Help Please - Hymer B Class Consumer Unit

[Nick_Pam]

Estemed Funsters...

I went down to our 2019 Hymer Duomobile in the storage unit this morning to check that everything was OK and as a result I have an observation and a question, for which I would be very grateful for information.

When we parked it up at the end of February, I left the main master switch on the consumer unit in the "on" position - when I went down three weeks later, it was obvious that the habitation batteries were not in optimal state (not quite flat, but the electric step would not operate) so I plugged in the mains hook up cable into a local supply and left it to charge for a few hours, which seemed to restore everything nicely (Batteries are just about 1 year old).

When I left, I turned off the consumer unit master switch (I had read somewhere - perhaps in the manual!! - that this was advisable if the vehicle was to be left for an extended period).

When I arrived this morning, I turned on the consumer unit, started the engine and left it to idle/charge for about 30 minutes (I forgot to check the state of the habitation batteries before I stated the engine ). At the end of this period, I stopped the engine and then checked the main panel - the batteries were showing 12.7v (Engine and Habitation) at rest.

So here is my observation..... Whilst displaying the habitation battery voltage on the panel, I happened to press the main panel button and the display changed from battery voltage (volts) to the current load (Amps) - I had no idea it did this and it doesn't appear in the manual!!

....and here is my question.... The current reading on the display was showing -0.7A - this suggests that something(s) on board are drawing a significant current even when everything is turned off including the master panel switch....what could be running in the background that is taking such a load???

Clearly the answer for the future is to follow the instructions in the manual and switch off the consumer unit when not in regular use, but I would love to know why it is necessary, as I never had to do that with any of my 3 caravans, owned before we saw the light!

Anything of interest gratefully received....many thanks

Nick

 

[Speve]

Do you have an alarm as that will draw a little. I have never turned off the consumer unit in two years since new Hymer B678DL Never had any problem.?

 

[Nick_Pam]

Do you have an alarm as that will draw a little. I have never turned off the consumer unit in two years since new Hymer B678DL Never had any problem.?

Yes there is a Scorpion alarm, but it would have been off, as I was inside the vehicle.
I've never had a problem before, but then again, it has never been parked up for a month without moving before!

 

[Lenny HB]

The consumer unit is nothing to do with the 12v side.
As your Hymer has the LCD panel with panel on 0.4 to 0.5 A current draw is normal, 0.7 A is a bit on the high side.
Probably worth checking with a meter in case your panel is out of calibration.

 

[icantremember]

The panel may not be spot on correct, but do you have a radio or TV on standby?

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[Nick_Pam]

The consumer unit is nothing to do with the 12v side.
As your Hymer has the LCD panel with panel on 0.4 to 0.5 A current draw is normal, 0.7 A is a bit on the high side.
Probably worth checking with a meter in case your panel is out of calibration.

Thanks Lenny - maybe I used the wrong terminology when I said consumer unit - what I actually meant is the box under the floor which controls all the mains / 12 volt supply / charging / CanBus connectivity etc - the manual recommends that this is turned off if the vehicle is not to be used for an extended period.
Cheers
Nick

 

[Nick_Pam]

The panel may not be spot on correct, but do you have a radio or TV on standby?

Yep - the rear-mounted radio would have been on standby, but I wouldn't expect it to draw 0.7 amps....
Thanks
Nick

 

[icantremember]

Yep - the rear-mounted radio would have been on standby, but I wouldn't expect it to draw 0.7 amps....
Thanks
Nick

Try pulling the radio connection or fuse and check the panel again... you may be surprised

 

[Nick_Pam]

Try pulling the radio connection or fuse and check the panel again... you may be surprised

I'll do that next time I go down to the storage unit - thanks

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks Lenny - maybe I used the wrong terminology when I said consumer unit - what I actually meant is the box under the floor which controls all the mains / 12 volt supply / charging / CanBus connectivity etc - the manual recommends that this is turned off if the vehicle is not to be used for an extended period.
Cheers
Nick

If you mean the small black slide switch on the Elektroblock it is best left turned on. The switch is known for failing when they are a few years old. One day you will turn it off and it won't turn back on again.

A point you really don't want to run your engine from cold on tickover unless you have very deep pockets. Modern diesels should always be started and driven straight off, they never reach operating temperature on tickover.

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[Nick_Pam]

If you mean the small black slide switch on the Elektroblock it is best left turned on. The switch is known for failing when they are a few years old. One day you will turn it off and it won't turn back on again.

A point you really don't want to run your engine from cold on tickover unless you have very deep pockets. Modern diesels should always be started and driven straight off, they never reach operating temperature on tickover.

I don't normally turn it off as we have been using it almost weekly since we bought it, but thanks for the heads up - as for running on tickover, I don't really have a lot of choice at present - maybe a solar panel is the answer to keeping the batteries in proper order

 

[icantremember]

maybe a solar panel is the answer to keeping the batteries in proper order

Good idea.