Sterling service (1 Viewer)

[Johno1]

Hi, back from Lincoln show 2 nights without hook up and really impressed with the Sterling B to B 45amp charger, new to motorhomes with a Bailey Approach 740 delivered at end of April, fitted extra 105 amp leisure battery and the sterling charger with heavy cabling and this has been the first chilly weekend to see how it performs.
Parked up Friday evening, heater and water on, Camos dome tv on and later a few led lamps = 6.2 amps, had a couple of hours over at the bars and then back till the early hours before switching all off and bed, Sat morning approx three hours of the same and in the evening repeated, ready for off on Sunday batteries still at 12.2v, started engine, checked Sterling control panel, after 1 min 44amps charging leisure batteries on tickover.
So thanks to this forum where I saw technical advice re: relays etc, I am confident that 12v power will not be a problem over the winter months. Next to tackle refillable gas system, Phil.

 

[JockandRita]

Hi Phil,

Glad to read that you are happy with your B2B. We too are very pleased with ours, and it comes into it's own during winter months, when there is very little charge from the solar panels, or when hopping from stopover to stopover without hook up.

Prior to fitting the B2B, recharging at home after a cold weekend away would take anything from 12 to 24 hours to complete. Now with the B2B fitted, that same recharge is only a couple of hours to completion, and often we don't even bother plugging in now. :thumb:

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[hilldweller]

Hi, back from Lincoln show 2 nights without hook up and really impressed with the Sterling B to B 45amp charger, new to motorhomes with a Bailey Approach 740 delivered at end of April, fitted extra 105 amp leisure battery and the sterling charger with heavy cabling and this has been the first chilly weekend to see how it performs.

We did 5 days at the Stratford show on one 100Ah battery. No solar, no b2b.

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[jonandshell]

Get some decent batteries and you can use your electric kettle too!

It saves on gas!

 

[jonandshell]

We did 5 days at the Stratford show on one 100Ah battery. No solar, no b2b.

Probably sitting in the dark, no TV and obviously, with it being Stratford, no blown air heating on!
C'mon Brian, you're not really drawing a fair comparison.

 

[Johno1]

sitting in the dark

Fitted the Sterling B2B after reading the claims made and just posting to pass on my first experience of relying on its use on cold nights, really pleased and batteries were fully charged again after the 2 hour drive home to the North East.
(better than all those noisy generators running all day and well into the evening one at 22:55 hours) cheers

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[hilldweller]

Fitted the Sterling B2B after reading the claims made and just posting to pass on my first experience of relying on its use on cold nights,

Well that is what puzzled me. If you are sat there the b2b is doing nothing, isn't it ?

And I was hinting that two days on 200Ah is nothing, unless you are not yet in tune with frugal electrics.

Rapid charging when the engine is running is what I thought b2b is all about and it looks very good. Long term I'd be monitoring leisure battery life and alternator/belt life.

 

[Jim]

I fancy the B2B but people tell me that idling the engine to charge my batteries will damage the engine and the B2B should only be used to charge my batteries when driving normally. Is this so?

 

[JockandRita]

I fancy the B2B but people tell me that idling the engine to charge my batteries will damage the engine and the B2B should only be used to charge my batteries when driving normally. Is this so?

I wouldn't normally run the engine at idle to charge my batteries Jim, unless I was caught short (especially in winter) and not actually moving on, however, on the odd occasion, it shouldn't be a problem, and much quicker with the B2B fitted obviously.
If doing short hops between Aires and Stellplatz every 2/3 days for example, it is a great way to restore that used amperage. A half hour drive bangs in a fair few amps.
Our 1 x hour run home yesterday, had our 3 x 100amp leisure batteries back at full charge.
Boaters have been using the B2B for some years now. Sterling Power Products

Cheers for now,

Jock.

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[jonandshell]

I fancy the B2B but people tell me that idling the engine to charge my batteries will damage the engine and the B2B should only be used to charge my batteries when driving normally. Is this so?

You won't damage your engine for the infrequent times you will be using the B2B charger as a genny Jim!:thumb:

Running a diesel engine at highish revs at light loads for long periods traditionally causes cylinder bore glazing. This causes in turn engine oil to get past the piston rings and manifest itself as oil in the exhaust system. Sometimes this was wrongly diagnosed as blown turbo seals.
I have experienced this on tractors and Bedford Army lorries when they were left running at high revs for periods of several hours under light loads, running drying fans, or charging batteries.
You need high cylinder pressures to expand the piston rings from their grooves to push against the bore, creating a tight seal. Light loads produce low cylinder pressures which result in combustion products lining the bore and ruining the seal, thus allowing oil from the crankcase to pass the piston rings and into the cylinders, and then onto the exhaust.
It did need many hours of repeated running to cause the glazing, however. As an ex-Army man, you'll be able to visualise the scenario of a transport squadron carrying out it's first parade checks in barracks, running up their trucks, leaving them and clearing off down the NAAFI for several hours!

Within the agricultural trade, the usual remedy was, sump and head off, pistons out and a 'glaze-buster' running through the cylinders with a drill. The REME simply changed turbos until they realised it wasn't the problem, then backloaded the vehicle for an engine change. All at taxpayer's expense! I can remember, as a fully-qualified agricultural engineer, but class 2 REME vehicle mechanic, trying to convince my ASM I was right at my first posting!oh:

I haven't come across this problem for many years, I reckon better engine technology must be the reason.

Unless someone knows different!

Just found this, if you care to read-

.

 

[Johno1]

I wouldn't normally run the engine at idle to charge my batteries Jim, unless I was caught short (especially in winter) and not actually moving on, however, on the odd occasion, it shouldn't be a problem, and much quicker with the B2B fitted obviously.
If doing short hops between Aires and Stellplatz every 2/3 days for example, it is a great way to restore that used amperage. A half hour drive bangs in a fair few amps.
Our 1 x hour run home yesterday, had our 3 x 100amp leisure batteries back at full charge.
Boaters have been using the B2B for some years now. Sterling Power Products

Cheers for now,

Jock.

Hi Jock Rita, I dont think others are getting the point of the B2B? for instance the advanced electronics that give you 100% battery charging opposed to about 80% charging direct from alternator and taking many miles to do it.
The reference to tickover was to tell that after 1 mins look at the engine battery voltage and seeing all is well the B2B starts to charge the liesure battery in my case @ 14+ volts and 44amps, I then drove home while the B2B was making the alternator do some real work for a change.
Bye the way I have no desire to live power frugally, been doing that for nearly 30 years while caravaning, I intend to take advantage of technology like sat tv and warm cosy nights inside the motorhome while its blowing a hooly outside. regards Phil