Hi just wondering if someone can explain this to me?
I've been travelling in Northern Queensland where it's just started getting hot. My 50lt waeco fridge seems to take a lot of battery power (I have a 12 house battery) so I've been switching it off at night. I have also been using my 120w portable solar when I can.
on Monday, last week, I travelled to Gladstone to see a lovely little rescue dog. Fell in love, but the adoption couldn't be done till 4pm wednesday. So I went to Calliope River for the two night. I did put the solar out and the voltmetre registered 13.3 in the sun, and 12.7 when it was evening. On wednesday I travelled a short distance to Gladstone and basically shopped. Then I went to the botanical gardens as the adoption was just streets away. It was a stinking hot day and the fridge had been on all the time. At 3.30 I went to start my motorhome- and the motorhome battery was flat! The voltmeter still showed 12.8.
I don't understand. Surely the fridge would have switched off if it was using too much juice? Also why was it the motorhome battery that went dead?
I got it jump started and it has been fine ever since, but it leaves me afraid to keep the fridge on.
My motorhome was serviced in Townsville just three weeks ago so surely it isnt the motorhome battery?
If anyone has an explanation I'd be grateful!
Cheers Di
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Just a wild guess, a friend had his car serviced just before leaving for a trip about week into the trip he realised his battery system was not up there in performance and hunting around noticed a spanner mark on his battery terminal and then realised the service people had disconnected the second battery system leaving a major wire off. Hence all his good work. Was not working.
Just a chance have a look in that area around your start battery then look around your house battery, checking any fuses in then line, they will be fairly big.
If you go to a Auto Electric to have it checked ask him to explain the battery sytem taking notes as you go, let him know that you spend time camping away from towns and like to know where to look when things don't go right.
Hi Di Di Radar is spot on seek out an auto elec and ask him for his opinion and you'll find he will possably explain the system and may check it at no cost. But it does sound like it needs a look at. cheers
Perhaps the Mhome Crank battery & the house battery are just wired together, no isolating relay [?which means it has been wired] wrong]
Or the fridge is on the Crank battery, not the motor home battery[which also means it has been wired wrong]
Waecos do have a low volt cutout but it is practically useless as over discharge protection for a battery. It's setting takes the battery too low!! That setting can be increased but probably best to take it to a Weaco service place to get that done
Even then it will take the battery pretty low ,shortening battery life[ especially since I expect you are using a standard LA crank battery [not deep cycle]
Your battery has no doubt suffered from being over discharged [short life]
You should have it checked to ensure that it is ALL wired[ correctly as above]
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 08:21:36 PM
Hi Didi , seems to me that the voltmeter is reading the house battery and not the start battery , and as you have been jump started , everything seems to be ok , if the batteries were connected together they would both go flat, and if the alternator wasn't charging the start battery would again be flat ,can you confirm the voltmeter connection.
hi exa 1. The servce was done by an auto electrician as when I took it to caravan place they said they didnt do the motor mechanics. But surely this guy would know that I had a house battery connected? How do I check? Cheers Di
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Hi Radar. It was an auto electrician who did the service. Do you mean take it to another autoelectrican? I took it to a caravan service place but they said they didnt do this and sent me to him. Supposed to be best mercedes mchanic in Townsville
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Hi Guru. Ido have a deep cycle battery and I think the voltmeter just measures that. Can a house batteryhave a good volmeter count but the engine battery go flat?
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Hi all. who do I take it to to have it checked? Any auto electrician or an RV service centre ? Im in Byron Bay ATM Anyone can reccommend? And thank you so much for all your help
-- Edited by didi on Thursday 29th of October 2015 06:11:41 PM
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Hi Radar. It was an auto electrician who did the service. Do you mean take it to another autoelectrican? I took it to a caravan service place but they said they didnt do this and sent me to him. Supposed to be best mercedes mchanic in Townsville
Yes, I think you need a auto electric person as the problem is electrical. Auto electric guy will have the means to test battery for quality, test the alternator is charging and he will test the arrangement for charging the second battery.
As for being the best Mercedes mechanic in Townsville he probably was and has done a good job but something has possibly failed not related, now if it is sonething that is related to his work and the auto electric believes it is ask for a report and post it back to the mechanic with the bill, if he is any good he may come to the party and pay for his error. Just saying.
The main thing is to restore your reliability into your mobile home once more.
Another thing I would check is where you plug the portable frig into, is it into a source that draws the power from the starter battery?
Maybe the portable frig has gone crazy and drawing lots of charge from your starter battery where before it was not noticeable but now your start battery is starting to get a bit old and will not handle the heavy draw.
