Small current drain from Gas Power Supply (Fuse 9)

[Pablotti]

Hi everyone. Long-time lurker but first-time poster... be kind!

I recently installed some Victron gadgets which allow me to see loads on the leisure batteries. Even when the 12v system is off, I noticed 130-200mA draw from something somewhere. Not much I grant you, but a constant 200mA load from a 100aH battery would make it flat in about 20 days.

One by one I removed fuses from the CBE DS300 and quickly found the culprit... fuse 9 = Gas Power Supply (3A). Once I took it out, battery load dropped to 0.0a.

What is this fuse for, and why is it draining the battery, albeit very slowly?

(I have ample solar so I'm not too worried about it, but I'd like to fix if it's abnormal behavior)

 

[jockaneezer]

It might be powering a solenoid that allows you to switch the gas on or off remotely ? Which model of van do you have ?

 

[Lenny HB]

Quite normal for van systems to draw a few milliamps when shut down and if the control panel is on with everything turned off 300 to 500+ milliamps is normal. The gas fuse is probably a red herring and the same circuit supplies other things as well.
Most of us have solar panels so we don't need to worry about it.

Also your starter battery will go flat in 3 to 4 weeks if you don't charge it or drive the van.

 

[Pablotti]

It might be powering a solenoid that allows you to switch the gas on or off remotely ? Which model of van do you have ?

It's a Benimar Mileo 243 (2017)

 

[Pablotti]

Quite normal for van systems to draw a few milliamps when shut down and if the control panel is on with everything turned off 300 to 500+ milliamps is normal. The gas fuse is probably a red herring and the same circuit supplies other things as well.
Most of us have solar panels so we don't need to worry about it.

Also your starter battery will go flat in 3 to 4 weeks if you don't charge it or drive the van.

Yea, I have 215w of solar and an MTTP charge controller, so I don't have to worry about the leisure batteries going flat from such a tiny load. I was more out of curiosity than anything.

Start battery is now topped up from the solar charge controller, on the condition that leisure batteries are charged and power is coming from the panels

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[Pablotti]

It might be powering a solenoid that allows you to switch the gas on or off remotely ? Which model of van do you have ?

No remote switch, as far as I know!

 

[Bubba]

Could it be the draw from the victron itself. Just a perusal

 

[Pablotti]

Could it be the draw from the victron itself. Just a perusal

It SmartShunt has a current draw of 1mA, according to the datasheet. I'm getting 150-200 times this.

 

[autorouter]

When you switch the 12V power off at the panel, a few items, the permanent loads, are still connected. These might include the frost protection valve, fridge control board, or the heater/boiler controls in case you want to set the thermostat on frost setting. Also the step, but that doesn't draw any current. Draining a battery in 20 days is consistent with most people's experience of MH storage, I think.