Total power trip out (1 Viewer)

[Zigisla]

Battery switched on. Sat Fi and TV on 12V. No problems. Batt reads 12.4 V. Inverter switched on and hairdryer on. After 1-2 mins 12V trips off and no power to anything. Re set and batt reads 12.4V. Any ideas why this would happen?

 

[Techno]

What is the voltage with the hair drier on ? That is most likely the cause

 

[Zigisla]

Just checked again. 12.7V then hairdryer drops it more rapidly than I thought. Trips at 9.5V. I guess Jane will have to go back to the gas brush thought my batts could have coped though. 2x 95. 1200w hd. Volts back to 12.5V but that is solar helped I think.
Is it the electro bloc that is tripping due to lack of batts then?

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[Robert Clark]

Have you considered supplementing your solar with a B2B charger?
Solar is good, but if you're using a hair dryer, you'll be pulling a lot of power
Mrs C has a travel hair dryer for the van - only uses 1200w which is low compared with many others.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sounds like your batteries are failing under load and the Electroblock is tripping out.
I see you have a Sunlight part of the Hymer group, are the Batteries AGM is so it sounds similar to how mine failed. Voltage off load looked OK but on load fell rapidly giving only about 10 A/H of power before EBL tripping they were only 18 months old. I replaced them will Gels no problems since.
The Boss's hairdryer is a travel one, on the low setting 600 watts works fine with our 1000 watt inverter.

 

[Techno]

Is it the electro bloc that is tripping due to lack of batts then?

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[Techno]

I guess Jane will have to go back to the gas brush

 

[Zigisla]

View attachment 116646

You just love to get that one out don't you?

 

[Zigisla]

Have you considered supplementing your solar with a B2B charger?
Solar is good, but if you're using a hair dryer, you'll be pulling a lot of power
Mrs C has a travel hair dryer for the van - only uses 1200w which is low compared with many others.

That maybe one solution. I will have to wait for the Bitzmeister to come back from hols.

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[Zigisla]

Sounds like your batteries are failing under load and the Electroblock is tripping out.
I see you have a Sunlight part of the Hymer group, are the Batteries AGM is so it sounds similar to how mine failed. Voltage off load looked OK but on load fell rapidly giving only about 10 A/H of power before EBL tripping they were only 18 months old. I replaced them will Gels no problems since.
The Boss's hairdryer is a travel one, on the low setting 600 watts works fine with our 1000 watt inverter.

Mine are only 8 months old though. Should they be failing. My charger is set to agm.

 

[Lenny HB]

View attachment 116648
Mine are only 8 months old though. Should they be failing. My charger is set to agm.

If you have the EBL with AGM setting they should not have failed. Other question does solar charger have a proper AGM setting? AGM appear to be really fussy about charging regimes, it will be a long while before I go near an AGM for leisure use, starter AGM in my car is fine even after I left standing for 8 weeks in the winter and it's 4 years old.

 

[Techno]

If you are taking more out of the batteries than is going in they will eventually go flat
A 60amp B2B is the best option

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[Lenny HB]

If you are taking more out of the batteries than is going in they will eventually go flat
A 60amp B2B is the best option

True but a B2B won't help if the batteries are knackered, as I said sounds like they are behaving just like my AGM's did when they failed.
Really need a bit more info from OP, type of solar regulator, inverter size and hirdryer power.

 

[Zigisla]

Victron 75/15. 150W sp. 1800 psw. 2x95 batts and 1200W hairdryer. All from @eddievanbitz -except the hairdryer. Equipment would be fine I am sure. Will keep monitoring and see what to do. On the drive to this site I was showing 14V and it is now 13.8V. Flashing steady in the victron. Internet coverage bad so if I cannot get back I certainly will as soon as I can. Thanks

 

[DavidG58]

Might just be worth checking batteries individually, which means disconnecting at least one of them, we had a very similar issue when we bought ours, I bought 2 new batteries but one turned out to be perfect, but the other had failed totally, so any load took total voltage down but all looked OK on charge

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[Lenny HB]

Agree with David about checking the batteries individually, I did that with mine & found they were both in the same state.

The Victron controller looks like it is OK with AGM but you have to set the Charge algorithm via computer software and need to be a bit computer savvy to do it, as far as I can see you have to set all the individual parameters, if this has not been set correctly could lead to premature failure of the batteries.

Info on setup here. OK if you know what you are doing and know the correct parameters otherwise could be a total balls up.

