Flat vehicle battery

[BillWeb]

My MH has two lead acid leisure batteries, meter showing 13.3v plus a solar panel. The weather has been sunny, in Ireland. The vehicle battery won't turn the motor over and the meter shows 11.1v. I have been parked up for a few days not starting the engine. Is the vehicle battery not supposed to be charged before the leisure batteries?
I did run the inverter for longer than intended but only to charge my laptop and mobile wifi. But anyway, I'd have thought that would not impact on the vehicle battery.
What else is new is a newly professionally installed Pioneer entertainment unit. Could this be wrongly draining the battery even though turned off?

 

[Stealaway]

How old is it and how do you normally charge it and the leisure batteries?

 

[XxAnthxX]

Are you sure your solar actually charges the cab battery, some set ups don’t.

Have you got cab battery outputs on your solar controller or have you got some type of battery master device?

I’d also look for alternate methods of charging the laptop and midi from 12v supplies rather than an inverter.

 

[Lenny HB]

What else is new is a newly professionally installed Pioneer entertainment unit. Could this be wrongly draining the battery even though turned off?

I bet that's your problem, Pioneer units wired to the vehicle battery are a complete disaster in Motorhomes.

They draw several amps in standby mode (when switched off), It's always best to wire the head unit to the leisure battery and with a Pioneer unit fit an isolator switch inline with the main power feed.

 

[BillWeb]

How old is it and how do you normally charge it and the leisure batteries?

By extensive driving and regular CP hookup. Age not sure but no prior indication of anything suspect.

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[BillWeb]

Are you sure your solar actually charges the cab battery, some set ups don’t.

Have you got cab battery outputs on your solar controller or have you got some type of battery master device?

I’d also look for alternate methods of charging the laptop and midi from 12v supplies rather than an inverter.

It's my long understanding that the van battery received charging priority and leisure batteries came next.

 

[Lenny HB]

It's my long understanding that the van battery received charging priority and leisure batteries came next.

When on EHU the leisure batteries will be charged at up to 18 amps and the starter battery gets a 2 amp trickle charge.

With some cheap solar controllers the leisure batteries are charged first then the starter battery.

Have you read my post #4?

 

[BillWeb]

I bet that's your problem, Pioneer units wired to the vehicle battery are a complete disaster in Motorhomes.

They draw several amps in standby mode (when switched off), It's always best to wire the head unit to the leisure battery and with a Pioneer unit fit an isolator switch inline with the main power feed.

Thank you. That makes sense. Unfortunately I am unlikely to be near the installer so I will need an auto electrician.

 

[BillWeb]

Thank you. That makes sense. Unfortunately I am unlikely to be near the installer so I will need an auto electrician.

Would an isolator in the cab work? The leisure batteries are at the opposite end of the MH, so more involved.

 

[Nedge68]

As a temporary measure you should be able to find the fuse for the stereo and remove it to prevent any further drain on the cab battery, hopefully it will recover with the solar, might be worth disconnecting the Hab batteries so you get a quicker charge.

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[Lenny HB]

Would an isolator in the cab work? The leisure batteries are at the opposite end of the MH, so more involved.

You can just put a switch inline with the main power feed to the unit and make sure you switch it off when not using it.

There will be two power feed to the unit a Red one & a Yellow one, one is very low current just for the memory and the other one is the main power feed.
Which one is which depends on the manufacturer but easy enough to find out by disconnecting them.

 

[XxAnthxX]

It's my long understanding that the van battery received charging priority and leisure batteries came next.

Not all van control panels charge the cab battery…..which is why I asked if you were sure and if had a battery master type device fitted. Just the same as not all solar controllers charge or connect to the cab battery….it really does depend on what setup you have.

But as already explained the addition of a dumb head unit will probably be the cause, does the head unit have a canbus box?

 

[BillWeb]

Don't know.