Leisure battery charging issues

 
 
 
 
 
 
Niall_G
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Leisure battery charging issues

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Posted: 03.04.2018  ·  #1
Hi. I am looking for a bit of advice. I think my leisure battery (Halfords) may have suffered from the recent cold spell. It now only charges to 12.4 volts after a long drive. What is more puzzling though is that when I plug in to mains now, it blows the ELCB in my house so I can't charge it (or do anything off mains).

The charging lead is fine, so it is something internal in the van. Before I start isolating everything, I am wondering if a "bad" battery could trip the ELCB?

The battery was previously in good condition and the charging system worked fine.

Thanks.


sprinter
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Leisure battery charging issues

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Posted: 03.04.2018  ·  #2
I really cant see how the battery could trip the ELCB , its not tripping anything when your driving , I would be thinking there is something up with the charger when plugged into the ECU. some kind of short , you might start by taking the charger out of the system , pull the fuse out of the charger 12volt side , ( test ) then the 220 volt side if there is one , if not disconnect the supply wires , tape over the ends for safety ( test ) then take them from the connection to the 220 volt supply board in the van ( test )

You probably don't want to hear this, but cold weather brings in mice ,they eat cable insulation , which then can cause a short.

Take the battery out and charge it for a day to see if it comes up.

But in the mean time come back with the van type the charging system if you know what it is and some picks of the charging panel , have you Solar in the system , So that someone else with the same system can come , along to offer more advise ,


Alibongo
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Re: Leisure battery charging issues

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Posted: 03.04.2018  ·  #3
Quote by Niall_G

Hi. I am looking for a bit of advice. I think my leisure battery (Halfords) may have suffered from the recent cold spell. It now only charges to 12.4 volts after a long drive. What is more puzzling though is that when I plug in to mains now, it blows the ELCB in my house so I can't charge it (or do anything off mains).

The charging lead is fine, so it is something internal in the van. Before I start isolating everything, I am wondering if a "bad" battery could trip the ELCB?

The battery was previously in good condition and the charging system worked fine.

Thanks.


I'd heard the Halfords battery wasn't worth considering, from an experienced leisure industry mechanic, I went for Banner in the end, cheaper end of the market but reliable...basically I think you might have ongoing issues with the halfords battery - even if manage to get it charging..


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Re: Leisure battery charging issues

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Posted: 03.04.2018  ·  #4
As Sprinter said, not likely to be the battery tripping your system. A battery will not likely get a full charge from the alternator so I wouldn’t be too alarmed at the voltage only reaching 12.4. Now the question is , is it the mains charger or something unrelated causing the breaker to trip. Work back by pulling fuses and see if you can isolate what is tripping. Investigate your EHU cable too - resistance check across the three terminals while hooked up to the van and prior to connecting to EHU., if you have a multimeter.


Niall_G
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Re: Leisure battery charging issues

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Posted: 04.04.2018  ·  #5
Thanks for that feedback. As expected, it is not the battery. It actually turned out to be the fridge so at least I know what I need to get fixed. Thanks again.


sprinter
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Re: Leisure battery charging issues

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Posted: 04.04.2018  ·  #6
Quote by Niall_G

Thanks for that feedback. As expected, it is not the battery. It actually turned out to be the fridge so at least I know what I need to get fixed. Thanks again.


That's great you found it . now where are you going to get the fridge fixed ?


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