 

[Zigisla]

Just had report from Dealer ref checking the batteries and they have tested them and confirmed that they have failed after 2 hours. - That, after a 2 hour drive home the other day and 8 days on Solar. They contact their "Battery Guys" who suggested that it is because I do not plug in to EHU every fortnight or so and the Solar cannot deep cycle charge and neither can the alternator. Alternator, I can accept, but I thought the Victron 75/15 would work through deep cycles and then float charge. - Maybe then not for long enough as on another thread someone stated that maybe I need a good number of hours on deep then float to fully gain back all I have taken out. As I am away most weekends, I may have to find a site / BritStop with EHU. Would a B2B cover this deep cycle required or am I doomed to be a Hook Up slave?

Just had a call back. The Battery Guy is going to discharge / Charge and get them "back to new" like. Then we can tell if they fail again, it cannot be from over use.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sounds like the dealer is talking out his rear end. Most of us with solar never plug into the mains, my last van I had nearly 6 years. I fitted a solar panel when it was 9 months old after that only connected to mains for a total of 3 nights in 5 years, the Gel batteries were still performing as new when I sold the van.

Not worth wasting time peeing about with them they have had it, best place for them is the local tip.

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[Gizmouk]

Battery switched on. Sat Fi and TV on 12V. No problems. Batt reads 12.4 V. Inverter switched on and hairdryer on. After 1-2 mins 12V trips off and no power to anything. Re set and batt reads 12.4V. Any ideas why this would happen?

That's your problem - that'll be a big load.
Just get your wife to put her head out the window to dry her hair. With a little practice, you'll be surprised how easy it is to get close to the lampposts

 

[emjaiuk]

From my recent research, i think AGM batteries are hyper sensitive to the charging regime. For example up until 2016 Schaudt chargers fitted to Hymers and other continental makes only had a choice of FLA or gel. In spite of this Hymer fitted AGM batteries to their MHs a very many premature battery failures. Also, AFAIK Sterling themselves don't recommend a B2B charger with AGM or gel batteries.
It might be worth reading the articles on

http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/

He is a bit evangelical when it comes to advocating Varta LFD90 batteries, but it is hard to disagree with most of his findings, and they don't sell batteries so no axe to grind.


Malcolm

 

[Lenny HB]

From my recent research, i think AGM batteries are hyper sensitive to the charging regime. For example up until 2016 Schaudt chargers fitted to Hymers and other continental makes only had a choice of FLA or gel. In spite of this Hymer fitted AGM batteries to their MHs a very many premature battery failures.

Yep and not only Banner AGM's Hymer changed to Varta AGM's they are failing aslo, well documented on the German forums.

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[Zigisla]

Yep and not only Banner AGM's Hymer changed to Varta AGM's they are failing aslo, well documented on the German forums.

Does make you wonder why they still use them then. My 119 is supposed to be the right charger for agm but may not be. Don't go with the dealers "battery mans" theory, but could go for not charging long enough at the right voltage. We will see when I get the MH back next week and we go for our three week trip to Scotland next Saturday. May have to have another chat with @eddievanbitz iver a chocolate soon then about b2b

 

[Minxy]

Is it just me who thinks that trying to run a 1200w hairdrier from an inverter/batteries is asking a bit tooooooo much!

 

[Zigisla]

Not when you've been on ehu, it is a sunny day and then a 2 hour drive

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[Lenny HB]

Is it just me who thinks that trying to run a 1200w hairdrier from an inverter/batteries is asking a bit tooooooo much!

Running for 10 min it will only take 17A/H out of the batteries.

 

[Robert Clark]

Is it just me who thinks that trying to run a 1200w hairdrier from an inverter/batteries is asking a bit tooooooo much!

That's what we do every day
And a Nespresso coffee machine (but not at the same time)

Our leisure batteries managed for the past year without issue

 

[peterc10]

Often use 1200W hair dryer for 10 minutes in our old van and new one without any problems.

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[Zigisla]

And I bet you guys don't deep cycle charge every 2 weeks either do you? I will comply with the dealer's request and not use the hair dryer, for the next 3 weeks away, if anything just to prove a point. Batts Kaput, or some other issue with charging and to dig out the specs of the Victron to state that they maintain batts not just trickle charge them.

 

[Jaws]

Re two week deep discharge and recharge cycle.. Load of old tosh !

 

[Zigisla]

Re two week deep discharge and recharge cycle.. Load of old tosh !

Is there any factual evidence out there on the WWW, that I can take and present to the Dealer's "Battery Man"?

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