Electrics on my Hymer (1 Viewer)

[Rollin]

OK there's definitely something up with the electrics on my Hymer 544. It has an Elekroblock 104, and a 50W solar panel on the roof.

The problem is that the leisure battery doesn't seem to be charging off the alternator or hook up. I first noticed a problem when I spotted the low voltage LED flashing on the panel.

I bought the van a couple of weeks ago, but what with work and having to keep it in storage most of the time, I've not had a lot of time to spend on it, combined with the fact I have no idea what I'm doing!

I thought maybe the battery was just a bit low, as it had been sitting at the dealers for at least a month waiting for its MOT.

When there was a bit of sun last weekend, it seems that the leisure battery got a bit of charge from that.

However when I plugged it in to the mains, the voltage on the leisure battery didn't change. Same with when the engine is running.

I spent today examining the cabling and checking all the fuses. I found 3 30 Amp fuses and a 2 Amp under the bonnet by the battery. At least one of these seems to go to the habitation area. None of the fuses were blown, but they all had corrosion on the blade tips. I replaced one, and cleaned up the others with emery paper.

The voltage on the leisure battery just now was below 10V - does this suggest the battery could be dead? Or could it just be very discharged?

I ran the engine with the cleaned up fuses, and at first the voltage on the leisure battery jumped up to just over 13 V. I looked at the panel, and the current meter was showing a few amps charging current. Excellent I thought, it was just a few duff fuses! However this was shortlived as I only turned my back a couple of minutes, but when I looked back there was no charging current showing on the meter.

Also, the voltage meter for the leisure battery no longer seems to work. I can get a reading for the starter battery, which appears healthy, but the meter doesn't even light up for the leisure battery. I have been using a multimeter instead. The 12 V lights do work when I turn that switch on.

I'm not sure what I should do next. Should I replace the leisure battery or could this be a wiring issue, perhaps a relay?

All suggestions and advice are appreciated, or just come point and laugh at the newbie!

 

[pappajohn]

I would replace the battery as an urgency.
10v points to it being completely cabbaged and sulphated.
It may appear to charge but won't hold whatever, if any, it takes

 

[Lenny HB]

Agree sounds like the battery, also duff batteries are the biggest cause of Elektroblocks failing so it could have taken that out as well.

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[Rollin]

It may appear to charge but won't hold whatever, if any, it takes

That is what appears to be happening.. after charging by solar it seems to have an alright voltage, but not 10 minutes later it's like it's dropped to near 10V.

Agree sounds like the battery, also duff batteries are the biggest cause of Elektroblocks failing so it could have taken that out as well.

Eek this sounds scary. How can I tell if the elektroblock is cabbaged??

 

[Lenny HB]

That is what appears to be happening.. after charging by solar it seems to have an alright voltage, but not 10 minutes later it's like it's dropped to near 10V.



Eek this sounds scary. How can I tell if the elektroblock is cabbaged??

Fit a new battery and see if it charges it. Need to make sure the Elektroblock is set for the correct type if battery,(slide switch normally towards right hand side). Once you have fitted a new battery monitor the voltage it should rise up to 14.4v and hold there for 8 hours for a gel or one hour for a wet cell then reduce to 13.8v. If it drags the voltage down or voltage is too high disconnect quick don't want to ruin a new battery.

 

[Rollin]

Fit a new battery and see if it charges it. Need to make sure the Elektroblock is set for the correct type if battery,(slide switch normally towards right hand side). Once you have fitted a new battery monitor the voltage it should rise up to 14.4v and hold there for 8 hours for a gel or one hour for a wet cell then reduce to 13.8v. If it drags the voltage down or voltage is too high disconnect quick don't want to ruin a new battery.

OK great, thanks for the advice, I'll do that. Can I use either gel or wet cell, or does it depend on the elektroblock? I've just had a look in the van, and I can't see any sliding switch on the electroblock for it.

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[Gerby]

Typical poor German Quality, should of bought a good old reliable British van

Time to get my head down and wait for the flack (I thought I said don't mention the war)

 

[Lenny HB]

Where is the battery located, if in the habitation area best to fit a gel, wet cells need venting. Until about 2012 gel was the standard fit.
The Sonnenschein SL75 is almost identical to the Exide G80 & Sonnenschein make the exude gels, I have 3 of them in my van.

 

[Lenny HB]

Typical poor German Quality, should of bought a good old reliable British van

Time to get my head down and wait for the flack (I thought I said don't mention the war)

Who wants to sit in a van in a wetsuit.

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[Rollin]

Where is the battery located, if in the habitation area best to fit a gel, wet cells need venting

Yep there's one in the habitation area under a seat. There is also a second leisure battery under the passenger seat - that one has been disconnected as it is totally shot (reads less than 9 V I think). It was like this when I picked it up. An external battery charger has also been fitted presumably for the purposes of charging the second leisure battery (?)

 

[Lenny HB]

External charger probably because Elektroblock is shot, AandN Caravan services repair them for £120.

