Mains Charger on 2012 Bailey Approach SE

[Ingwe]

We are looking to have a lithium leisure battery installed. However, from the manual I have, it doesn’t describe the charger as being able to charge profiles for gel or battery types other than lead acid.

Is anyone able to confirm the make and details of the charger fitted to the 2012 Bailey 620 Approach SE so that I can ascertain whether I’ll need a new charger?

Thanks.

 

[Ninjabob]

More knowledgeable lithium people will be able to decipher the below:

The BCA 20 amp charger as fitted to later models of Bailey Motorhomes Max 20 amps power supply / max 6 amps battery charging capacity. The 20 amp output will decrease according to how much current the charging element is providing as the total amps is controlled at 20 amps. Description The BCA (Powerpart) 20Amp Power Unit Transformer is dual output unit comprising of a power supply unit and a three stage charger PS306 with its advanced features and high level of reliability, make it one of the best units available. This unit is an electronic power unit that has been specifically for use within a caravan or motorhome. Its primary function is to supply power to operate the caravan or motorhome 12v equipment with the capability to charge and recharge a 12v auxiliary battery as efficiently as possible. This model features a separate Microprocessor Controlled Battery Charger Output. Comes complete with full fitting instructions and fully guaranteed. PS306-6A-BC is the new part number for the latest models and replaces all old units. 3 Stage Charging BOOST - At switch on the charger is in boost phase where the charger output delivers max 6 amps constant current until o/p voltage reaches 14.2v. At this level the charger enters Equalisation phase. EQUALISATION - Charger output remains at 14.2v (constant voltage) for 4 hours. After 4 hours the charger enters Float phase. FLOAT - Charger output switches to 13.8v (constant voltage) for 20 hours. Note: Charger performs Equalisation and Float every 24 hours unless the battery voltage falls below 14.2v in Equalisation mode in which case Boost mode will restart. Battery Drain - When the mains is turned OFF this unit has a very low battery drain, the fiqure being only 0.0025 of an amp. Fan operation - To ensure silent night time operation the fan switches off at low loads. The fan will start to operate once the load current is in the region of 5amp - 8amp.Output Cable colour coding Power (Main) - Output 1 Main 13v - Max 20amp Red cable is Positive + ve feed to PDU and the Black cable is - ve. These cables terminate it a quick fit connector. Charger - Output 2 is the Battery Charger 14.2v - 13.8v (Max 6amp) the Yellow cable is Battery + ve and the Black cable is - ve. These cables terminate it a quick fit connector. 240 Volt “on” feed to the BCA control panel. This is Output 3, it is the single white cable at 12 volts. It runs to the back of the BCA control panel where it terminates in a 6mm spade connector. Packaging Approved Width Battery Charger Power Output Safety Features Benefits Boxed Tested to British and European standards | Safety to EN60950 W 250 x D 125 x H 67mm 6 Amp 3 stage battery charging | Battery charging at 13.8V float with boost & equalisation | Microprocessor controlled battery charging 13V 20A main power output Short circuit protection | Active power factor correction | Load dependant fan cooling Silent night time operation | Size and fixing compatible with caravan power distribution systems | High efficiency

 

[Ninjabob]

Having read it through again the 6amp battery charging would be woefully inadequate for charging lithiums that are happy charging at much higher amperages. Also you would need a decent B2B and necessary upgraded wiring. Solar controller (if fitted) would ideally need updating to one with a lithium profile. Doing it right involves a good amount of work and modification. Worth going on the Roadpro website and reading their article on fitting lithiums.