I unable to recommend anyone in Byron Bay area, if you were closer to Southern Brisbane I would be able to help with the name of my service people in Mansfield.
Reread your post, I believe the volt meter applies to the house battery, thats why I think the portable frig may be part of the problem its drawing from the start battery. If this is the case, I would strongly recommend having this sorted.
Hi Didi do not put too much faith in the average auto "electrician in finding if it is all wired correctly , many do not have a clue.
I would suggest you look for an electrician who does caravan /motor home wiring
What you do need to find out is if the fridge is running from the crank battery. [ If so it should only run when the engine is running, otherwise with long periods of the fridge running on the crank battery certainly will flatten it to the stage where it will not be able to crank
That can be easily achieved with an ignition controlled relay in it's feed circuit
As I have pointed out the Waeco's inbuilt low voltage cut out is useless for that purpose.!
I would expect the voltmeter is reading the house battery voltage. What did it show when the crank battery would not crank? That should have showed low voltage, IF both batteries were connected together. If it did show low voltage , a possible fault could be with the isolator[either a VSR or an ignition controlled relay in the house battery charging circuit from the alternator] It's contacts may be stuck in the" on "position
Question:How is the Waeco connected to the 12v ?via what type of plug &where is the plug located?
It is very easy to determine where such a outlet is fed from for anyone with a voltmeter.!!and a little bit of understanding
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Friday 30th of October 2015 12:02:51 PM
Hi Didi do not put too much faith in the average auto "electrician in finding if it is all wired correctly , many do not have a clue.
I would suggest you look for an electrician who does caravan /motor home wiring
What you do need to find out is if the fridge is running from the crank battery. [ If so it should only run when the engine is running, otherwise with long periods of the fridge running on the crank battery certainly will flatten it to the stage where it will not be able to crank
That can be easily achieved with an ignition controlled relay in it's feed circuit
As I have pointed out the Waeco's inbuilt low voltage cut out is useless for that purpose.!
I would expect the voltmeter is reading the house battery voltage. What did it show when the crank battery would not crank? That should have showed low voltage, IF both batteries were connected together. If it did show low voltage , a possible fault could be with the isolator[either a VSR or an ignition controlled relay in the house battery charging circuit from the alternator] It's contacts may be stuck in the" on "position
Question:How is the Waeco connected to the 12v ?via what type of plug &where is the plug located?
It is very easy to determine where such a outlet is fed from for anyone with a voltmeter.!!and a little bit of understanding
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Friday 30th of October 2015 12:02:51 PM
I'd suggest you'd have a hard time finding an electrician who does caravan and motorhome wiring too. You would probably have a better chance finding an auto elec that does caravan and motorhome wiring. At least you'll have a better chance of finding someone who understands batteries and voltage drop in cable. I worked with both electricians and auto electricians, that's why I do my own work
__________________
Yes I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
thanks oldtrack. but I dont have a clue what is what. It was wired by an rv electrician originally. Its just that one time the battery went dead. the voltmeter showed a 12.5 reading when the battery was dead. I have been at powered sites for 2days and it reads 14 with power going in.
how do I know how much charge my van battery has?
cheers
Hi Didi do not put too much faith in the average auto "electrician in finding if it is all wired correctly , many do not have a clue.
I would suggest you look for an electrician who does caravan /motor home wiring
What you do need to find out is if the fridge is running from the crank battery. [ If so it should only run when the engine is running, otherwise with long periods of the fridge running on the crank battery certainly will flatten it to the stage where it will not be able to crank
That can be easily achieved with an ignition controlled relay in it's feed circuit
As I have pointed out the Waeco's inbuilt low voltage cut out is useless for that purpose.!
I would expect the voltmeter is reading the house battery voltage. What did it show when the crank battery would not crank? That should have showed low voltage, IF both batteries were connected together. If it did show low voltage , a possible fault could be with the isolator[either a VSR or an ignition controlled relay in the house battery charging circuit from the alternator] It's contacts may be stuck in the" on "position
Question:How is the Waeco connected to the 12v ?via what type of plug &where is the plug located?
It is very easy to determine where such a outlet is fed from for anyone with a voltmeter.!!and a little bit of understanding
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Friday 30th of October 2015 12:02:51 PM
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Hi Radar. It was an auto electrician who did the service. Do you mean take it to another autoelectrican? I took it to a caravan service place but they said they didnt do this and sent me to him. Supposed to be best mercedes mchanic in Townsville
Yes, I think you need a auto electric person as the problem is electrical. Auto electric guy will have the means to test battery for quality, test the alternator is charging and he will test the arrangement for charging the second battery.
