Battery Isolator switches (1 Viewer)

[Camperian]

Posted this on the other site, but have not yet received a reply. Talking to various RV owners, I am getting conflicting information.

On EHU, do you isolate the mains battery or not? Especially for lengthy periods

On EHU, do you isloate the leisure batteries?

MoT: I have heard that they now check for locking fuel filler caps. Is this true? I have the original one which is against a resistance before removal/unscrewing. Is this sufficient for a pass?

Ian

 

[Jim]

On my Georgie Boy, if the isolator switch is isolating when you hook up, even switching it on will not start the batteries charging. So I never really isolate the batteries. As I am always charging via solar.

 

[Geo]

Hi Ian
Did'nt know there were any RVers left on t'other site
For what its worth the main(coach battery is always isolated from the house battery's unless you press and hold the Emergancy start button then they are all joined together but only whilst the button is held in
the house(leisure) batteries are taken care of by the charging system of the coach and I dont isolate any batteries at all,Im on hookup 24/7 at home, a Charge Wizard takes care of the house batteries giving them a boost and or trickle when they need it, if you do isolate any batteries the 12 volt cant take over automaticly if the 240 fails
Hope thats helped and was a fast enough response:thumb:
Geo

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[paulmj]

On mine I scrapped the HR supplied charger and fitted one of Sterling's excellent devices. It is clever enough to check batteries and run charging cycles etc so you never over charge. It is really meant for boats, so it will run on just about any frequency (handy in the 50 vs 60Hz debate) and just about any supply voltage - the idea being you could arrive at any port in the world and hook up.

It has three separate isolated charging circuits, so I have one connected to the vehicle battery and one connected to the leisure batteries. When on hook up it charges them both and I leave it connected to maintain them.

When not on hook up the HR has a voltage sensing solenoid that connects the leisure batteries to the vehicle battery once the vehicle battery has recovered sufficiently after start up. Hence the alternator (don't get me started on that swine!!!! :shout charges both when the engine is running. Of course you can still apply the emergency start switch to connect them all up for an emergency start.

The emergency start feature has always amazed me. I assume it is there as standard RV chargers generally don't charge the vehicle battery. Therefore it might run down when parked up as it isn't being charged. The logic therefore being to use the leisure batteries to boost it. In my opinion that is a really bad idea as leisure batteries are built very differently to vehicle batteries and don't like large current drains - they quite quickly knacker them. I would suggest steering clear of the emergency start button if at all possible. Also, once a vehicle battery has had a deep discharge it will never fully recover - unlike a leisure battery which is designed to be deep discharged........

Life would be much easier without batteries and alternators.....

oh:

Paul

 

[Camperian]

Thanks for instant replies, but I am none the wiser. I don't have solar panels so that will not keep the main battery charged up. I do have a simple trickle charger, not yet fitted for the main. I have had 3 main batteries go down in 18 months, so something must be draining it! Just replaced a faulty alternator although that would only work while the engine was running.

So to recap: you never switch either off? While on EHU. So why have an isolator switch?

Wot abart the filler cap for MoT?

Ian

 

[Jim]

Petrol cap- Yesterday they asked me to unlock mine and then lock it again.

Isolator switches are for when you are parking up and not using the RV for a while - ,.................I think

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[paulmj]

Yep, agree. I only use the isolators if I am leaving everything locked up and all alone for a while....

 

[olley]

Hi never used the isolaters, as it was always on trickle charge from EHU and now has solar.

If you did intend to leave it unattended off EHU for a month or two I would recommend using them, but this could mean no power to the alarm if fitted.

I believe Geo posted recently (he's an MOT bod) that locking petrol caps are not compulsory.

Olley

 

[Geo]

Wot abart the filler cap for MoT?

Sorry mate
Locking cap NOT a requirement, the regs require that the cap be secure, IE twist on and off is fine, and must have a rubber seal fitted
temporary fuel caps are OK if they have the centre twisty thing that expands in the neck effectively securing the cap, push in and pull out types are a no no
Geo

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