Electric panel

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Electric panel

· Posted: 24.03.2019 · #1

Hi All.
The electric panel in our motorhome is showing leisure battery @ 13.9v and 50A +. Can anyone say would this be right or do we have a problem. Recent Hab check and no problems mentioned. Or maybe it's a faulty panel?.
Thanks
Maurice

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 24.03.2019 · #2

More info needed Maurice,
Is it connected to ehu? Or solar panel getting sunlight?
The 50amp whats is it referring to?
Is the MH new to you?
Is tthe leisure battery old?

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 24.03.2019 · #3

Sounds like you have an AGM battery and I think those figures are normal but stand to be corrected

Daffysparks

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 24.03.2019 · #4

Is there perhaps a readout of available amperage, similar to what The Rambler was describing recently. If so, that’s a neat set up. The 13.9 volts would indicate to me that the battery/ batteries is/are under charge. Maybe eirebus is correct Re voltage of agm batteries, I don’t know much about them, but I think they still should read 12.5 - 12.7 fully charged. I stand to be corrected also on that

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 24.03.2019 · #5

Yeah hard to tell from your description if the panel is displaying available capacity perhaps. May be you could upload a pic of the panel.

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 25.03.2019 · #6

Having my own panel problem now, batteries are fully charged and I had them tested this morning as I thought they were the problem, panel reading 13 v but the panel is also telling me they are flat and wants to charge them if I run electric items in the van eg the TV and heating after a few hours the power drops quickly and the panel shuts everything down as it should except putting a meter across the batteries and they read 12.6 v which is about 75% charge and shouldn't have been switched off,, any ideas welcome

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 25.03.2019 · #7

A malfunctioning panel perhaps? Is the panel voltage reading 12.6 V when it activates the low voltage disconnect?

Daffysparks

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 25.03.2019 · #8

Did you get the under load test done on the batteries. I had leisure batteries showing 12.7, but when I put a small, 3.5 amp load on them, they went flat in under 10 minutes. Tested them again after a few minutes and showed 12.5. Perhaps the panel sees this and shuts them down

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 25.03.2019 · #9

Quote by Daffysparks

Did you get the under load test done on the batteries.

Yes under load test , the last Voltage I saw before shut down was 11.3v and when I turned it back on it was 12.6 ran for about an hour and shut down again ,I left it then as I wasnt sure what was going on ,on EHU the next day it took about 4 hours to get to 40% and another hour it was 100%

Daffysparks

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 25.03.2019 · #10

That sounds weird. Have you anyone local with a camper that might lend you batteries, just to rule that out. It sounds like a cell gone in a battery to me, but that test should have shown that up. Unless there is something draining the batteries and when it shuts down the system they are coming back up. Really just throwing out ideas here, it’s a strange one

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 25.03.2019 · #11

I'm beginning to think that it's a problem in the van charger/controller box senseing a voltage incorrectly or not at all but I'm out of my depth with electronic boxes, not sure where I can get that checked out or tested

Daffysparks

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #12

I don’t know that. A dealer I suppose. Have you a battery charger. You could disconnect the batteries individually and charge them, see will they last longer then. Might indicate a faulty charger

The Rambler

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #13

Quote by eirebus

It sounds a bit like a sensing problem alright. Even though it displays the correct voltage, it’s being misinterpreted by the control unit. With engine running and battery charging, does the voltage displayed jump up to at least over 13.5 volts? If so, the alternator is charging and the panel is displaying the correct voltage, but the part of the circuit that senses battery for state of charge could be the problem.

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #14

An old fashioned battery charger would help to refresh your batteries.
Here the science behind it.

It's also worth checking your chassis end of the earth. A small bit of corrosion would cause a small drop of voltage, hence why your panel is misreading the voltage.
Malcolm

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Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #15

When you had the heigh discharge test done, were the batteries separated from each other,
Did you try and run the system on each battery on its own.
Have you checked all the connection's ? a bad one could give the same symptoms and show up on load.
Check for heat in any of the cable's or connections when it shuts down.
Go back to the old favorite the earth connection.
My 2p

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #16

Will check earth's. The batteries are AGM and were checked individually I don't have an AGM charger other than the one in the van, I usually leave the van on ehu at home and have just read this can cause problems with the electronic box

didn't expect that

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #17

I think you have a faulty batt how old are your batts if you have a high watt 12volt lamp try putting it on each batt and see how long it lasts better that than going for a new control box

eirebus

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #18

Both batteries were tested twice with 2 different testers and passed with flying colours

Daffysparks

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #19

How old are they. I’d like to see them charged independently out of the van and what Hilton 9 says then. Just to be sure to be sure. Batteries can act strange near the end...... just like ourselves

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #20

If the panel reads 13 Volts while at the same time telling you your batteries are flat and is activating the low voltage disconnect, there is something wrong with your panel.

eirebus

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #21

I'm away this weekend so if it does it again I'll take the seat out ( batteries under it to make it harder to look) and I'll take a reading off them after disconnecting the earth's and see where I go from there

Daffysparks

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 26.03.2019 · #22

Quote by The Rambler

If the panel reads 13 Volts while at the same time telling you your batteries are flat and is activating the low voltage disconnect, there is something wrong with your panel.

True, but it might just be reading the voltage too high, the batteries still might be goosed. Very simple to check the batteries and if they are good then you know that’s not the problem. Also could be bad earths as previously mentioned.

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Re: Electric panel

· Posted: 31.03.2019 · #23

I got alot of great information at the Motorhome Craic Club meet at the weekend so hopefully I'll get the problem sorted this week

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