A fairly consistent issue in the tech forums seems to be the problem of habitation batteries losing their charge over a period of time when the van is not in use.
This has happened twice to my van since autumn so as this hadn’t previously been a problem for the last two winters, I felt I should investigate. Diagnosing with a meter set to check current drain was made a little tricky by one of the leisure batteries having discharged more than the other and the solar panel pumping a little juice in, but eventually I determined that the drain was down to the inverter. This is an aftermarket item which I had wired permanently into the 12v habitation circuit earlier this year, not realising that it draws a certain amount of current whether or not anything is plugged into the 240v side. It wasn’t a problem in the summer as the solar panel output is then much greater than the drain (about .25 amps).
I don’t know if new vans are supplied with built-in inverters or if these are permanently on, it may be that this problem is unique to me as I have used a unit which is designed to be plugged in and switched on when required.
The solution, in my case, is simple enough, turn off the inverter when not in use, but I wish now that I hadn’t hidden it under the wardrobe base:Sad:,a strategically positioned hole for finger control will be required
This has happened twice to my van since autumn so as this hadn’t previously been a problem for the last two winters, I felt I should investigate. Diagnosing with a meter set to check current drain was made a little tricky by one of the leisure batteries having discharged more than the other and the solar panel pumping a little juice in, but eventually I determined that the drain was down to the inverter. This is an aftermarket item which I had wired permanently into the 12v habitation circuit earlier this year, not realising that it draws a certain amount of current whether or not anything is plugged into the 240v side. It wasn’t a problem in the summer as the solar panel output is then much greater than the drain (about .25 amps).
I don’t know if new vans are supplied with built-in inverters or if these are permanently on, it may be that this problem is unique to me as I have used a unit which is designed to be plugged in and switched on when required.
The solution, in my case, is simple enough, turn off the inverter when not in use, but I wish now that I hadn’t hidden it under the wardrobe base:Sad:,a strategically positioned hole for finger control will be required
