Battery reading (1 Viewer)

[Hymerboy]

I Have a Sargent electical system on my autotrail, can anyone advise me as to what the readings actually mean on the control panel, I.E. percentage amp hours ? by the way ignore the time

 

[Richard n Ann]

The battery is quite low at 22% but it's charging at 3.5amps

 

[pappajohn]

The battery voltage shows it on charge.

The capacity shows the battery is excessively flat ....to the point of damage. 50% should be regarded as the max discharge

It's being charged at 3.5amps but what from at that rate is anyone's guess.
The onboard charger should be 15amps or higher.

 

[Lenny HB]

Looks like the battery is knackered and not taking a proper charge.

 

[Hymerboy]

I don't understand it , I bought two 130 AH lead batteries 12 months since, is there any other reasons for the readings ? I do know that having spoken to Sargent last year the calibration readings will not be correct as they only use 100 AH batteries on the system could it be something to do with that ?

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[Lenny HB]

It will make the percentage readout inaccurate but won't affect the charging.
With two batteries in parallel it one is faulty it will drag the other one down, so it could be just one duff battery.

How have you been using your batteries, have you been using heavy loads like an inverter or running them down past 50% regularly?

 

[Diabalo]

https://sargent.zohodesk.eu/portal/en/kb/articles/calibrate-the-ec480-battery-amps

You may need to calibrate it. The link above is for the EC480 panel, others are on Sargents site if you are different.

Calibrate the EC480 battery amps​

The EC480 (or EC300) control panel, connected to the EC500 PSU has the ability to measure and display the current (A) going into or out of the active (Selected) battery. Positive Current (+) indicates charging of the battery whilst Negative Current (-) indicates discharging of the battery.
The EC480 control panel also displays the approximate remaining capacity of the leisure battery (AH). As the battery is charged this gauge will increase and as the battery is discharged it will reduce. This is a useful indication of useable battery power, however is only a guide and you should always take note of the actual battery voltage (See table below)

Capacity % (Amp Hours) - EC480 Control Panel ONLY​

The AH reading is not a reading or measurement from the battery, it is purely a calculation based on battery size, the charging current into the battery and the current drawn from the battery and as such is reliant upon a correctly calibrated ammeter and the correct sized battery being programmed into the control panel (See Below).
This reading will also be inaccurate if the leisure battery has been removed from the van and charged independently, or an additional\larger battery fitted. In this case a programming option is available to reset the AH Start Point. To check\change the programming options follow the below instructions:

1. Turn off the 12V Power to the Van.
2. Scroll to the manufacturer logo screen (E.g. Autotrail).
3. Press and Hold the Up and Down Scroll arrows to enter the programming mode.
4. Use the scroll keys navigate the menus a) Battery Size (Set to Appropriate Size) b) AH Start Point (Set to Estimated Battery Capacity, I.e. 100% when fully charged).
5. Use the Select ( < ) key to adjust the settings.
6. Scroll to "Exit Advanced" and Use the Select key to exit.

Calibration of the Ammeter - EC480 / EC300 Control Panels​

The ammeter is within the EC500 PSU and requires calibration to the EC480 (Or EC300) control panel at initial install. Following this initial calibration, you may need to re-calibrate if the reading is inaccurate, one cause of an inaccuracy could be due to a replacement control panel being installed. To re-calibrate follow the below instructions:

1. Turn off the 12V Power to the van.
2. Turn off the Battery Charger.
3. Where possible solar panels should be covered.
4. Scroll to the active battery screen (Battery Current Screen on EC300).
5. Press and hold the select button (<) to start the calibration process. 6) Note the "A" \ "Batt Amps" Reading reset to 0 7) Once calibrated you should see a more accurate display of the current. > < ) to start the calibration process.
6. Note the "A" \ "Batt Amps" Reading reset to 0.
7. Once calibrated you should see a more accurate display of the current.

 

[Hymerboy]

https://sargent.zohodesk.eu/portal/en/kb/articles/calibrate-the-ec480-battery-amps

You may need to calibrate it. The link above is for the EC480 panel, others are on Sargents site if you are different.

Calibrate the EC480 battery amps​

The EC480 (or EC300) control panel, connected to the EC500 PSU has the ability to measure and display the current (A) going into or out of the active (Selected) battery. Positive Current (+) indicates charging of the battery whilst Negative Current (-) indicates discharging of the battery.
The EC480 control panel also displays the approximate remaining capacity of the leisure battery (AH). As the battery is charged this gauge will increase and as the battery is discharged it will reduce. This is a useful indication of useable battery power, however is only a guide and you should always take note of the actual battery voltage (See table below)

Capacity % (Amp Hours) - EC480 Control Panel ONLY​

The AH reading is not a reading or measurement from the battery, it is purely a calculation based on battery size, the charging current into the battery and the current drawn from the battery and as such is reliant upon a correctly calibrated ammeter and the correct sized battery being programmed into the control panel (See Below).
This reading will also be inaccurate if the leisure battery has been removed from the van and charged independently, or an additional\larger battery fitted. In this case a programming option is available to reset the AH Start Point. To check\change the programming options follow the below instructions:

1. Turn off the 12V Power to the Van.
2. Scroll to the manufacturer logo screen (E.g. Autotrail).
3. Press and Hold the Up and Down Scroll arrows to enter the programming mode.
4. Use the scroll keys navigate the menus a) Battery Size (Set to Appropriate Size) b) AH Start Point (Set to Estimated Battery Capacity, I.e. 100% when fully charged).
5. Use the Select ( < ) key to adjust the settings.
6. Scroll to "Exit Advanced" and Use the Select key to exit.

Calibration of the Ammeter - EC480 / EC300 Control Panels​

The ammeter is within the EC500 PSU and requires calibration to the EC480 (Or EC300) control panel at initial install. Following this initial calibration, you may need to re-calibrate if the reading is inaccurate, one cause of an inaccuracy could be due to a replacement control panel being installed. To re-calibrate follow the below instructions:

1. Turn off the 12V Power to the van.
2. Turn off the Battery Charger.
3. Where possible solar panels should be covered.
4. Scroll to the active battery screen (Battery Current Screen on EC300).
5. Press and hold the select button (<) to start the calibration process. 6) Note the "A" \ "Batt Amps" Reading reset to 0 7) Once calibrated you should see a more accurate display of the current. > < ) to start the calibration process.
6. Note the "A" \ "Batt Amps" Reading reset to 0.
7. Once calibrated you should see a more accurate display of the current.

Thanks for the reply, I already have the information you sent but as I said when I spoke to Sargent they told me that the calibration would not be correct because my batteries are 130 AH each which is more than their system uses. By the way my AH reading is now back up to 100%.

 

[Hymerboy]

It will make the percentage readout inaccurate but won't affect the charging.
With two batteries in parallel it one is faulty it will drag the other one down, so it could be just one duff battery.

How have you been using your batteries, have you been using heavy loads like an inverter or running them down past 50% regularly?

The reading very rarely drops below 50%, I do use the inverter to recharge the Laptop, phones Hair dryer ect when off grid but mostly use the inverter to charge things when we are driving, By the way the Percentage is now back up to 100%, I take your piont about a duff battery and will get them checked when back in UK. Thanks for your help.
Jack

 

[Lenny HB]

You can disconnect one battery run for a few days then swap batteries and run for a few days and see if you get similar results from both batteries.

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[Hymerboy]

You can disconnect one battery run for a few days then swap batteries and run for a few days and see if you get similar results from both batteries.

Thanks I'll try that.