EHU at home and idling

[The Tafia]

Hi All
I hope your all wrapped warm somewhere keeping nice and toasty.
I am wondering about my motorhome on EHU at home. Does it charge the vehicle battery (I don't think so but...) when on EHU.
If not should I idle the vehicle for a short amount of time each day, lots of conflicting information to be had.
Or should I get a smart charger and if so which do you recommend.
Is the EHU adequate to charge the habitation battery and keep it in top shape.
I will of course be taking the MH out when I get a chance
Thanks

 

[Janine]

It depends on your set-up. My ehu charges the vehicle battery and hab battery depending on which I select.

 

[Tombola]

Lots do charge the vehicle or trickel from the leisure.
Some have a switch that tells it to charge leisure or vehicle, what charge system or electrics do you have, pics may help

 

[kevenh]

If, like mine, and on EHU hookup, your engine/cab battery is not charged, then adding a battery master will fix.
We’ve an MHF discount on the original & best
(Link coming)
Come: [Broken Link Removed]
code for discount Broken Link Removed

 

[pappajohn]

Don't idle the van.
It will take more than a few minutes running and can cause very expensive damage to the DPF and cylinder walls.
Buy a cheap workshop charger (mine was around £7 at Aldi) to plug in the house or an onboard 230v socket and charge for an hour or so every few days.

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[The Old Man]

Put it on your EHU.

Plug an extention lead into one of the van 240v sockets.

Use a standard 240v car battery charger, plugged into the extention lead after connecting it to the engine battery.

All batteries get topped up.

 

[The Tafia]

If, like mine, and on EHU hookup, your engine/cab battery is not charged, then adding a battery master will fix.
We’ve an MHF discount on the original & best
(Link coming)
Come: [Broken Link Removed]
code for discount Broken Link Removed

thanks Kevenh. Quite a few have suggested similar solution.

 

[bigtwin]

You need to measure the voltage at the starter battery terminals when you have EHU connected. If it’s around 13.7V or above then it’s being charged via EHU.

If it’s around 12.7V it isn’t.

Ian

 

[The Tafia]

You need to measure the voltage at the starter battery terminals when you have EHU connected. If it’s around 13.7V or above then it’s being charged via EHU.

If it’s around 12.7V it isn’t.

Ian

 

[The Tafia]

thanks a lot bigtwin. I'll do that tomorrow.

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[The Tafia]

thanks a lot bigtwin. I'll do that tomorrow.

Just tested with and without EHU and got 11.96v on starter batt. So I think that means it Is not being charged on EHU

 

[bigtwin]

Just tested with and without EHU and got 11.96v on starter batt. So I think that means it Is not being charged on EHU

Looks that way and definitely looks as though it‘s in need of a good charge too.

Ian

 

[kevenh]

thanks Kevenh. Quite a few have suggested similar solution.

just to be sure,
Briefly, the battery master links the habitat battery to the cab battery so that if the habitat battery is charged and a higher voltage than the cab battery, it’ll charge the latter.
Works for Solar charging and EHU charging.

 

[Emmit]

The Tafia

Back to basics. Do you have solar. It's not been mentioned.

 

[The Tafia]

yes I have solar.

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[Emmit]

Sorry for the delay in responding.

As a stop gap measure, I'd take the advice of "The Old Man" (above).

Put the van on EHU, then, using a vehicle battery charger, charge the vans vehicle battery with a charger using a mains socket fitted to the van.

I think you remarked that at the last test you had less than 12v on the van battery. You are in danger as it stands for not being able to start it. Charging the vans battery will avoid that problem.

Going foreward, you need to fit a system into your van where you can utilise the charging from the solar panel to add the vehicle battery to the habitation battery so they are both being charged. Having said that, at this time of year with very short days and little strong light, unless you have a lot of solar, you may find that having such a system as Batterymaster or a CBE will struggle to provide sufficient juice.

At the same time, it would also be beneficial to have someone qualified to have a look at the charging regime within your van to get the vehicle battery charged at the same time as your Hab. battery when plugged into EHU. I cannot assist in this as I do not know your van or the system present at the moment. All vans are different. It could be that your vehicle has that already and all it requires is the throw of a switch. I know our van wasn't connected between Hab and Van (it is now) but was connected to get a charge when on EHU.

I hope the above helps. Putting the van on charge via a battery charger will help in the short term.

Tell us what van (Year Make Model) Someone on here will have the same and be able to give advice as to say whether there is a switch to encompass charging of the van battery etc.