As for being the best Mercedes mechanic in Townsville he probably was and has done a good job but something has possibly failed not related, now if it is sonething that is related to his work and the auto electric believes it is ask for a report and post it back to the mechanic with the bill, if he is any good he may come to the party and pay for his error. Just saying.
The main thing is to restore your reliability into your mobile home once more.
Another thing I would check is where you plug the portable frig into, is it into a source that draws the power from the starter battery?
Maybe the portable frig has gone crazy and drawing lots of charge from your starter battery where before it was not noticeable but now your start battery is starting to get a bit old and will not handle the heavy draw.
I unable to recommend anyone in Byron Bay area, if you were closer to Southern Brisbane I would be able to help with the name of my service people in Mansfield.
Reread your post, I believe the volt meter applies to the house battery, thats why I think the portable frig may be part of the problem its drawing from the start battery. If this is the case, I would strongly recommend having this sorted.
Hope in some way this may help, Radar.
thanks Radar
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
thanks troopy. no. the fridge DOES run when the engine is switched off.
Can you tell me if the van battery IS connected to the house battery- will it charge itself when van is running till it is fully charged and only then top up the house battery, or will it try to keep the house battery topped up first?
Cheers Di
Hi Didi do not put too much faith in the average auto "electrician in finding if it is all wired correctly , many do not have a clue.
I would suggest you look for an electrician who does caravan /motor home wiring
What you do need to find out is if the fridge is running from the crank battery. [ If so it should only run when the engine is running, otherwise with long periods of the fridge running on the crank battery certainly will flatten it to the stage where it will not be able to crank
That can be easily achieved with an ignition controlled relay in it's feed circuit
As I have pointed out the Waeco's inbuilt low voltage cut out is useless for that purpose.!
I would expect the voltmeter is reading the house battery voltage. What did it show when the crank battery would not crank? That should have showed low voltage, IF both batteries were connected together. If it did show low voltage , a possible fault could be with the isolator[either a VSR or an ignition controlled relay in the house battery charging circuit from the alternator] It's contacts may be stuck in the" on "position
Question:How is the Waeco connected to the 12v ?via what type of plug &where is the plug located?
It is very easy to determine where such a outlet is fed from for anyone with a voltmeter.!!and a little bit of understanding
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Friday 30th of October 2015 12:02:51 PM
I'd suggest you'd have a hard time finding an electrician who does caravan and motorhome wiring too. You would probably have a better chance finding an auto elec that does caravan and motorhome wiring. At least you'll have a better chance of finding someone who understands batteries and voltage drop in cable. I worked with both electricians and auto electricians, that's why I do my own work
__________________
'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated' - Gandhi
Sorry about your troubles. However it is not easy to diagnose them from a distance without checking some basic facts. That is why you are getting these general suggestions. There are quite a few ways to wire up your system and some of them may be wrong for what you want. It has been suggested you get someone to check exactly how it is wired and what it does in different circumstances. There is no other way for us to suggest what is happening in your van from a distance.
It is quite a good way to set it up with the fridge wired to the house battery only and your 12V power sockets too. Then have a VSR to charge the house battery when the engine is running. Your solar panel should charge the house battery too. But we cannot know that is the way it is setup. If all the power users are run off the house battery the car battery should never go flat EXCEPT if you left the door open and the light on or the ignition on or the main lights on, or something like that. Then it will go flat as any car will. Perhaps !
Jaahn
PS: VSR is a voltage sensitive relay and designed for charging the house battery only after it has partly recharged the car battery. Works well on older vehicles. Do you have one? who knows from my computer keyboard.
-- Edited by Jaahn on Saturday 31st of October 2015 08:51:16 AM
Um it's not hard to find what battery it's connected to.. Disc one battery at a time till fridge ( or test lamps) turns off.. A circuit breaker fitted makes things way easier on anything other than starter ... Getting to know the system and how it works helps big time .. Not saying being an auto sparky .. Just try and work out the fundamentals of your system .. Or at least how it should work.. Trouble is non std wiring tends to have fuses in line and finding them ? You MAY have a blown fuse ? Some where .? At a guess I would say you need more solar ...
-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Sunday 1st of November 2015 11:20:47 PM
That is why you are getting these general suggestions. There are quite a few ways to wire up your system and some of them may be wrong for what you want. It has been suggested you get someone to check exactly how it is wired and what it does in different circumstances. There is no other way for us to suggest what is happening in your van from a distance.
