Leisure Battery Issues

[TOAD on Tour]

Hi all, newbie here after picking up our 2007 Hymer B660 SL last week. I am having issues with the Leisure Battery and would appreciate anybody’s advice. Firstly we are really happy with the van, it is in great condition for its year and has lots of service history etc. However upon collecting the van, I did notice the leisure battery charge % on the display panel was around 25% and no solar was feeding the battery either (it has 2 original solar panels on the roof). I drove it home which was around 120 miles and the leisure battery went up to 75%, so I thought all was well. I have since had it on EHU on my drive and as we have been pottering around inside the battery is now down to 8% left even though it is on EHU (EHU is working as we have been using one of the plug sockets etc). I have reset the electric (is it the MCB or something!), the solar is not pulling in any energy still and 1 of the 3 pin electric sockets is not working (not sure if that is connected to these issues). On the display panel, when on hook up the battery is showing between 13.6 - 14.4V and when I disconnect the EHU it drops to around 13.5V (Definitely stays above 13.0V). I am thinking that it must be something to do with the charger as I believe the engine alternator charges the leisure battery when driving, which seems to be working? But when on EHU it does not charge and the solar is not charging either?
Any words of wisdom or advice would be appreciate......finally, I can barely change a lightbulb, so please treat me kindly!!

 

[Reallyretired]

If the battery voltage is 13.6 to 14.4v it is obviously charging on ehu. The battery monitor showing only 8% implies the fault is with the battery monitor rather than the battery. The first step is to check battery voltage with a separate meter both on charge, after a few hours off charge, and under a small load such as a few lights. We will then have a better idea to advise you. If you havent got a multimeter, they are a vital tool and pretty cheap.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

Hi - thanks for the reply, I am confused with the % reading hence I mentioned the voltage readings, even though the readings are coming from the same display...I will head over to Amazon now and order a multimeter. Like I say I am rubbish at anything like this, do I have to disconnect the battery to take the reading with the multimeter? Thanks again!

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Hi - thanks for the reply, I am confused with the % reading hence I mentioned the voltage readings, even though the readings are coming from the same display...I will head over to Amazon now and order a multimeter. Like I say I am rubbish at anything like this, do I have to disconnect the battery to take the reading with the multimeter? Thanks again!

Do you have a 12v cigarette socket in your van?
If so, I made a simple device with a cheap LED readout gauge connected to a cigarette plug on the other.
When I want to check my Engine battery voltage I just plug it in and look at the figure.
I also have a second 12v socket in the rear which is just for the Leisure battery, and can do the same there.
This is only a brief quick look arrangement and is fairly accurate for my needs, but you can’t beat a multimeter for very accurate electrical work.
I also am not completely comfortable with electrical work and multimeter use, hence I built my simple And portable device.
Just a thought.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

blimey, you’re still on a different level to me if you were able to make your own . Good idea with the cigarette lighter, yes, I have a socket in the rear also and I believe I have seen one in the same locker that the leisure batteries are located in. Thanks for the reply

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[JockandRita]

DDuffs, as the advice above, the onboard charger appears to be working fine, based on the voltage readings.
If no input from the 2 x solar panels (which would be minimal at this time of year anyway), check that the inline fuse before the regulator is intact, (if one installed).

I too have a plug in voltage reader like this........................

which is great for a quick check, however, a multi meter is very useful in many other ways.

Good luck sorting it out.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

You beat me to it! I just looked on fleabay and found loads of them! Genius!!! Many thanks

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Do you have a 12v cigarette socket in your van?
If so, I made a simple device with a cheap LED readout gauge connected to a cigarette plug on the other.
When I want to check my Engine battery voltage I just plug it in and look at the figure.
I also have a second 12v socket in the rear which is just for the Leisure battery, and can do the same there.
This is only a brief quick look arrangement and is fairly accurate for my needs, but you can’t beat a multimeter for very accurate electrical work.
I also am not completely comfortable with electrical work and multimeter use, hence I built my simple And portable device.
Just a thought.

Sorry DDuffs, did not see the first post.
Think my answer is not what you are concerned over.
But still not a bad piece of simple kit.
Good Luck, but I am not skilled enough to answer your query.
There are plenty on here who can though

 

[Pausim]

Voltage is a good place to start but it only tells you part of the story. When a battery is old or damaged it will often charge up to a reasonable voltage but have very little capacity left, so the voltage quickly falls away when in use. This is caused by a process known as sulphation (or sulfation in the USA) where lead sulphate crystals build up in the battery. Leaving lead acid batteries discharged for any length of time is very bad for them because the sulphates crystallise on the plates and reduce their ability to interact with the acid.