PS. It is NOT a good idea to have the van idling on the drive in the hope that it will charge the van battery. Current thinking is that is doea more harm than good to a modern diesel engine and it would cost an arm and a leg in diesel if you went out for a run, just to get the battery up to a decent charge. Using a battery charger is the way to go.

PPS I've just checked, at 11.97v you are at 20% of charge. Good practice says that you shouldn't let a battery go below 50% and that is 12.2 volts so get that battery charged pronto.

 

[The Tafia]

Thanks Emmit
The van is now on charge after dissconnecting the battery
I have ordered a Ring 8amp smart charger, I assume I would still have to dissconnect the battery though prior to connecting it up
MyH is a 2016 Chausson 718 xlb I haven't come across any switches for charging purposes. I'll look into this.
Nigel

 

[nicholsong]

Is it really the case that some onboard chargers are fitted without the ability to charge both leisure and cab batteries?

If it is I am gobsmacked

Why would converters do that? IMO such chargers would not be fit for purpose.

 

[kevenh]

Is it really the case that some onboard chargers are fitted without the ability to charge both leisure and cab batteries?

If it is I am gobsmacked

Why would converters do that? IMO such chargers would not be fit for purpose.

It is - in may case - the older motorhomes that only have habitat charging via EHU
Driving charges both

 

[The Tafia]

Emmit
How did you get the figure of 20% charge at 11.97 volts? That would be 60 volt at full charge by my reckoning.
One of us is wrong.

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[Hoovie]

It is - in may case - the older motorhomes that only have habitat charging via EHU
Driving charges both

Brand new ones are also often like that as well.

 

[GeoffnDee]

The Tafia If your Chausson is fitted with a CBE PDU it may already have a feature built in ,that should , depending on model ,( DSxxx ?) be trickle charging the starter battery when the leisure battery is on charge and showing at least 13,5 v , It may be worth checking the fuses at the starter battery and also at the PDU/habitation fuse box.

 

[The Tafia]

GeoffnDeee
I think PDU is power distribution unit but what is CBE?

 

[Pausim]

Emmit
How did you get the figure of 20% charge at 11.97 volts? That would be 60 volt at full charge by my reckoning.
One of us is wrong.

Battery voltage and % charge are not a straight line starting at 0%, it is a far more complex process. At 11.97V it is well on its way to being flat.

 

[Pausim]

GeoffnDeee
I think PDU is power distribution unit but what is CBE?

CBE is a manufacturer of chargers and distribution units used by several motorhome builders.

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[The Tafia]

I have found a CBE electronic battery charger and I am now totally confused. Is this charging my hab battery only or my starter battery as well? It is on and running so charging the hab battery at present. The starter batt is dissconnected and being charged with a Maypole standard charger. Surely if Chausson installed this they would have wired it up to charge the starter battery also.

 

[nicholsong]

It is - in may case - the older motorhomes that only have habitat charging via EHU
Driving charges both

What is older? Our Arto is 2003 and charges both.

 

[funflair]

I have found a CBE electronic battery charger and I am now totally confused. Is this charging my hab battery only or my starter battery as well? It is on and running so charging the hab battery at present. The starter batt is dissconnected and being charged with a Maypole standard charger. Surely if Chausson installed this they would have wired it up to charge the starter battery also.

I believe that the CBE charger will just be charging the habitation battery, in some CBE systems they add a CSB-2 which basically diverts a little bit of habitation battery power to the starter battery depending on the voltage of the habitation battery (over 13.6v I think), this is similar but not quite the same as the Battery Master which people have recommended, if your habitation battery is a lead acid rather than LiFePO4 and if you are only wanting a trickle charge to the starter battery when the habitation battery is being charged by mains or solar then you could use a votronic battery maintainer and save some pennies.

 

[funflair]

What is older? Our Arto is 2003 and charges both.

I think it was down to the spec of the CBE when the van was built Geoff, N+B were and are still not the cheapest vans so they were specced with the CSB-2 trickle charger, works when on mains charge or when solar takes the batteries over 13.6v, you then see the two batteries joined together symbol on your control panel.

 

[GeoffnDee]

It would depend on the CBE model/type PSU fitted and then only if the leisure battery is showing at least 13.5. (when being charged) Is the PSU model/type shown on the unit or in the owners handbook'.
Have you checked any fuses that may be at or near the starter battery positive terminal.

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