! 12.7v is 100% full
Now what does the panel read ( voltage wise ) compared to what the meter says ?

 

[aandncaravan]

What batteries do you have as some batteries have a full charge voltage of 13v, like Gel, and Banner Energy Bull can be 12.6v.

Have you disconnected the two habitation batteries from each other? If they are still 'Joined' you will just see the voltage of the 'best' battery?

Remove both Hab battery Earth leads and that should isolate them from each so you will get a true battery reading.
It does sound like one, or both, have got a short?

I take it you have checked the fluid levels, where possible?

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[Neckender]

If you scroll the middle button on the left hand side of your display, until the Auto Sleeper logo displays, then press the top and bottom buttons together the panel will go into information mode.

Scroll through the menu with top or bottom button take it through to battery capacity and set to 210 amps of leisure batteries, when you have done that carry on scrolling to battery % and set it to 100 % with your batteries fully charged, carry on scrolling to exit press exit then check battery status and it will read 100%.

I have the Auto Sleeper Broadway and had to reset mine when I added the same as you.

All this info can be downloaded from the Sargent website. Hope this is of help.

John.

 

[Jaws]

Have you disconnected the two habitation batteries from each other? If they are still 'Joined' you will just see the voltage of the 'best' battery?

Errrrr.... You should get a mean average as the better battery will try to lift the poorer one and the poorer one pull down the better
In fact there is no way to know for sure what is happening BUT
Given the batteries are of a similar age and type and are effectively used as a single unit ( you your self gave the excellent advice that batteries really should be replaced en mass ( so to speak ) rather than piecemeal ) in the real world they should be checked together

If the pair are not performing as they should and you would like to flog one of them, then and only then should it be necessary ( desirable ? ) to check the batteries individually.. scrap the faulty one ( if it is only one ) and flog the good one, and replace them both.

 

[aandncaravan]

Not necessarily, it would depend on the type of failure in the 'lower voltage' battery. It would only drag down the other battery significantly if it placed a major draw on it. If the draw was light, the better battery voltage may not drop at all.
Conversly if one battery was shorted, the drain on the better battery might drop it down to almost equal the worse one.

You are assuming the dying batteries will behave similar to a new battery but they don't, seen thousands of the bloody things.
Please don't think I am having a go at you here, as I rate your knowledge, but I am aware that the posts get read by many people and my replies are aimed at informing them as much as helping on the thread.

Just because a battery is low voltage in a dying state does not mean it's charge acceptance will equal that of a normal battery. Some dying batteries have a charge acceptance close to a short, others won't take any power at all, therefore not place any load on the good battery.

How many times have you heard about someone trying to charge a dead battery that won't take any power to charge up? It behaves the same when linked to a good battery, it just depends on what chemistry inside the battery has gone awry.

We are also assuming that they have both 'charged' up, but that may not be the case? Maybe one at 12.8v and one open circuit and dead as a Dodo so taking no charge whatever?

Weird things batteries. Most confusing one I ever had was one that showed 12.8v but if you put any load on it it would drop to 11v in less than 5 minutes. Leave it hours, days weeks, months and it would be steady at 12.8v. Until you used it, when it dropped to 11v then back to 12.8v when the load was removed.
After 3 months of being rock solid at 12.8v, it was set aside to be cut open so we could see why it behaved like that, but it got scrapped by mistake.


But regardless of that, you still need to know what the issue is, irrespective of what the resolution will be?

If one battery has completely gone but the other is only 'degraded' that might indicate dodgy manufacture in one battery so just straight replacement of both.
But if they are both gone, in such a short space of time, then there might be a need to investigate why?
I would therefore want to find out the exact state of each one.

.

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