 

[Ingwe]

More knowledgeable lithium people will be able to decipher the below:

The BCA 20 amp charger as fitted to later models of Bailey Motorhomes Max 20 amps power supply / max 6 amps battery charging capacity. The 20 amp output will decrease according to how much current the charging element is providing as the total amps is controlled at 20 amps. Description The BCA (Powerpart) 20Amp Power Unit Transformer is dual output unit comprising of a power supply unit and a three stage charger PS306 with its advanced features and high level of reliability, make it one of the best units available. This unit is an electronic power unit that has been specifically for use within a caravan or motorhome. Its primary function is to supply power to operate the caravan or motorhome 12v equipment with the capability to charge and recharge a 12v auxiliary battery as efficiently as possible. This model features a separate Microprocessor Controlled Battery Charger Output. Comes complete with full fitting instructions and fully guaranteed. PS306-6A-BC is the new part number for the latest models and replaces all old units. 3 Stage Charging BOOST - At switch on the charger is in boost phase where the charger output delivers max 6 amps constant current until o/p voltage reaches 14.2v. At this level the charger enters Equalisation phase. EQUALISATION - Charger output remains at 14.2v (constant voltage) for 4 hours. After 4 hours the charger enters Float phase. FLOAT - Charger output switches to 13.8v (constant voltage) for 20 hours. Note: Charger performs Equalisation and Float every 24 hours unless the battery voltage falls below 14.2v in Equalisation mode in which case Boost mode will restart. Battery Drain - When the mains is turned OFF this unit has a very low battery drain, the fiqure being only 0.0025 of an amp. Fan operation - To ensure silent night time operation the fan switches off at low loads. The fan will start to operate once the load current is in the region of 5amp - 8amp.Output Cable colour coding Power (Main) - Output 1 Main 13v - Max 20amp Red cable is Positive + ve feed to PDU and the Black cable is - ve. These cables terminate it a quick fit connector. Charger - Output 2 is the Battery Charger 14.2v - 13.8v (Max 6amp) the Yellow cable is Battery + ve and the Black cable is - ve. These cables terminate it a quick fit connector. 240 Volt “on” feed to the BCA control panel. This is Output 3, it is the single white cable at 12 volts. It runs to the back of the BCA control panel where it terminates in a 6mm spade connector. Packaging Approved Width Battery Charger Power Output Safety Features Benefits Boxed Tested to British and European standards | Safety to EN60950 W 250 x D 125 x H 67mm 6 Amp 3 stage battery charging | Battery charging at 13.8V float with boost & equalisation | Microprocessor controlled battery charging 13V 20A main power output Short circuit protection | Active power factor correction | Load dependant fan cooling Silent night time operation | Size and fixing compatible with caravan power distribution systems | High efficiency

That’s all very interesting info but I’m not sure that this is the charger fitted to our Bailey. I’ve certainly never been aware of a cooling fan and the piece begins by referring to the “later Bailey models”. Ours I think was their first generation.

 

[autorouter]

This BCA20 mains charger is what is known as an 'offline' charger. When the mains is plugged in, the leisure battery is automatically disconnected from the habitation loads. Output 1 goes to the habitation loads, Output 2 goes to the leisure battery.

The habitation loads are connected to Output 1 - a stable 13V supply, capable of up to 20A.

The battery is connected to a separate Output 2, which is a 6A 3-stage charger - bulk, absorption and float stages, with the absorption stage timed as 4 hours.

The battery charger Output 2 takes its power from the same source as the habitation supply Output 1, and together they add up to 20A. So if for example the charger is supplying 6A, then the max current to the habitation loads is 14A.

The advantage of this arrangement is the stable 13V supply to the loads. No fluctuating voltages as the battery goes through its charging sequence. And the battery goes through its charging sequence without being interrupted by sudden habitation load changes.

The idea is, I think, that if you are on hookup you are probably connected for several hours or even days, so fast charging of the battery is not necessary. A good 6A charger will charge anything to 100%, given enough time.

An 'online' charger has the disadvantage that any habitation loads are taken from the same supply as the battery charger. The monitoring circuits cannot distinguish between a load that doesn't discharge the battery and a current demand to recharge the battery.

How this would work with lithiums depends on the voltages, just like any other 3-stage charger.

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