Think of the battery like a tank of water which originally held 10 gallons but after years of use has become half clogged up with scale so that it now holds only 5 gallons of water. It will still look full but quickly run out.

 

[autorouter]

When you have a new MH and you're not sure of all the connections/fuses etc, there is no substitute for a multimeter voltage reading from the actual battery terminals to see what the battery voltage is.

If you're new to this, plug the red lead into the 'V-Ohms-mA' socket, and the black lead into the 'COM' socket. Red is positive, black is negative. Turn the meter on and set it to the 20V DC range. No need to disconnect anything for a voltage reading.

Push the red probe onto the battery positive terminal - push firmly to cut through the crud/oxidation layer to reach the metal. Push the black probe onto the battery negative terminal. You should get a reading of between 10 and 15 volts. If you get the probes the wrong way round, all that happens is there's a minus sign in front of the reading on the display.

If the reading is the same as the MH display panel, fine, but if it's different, at least you know and can start looking for a reason.

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[TOAD on Tour]

Many thanks, sound advice

 

[autorouter]

When you have a meter, you can check if the EHU charger is actually charging the battery. If not, possibly the EHU charger is working, pushing out nearly 14V, but maybe there's a bad connection/fuse/switch that's stopping it reaching the battery.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

Thanks, just seems strange that the solar does not seem to be doing anything, appreciate that the weather is not great, but we’ve had some good sun on Thursday and nothing was happening, this is why I am suspicious of the charger. But the battery reading confuse the issue as they are pretty normal according to the control panel in the van.

 

[mitzimad]

voltage isnt the whole story but its a starting point,before you get the multimeter disconnect the earth lead on the battery this will allow the battery to settle and give a true reading without ehu test battery if its around 12.5 reconnect and try again if its now higher and your in daylight your solar is working then ideally disconnect the solar and test on ehu this will tell if your charger is working solar and your charger are not connected no reason to suspect charger because there was no solar

 

[autorouter]

Your Hymer will have an Elektroblock (EBL), which is a multi-function box containing the EHU charger, lots of 12V fuses, and a number of relays (electrically operated switches) that control the power going to the battery, fridge, heating, lighting, pump etc. The display panel is connected to the EBL by a data wire. There are many different models of EBL, which number is yours?

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[TOAD on Tour]

Ok thanks, great advice, probably a little to technical for me, I’ll see if my neighbour may be able to help (social distancing etc. etc.). Cheers

 

[TOAD on Tour]

my Hymer is a 2007 B660 SL, is there a specific number for the EBL somewhere? Thanks again

 

[JockandRita]

, is there a specific number for the EBL somewhere?

Yes, on the unit itself, which may be housed in a cupboard next to the front seats, or under one of the front seats. This is what it may look like.

If wired in correctly, the solar charge should go through the EBL.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[autorouter]

The EBL is a big blue box, tucked out of the way somewhere. On my 2006 Hymer it is in a small cupboard with sliding tops on the right of the cab area. Slide the top back, there is a false floor to the compartment, with a finger-hole so you can pull it up to access the EBL. In other models it's in similarly creative spaces, under the seat etc.

 

[Vipar]

What does ELB stand for? I can’t find Jim’s glossary

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[TOAD on Tour]

Great, many thanks for the replies,I’ll go and have a hunt around for it an report back!

 

[TOAD on Tour]

If it is where I think it is (external locker with the leisure battery?) I think I switched it on/off in the week when trying to trouble shoot. When I switched it off the boiler tripped and dumped the water out under the van. Does that sound like the same EBL.

 

[Pausim]

What does ELB stand for? I can’t find Jim’s glossary

EBL stands for Electroblock and is a type of 12V distribution unit made by Schaudt, a German manufacturer. Found in lots of continental motorhomes.

 

[Pausim]

If it is where I think it is (external locker with the leisure battery?) I think I switched it on/off in the week when trying to trouble shoot. When I switched it off the boiler tripped and dumped the water out under the van. Does that sound like the same EBL.

That sounds like the EBL.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

Yep, it sits on a shelf above the leisure battery in an outside locker. It is EBL 101

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[TOAD on Tour]

Does anybody know if there is a particular fuse or anything I should look for? Many thanks

 

[Pausim]

I would start with the one marked “internes lademodul” which is the fuse for the output from the internal charger to the battery.

 

[Spriddler]

Dup.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

Do I disconnect the EHU and then switch the EBL off before removing the fuse? Apologies but I admit I am a complete muppet when it comes to anything technical!!!

 

[autorouter]

The EBL 101 contains the EHU charger, but it doesn't contain the solar charge controller. That's the next thing to find. It might be a Schaudt controller, made by the same firm as the EBL, or it might be a third-party brand like Victron, Votronic or Epever.