Problem with 12v electrics (1 Viewer)

[Dangerous]

Hi, I have an Autocruise Stardream 2010 with a solar panel and have got a strange problem with the 12v electrics. When on hook up everything works ok and in daylight hours off hookup everything works. However once we start loosing the sun everything shuts down including control panel and can't be reset. If prior to getting dark I switch the battery to vehicle instead of leisure the electrics work. Both the leisure and vehicle battery were replaced the middle of last year and have been tested and are ok. I have been told that its probably the fuse board at fault and needs replacing. Has anyone had a similar problem and resolved it? I thought its was worth asking before I fork out £ 300 for a replacement fuseboard. Thanks.

 

[SandraL]

I think you should put a voltmeter across the leisure battery terminals first.
Does it see volts rise when mains on? Or solar charging or when engine running.

Could be its flat or just not getting charged.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Sounds like your leisure battery has the capacity of an AA battery. Time for a new one.

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[tonyidle]

You need to do more testing before assuming the 'fuse panel' (by which I assume you mean the control panel) is at fault. Make sure that 12v from the leisure battery is reaching the control panel for a start.

 

[Dangerous]

I had a mobile motorhome technician look at the problem in daylight hours and he covered up the solar panel and the electrics immediately shut down he then checked battery and it was showing a full charge. It was him who said he thought it was the fuseboard as control panel has already been replaced.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sounds like the leisure battery has had it.
You say the battery has been tested but how?
The only way to test a leisure battery is by the slow discharge method at the C20 rate. If it was tested by an auto electrician or a battery supplier they would have used a CCA tester which is totally meaningless for a leisure battery. A battery will often pass a CCA test with an 80% result but will only deliver 10ah or less on a low current load.

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[Speve]

Sounds like the leisure battery has had it.
You say the battery has been tested but how?
The only way to test a leisure battery is by the slow discharge method at the C20 rate. If it was tested by an auto electrician or a battery supplier they would have used a CCA tester which is totally meaningless for a leisure battery. A battery will often pass a CCA test with an 80% result but will only deliver 10ah or less on a low current load.

Sounds like your leisure battery has the capacity of an AA battery. Time for a new one.

If you read the post the OP had his batteries replaced last year

 

[Lenny HB]

If you read the post the OP had his batteries replaced last year

I did, doesn't mean it's not knackered.

 

[Richard n Ann]

was him who said he thought it was the fuseboard

Should be easy enough to find the fault if you have a poke round with a multimeter then. Didn't the technician look further into it?

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[autorouter]

You can get a lot of information from a few voltage readings. You need to get a multimeter, less than a tenner at a DIY store. Can you use one, it's easy to take voltage readings?

For example, your starter battery will probably be between 12.2 and 12.7V. Your leisure battery should be about the same. If it is, then it's OK, and the problem is the wires, fuses etc. If it's less than 12.0V then it has a problem. It may not be the only problem, of course.

For example, if the leisure battery fuse has blown, you may get power from the solar panel when the sun shines, but nothing at night. On hookup the mains battery charger is acting as a power supply for the electrics.

It's possible that the wiring is OK and the battery has a problem. But a few voltage readings would find out where the problem is.

There is a power wire from the leisure battery to the fuseboard. It will have a fuse very near the leisure battery end. So check that fuse, then check the voltage at the terminal where that wire connects to the fuseboard. Does the fuseboard have a make/model label?

 

[almichie]

You can get a lot of information from a few voltage readings. You need to get a multimeter, less than a tenner at a DIY store. Can you use one, it's easy to take voltage readings?

For example, your starter battery will probably be between 12.2 and 12.7V. Your leisure battery should be about the same. If it is, then it's OK, and the problem is the wires, fuses etc. If it's less than 12.0V then it has a problem. It may not be the only problem, of course.

For example, if the leisure battery fuse has blown, you may get power from the solar panel when the sun shines, but nothing at night. On hookup the mains battery charger is acting as a power supply for the electrics.

It's possible that the wiring is OK and the battery has a problem. But a few voltage readings would find out where the problem is.

There is a power wire from the leisure battery to the fuseboard. It will have a fuse very near the leisure battery end. So check that fuse, then check the voltage at the terminal where that wire connects to the fuseboard. Does the fuseboard have a make/model label?

agree with this - the fact that the leisure battery has voltage and the 12v goes dead inline with dusk it seems the 12v isn’t getting from the battery to the van electrics. Where is the solar controller connected? Is there a light sensor output triggering something? could be interesting this…

 

[Dangerous]

Thanks everybody who posted, I took your advice and checked the leisure battery connection to the fuseboard using a multimeter and there was no current. Then I followed the cable from the battery and found a large maxiblade 40amp fuse in a cupboard which had blown so I went and got a new one and fitted it and hey presto the electrics now work when its dark!! So fingers crossed this seems to have solved the problem so many thanks for your posts you saved me buying a new fuseboard !

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[denisejoe]

Good to hear a good outcome

 

[pappajohn]

Now try to figure out why the fuse blew.......it could be fatigue or an intermittent fault