 

[Rollin]

OK thanks @Lenny HB I will give them a call. Their web site says they're actually working over Easter so hopefully they'll be able to help! (I've come across their website before, while researching the elektroblock)

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[Rollin]

It's a learning curve for me! Love it, but it seems a bit overwhelming at times and I don't know where to start! Thank god for this site though and the funsters, I would be hopelessly lost without it. I just wish I'd found you lot before I bought the van, I reckon I'd have been able to ask all the right questions then, and even if I still bought it, I'd have had an idea of what needed doing.

As for the solar panel, yeah it is not very powerful, once I've got the basic electrics sorted out I can think about fitting a more up to date one, if not two.

Thanks for the tip mate, I will get these in the morning. Cleaning up if not replacing the fuses is easy enough, but I was wondering how I could get to the contacts inside the fuse block!

I haven't even got round to thinking about the gas & water yet. Are you using the returnable calor-type gas cannisters? I think that's what my van has fittings for, I've read that they can be problematic to fill up on the continent though so I wasn't sure if I should go full hog and get LPG ones.

 

[Lenny HB]

OK thanks @Lenny HB I will give them a call. Their web site says they're actually working over Easter so hopefully they'll be able to help! (I've come across their website before, while researching the elektroblock)

I'm faily certain they closed their workshop and Alan now works from home.

As for a 50watt panel airwave is being very optometrist on 40a/h in a day more like 20 and only then on a clear sunny day. Won't do much more than keep the batteries charged when the vans not in use.
I have 200watts of solar just enough for 3/4 of the year.

 

[Rollin]

I'm faily certain they closed their workshop and Alan now works from home.

Sounds about right. The website says this, "We have given up our big fixed business premises and become mobile for all Motorhome/Caravan Electronic Charger repairs/replacement units. We supply, repair and fit charger/Electronic units in Motorhomes and Caravans by working out of two Caravan sites in our area."

I have 200watts of solar just enough for 3/4 of the year.

I think I'd want to install at least 200 watts of solar. I plan to work out of the van while travelling (computer stuff) so having a good power source wherever I am is going to be essential.

I'll give aandncaravanservices a call tomorrow, hoping they can enlighten me as to what is possible / practical.

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[Neckender]

Have a look at this thread in tech/mech forum.
Schaudt EBL 99 - stopped working
Apuljack engineering as they repair electroblocks.

John.

 

[Rollin]

thanks @Neckender hadn't seen that one. Reading it now

 

[Rollin]

You're exactly right there. I do want to understand how the van works and perform basic maintenance and upgrades on it myself, and also I'm dying to be in a position to get out there in it. Patience and perseverence is needed!

I don't have anything like your mechanical experience and skill, but I do try. With my car this just means doing the oil changes myself, and replacing little things like wing mirrors and spark plugs. Many years ago now I used to have a motorbike - did a lot more work on that, upgraded forks, replaced cylinder head gaskets, clutch - it's so easy to get to everything on a motorbike and it's all so much simpler to understand!

Maybe I do worry a bit too much about asking questions here, it's just because I'm a complete beginner and want to find out as much as I can before I bother anyone else. Thanks for your words of support, they are very appreciated

I'll try giving AandN services a bell in half an hour or so, thanks to this thread and my previous research I feel confident I'll be able to describe the problem properly and have a hope of understanding the responses.

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[Lenny HB]

Just as much fun with a new van, had mine sitting on my drive for 4 weeks I have been working on it almost constantly. Still trying to find the route of all the mains wiring so I can fit a change over relay for the inverter, great fun. A thread on what I've been doing here.

 

[Lenny HB]

Looked at wind turbines when we had our first van, came to the conclusion unless you can guaranty constant gale force winds they are not much good, the vertical vane ones hardly any output below a force 6. Also you would think have both solar & wind for when no solar power but that is at night, wind speed normally drops at night. Came to the conclusion waste of time on a Motorhome.

 

[Rollin]

Yeah I hope not, fingers crossed! I'm off out to halfords to pick up some contact cleaner spray to squirt on the fuse block that had all the corroded fuses. To my untrained eye, the corrosion on those fuses appeared acidic, not the usual covering of light grey corrosion but black with coppery-blue. It was mystifying, but now I've read that a neglected battery can vent off acidic gas, and this fuse block is right next to the starter battery, so wondering if this van might have been left for months without charging not so long ago. Wouldn't be a good sign!

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[Rollin]

I don't think I saw any overflow on the starter battery, definitely wasn't a tube anyway. I did clean up or replace all the fuses by the battery, didn't have any effect on the battery charging unfortunately.

I did speak to Allan at AandN services as recommended by @Lenny HB and he has been brilliant so far. It does seem like there's a fault with my elektroblock, as well as the leisure battery being done for. He's going to call the dealer for me, hopefully they will agree to him fixing the issues with my van under warranty.

 

[Rollin]

Your one is better and more recent than mine then, despite mine having a bigger number! I feel cheated

From what I've read, your ELB99 will output 18 Amps, while mine only outputs 10 Amps. Which means mine can only support a 100 Ah battery using the 10x rule. So I'm going to have to give up on my dreams of installing a jacuzi in my van

Just waiting to see what the dealer says to Allan, then I will pick his brains and find out just what I can get away with. If I can't have a big battery, surely I'll still be able to run more power hungry equipment when on mains hookup or by upgrading the solar panels.