Hi, looking for help. My caravan 12 v lights , pump etc will not work. When I turn the charger on they work for about 1 second then go off. Battery is fully charged, the control panel is showing 12v from car even though the car is not connected. Can anyone help please,
12 v system problem
- Thread starter Rainman
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- Mar 14, 2005
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At no time should the setting of the charger affect the 230V circuits. If this is genuinely happening there is something very wrong, and may well be beyond our capability to help.
I suspect you have not discribed the symptoms with enough accuracy for us to be able to diagnose the issues you are having. It might also be helpful to know Make model and year of the caravan when discussi
I suspect you have not discribed the symptoms with enough accuracy for us to be able to diagnose the issues you are having. It might also be helpful to know Make model and year of the caravan when discussi
Thank you for your reply, you are correct I never gave enough information. My caravan is a 2009 sterling onyx elite . Everything was fine until 2 weeks ago when all the things that work of 12v stopped working. I got told it was the charger , so purchased a new one. Still the same problem. Nothing will work if I don't switch the charger on. It's the only way the 230v sockets, lights and fridge will work. If I turn the mains off and turn it back on again, the 12v lights come on for 1 second and go back off again. I have tested all fuses , tested the output of the charger, which is reading 14.7 . The control panel above the door is showing that the battery connected is from the car, but nothing works. When I turn the mains power on I hear clicking noises for a couple of seconds, but that's it. I am a campsite warden at the moment and finding it hard to get a mobile guy to come and have a look. I am in Lydd in Kent.
Hi there, yes nordelectonica is the make of the original charger. And the new one is a Sargent px310
- Jun 20, 2005
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How about the control panel
Sargent have an excellent help line . Its worth ringing them. Nordelectronica kit was notoriously poor. Thats why I wondered about the control panel.
Ouch, they did have issues with a substandard batch of a component, not an unknown issue for other highly regarded brands, as well as some less regarded.
The OP's charger, IMO if having achieved its 16 years is highly unlikely to have been one of that batch fitted with the poor component?
Their kit ought not to be described as "notoriously poor", it was for its day back then technically advanced reflecting in better battery care than most others at that time.
Nor, as the replacement charger having not cured the issue should we assume that the original Nordelectronica one had failed?
If it proves finally to be so, there is an excellent repair service through Apuljack Electronics LINK.
They also would be a good company to speak to re the OP's problem, a highly experienced company in this field.
- Mar 14, 2005
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There is definitely something very strange if the state of the charger affects the mains 230V sockets. For obvious reasons the charger can only work when mains is available to power it, but the availability of mains should not be affected by the charger being on or off.
Unfortunately equipment manufactured by Nordelectronica does have a reputation of failure with weird symptoms, and it will mean all the Nordel... gear will need removing and repaired or replaced. I believe this is usually all connected with plugs and sockets, and manageable by a person with modest DIY skills. Take pictures to show each connector and colour scheme to refer too.
I think Apuljak have repaired many of these with good success to probably better than new condition.
Unfortunately equipment manufactured by Nordelectronica does have a reputation of failure with weird symptoms, and it will mean all the Nordel... gear will need removing and repaired or replaced. I believe this is usually all connected with plugs and sockets, and manageable by a person with modest DIY skills. Take pictures to show each connector and colour scheme to refer too.
I think Apuljak have repaired many of these with good success to probably better than new condition.
- Jun 20, 2005
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You will of course remember our two departed Moderators, Damian and Parksy. Damian was a fully qualified caravan engineer who many times reported failures of these chargers and ancillary kit. Parksy fielded many complaints over the years , indeed being a “victim” himself back in 2016.
He was due to meet up with a group of us at Stowford Meadows. Apuljack came to his overnight site at Burnham on sea, removed the charger , modified it and returned and refitted it .
Those who used their caravans often faced early failures. The two or three times a year users took much longer to suffer the failure.
Their technology may have been good but sadly the durability did not live up to our expectations.
Nordelettronica control panel
The Nordellettronica control panel above the door on our 8 year old Swift Challenger 630 seems to be on the blink. When the power button is pressed, it sometimes flashes before coming on, or power will not come on at all. We've been trying to locate a new one, but they seem to be as rare as...
- Mar 14, 2005
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That might also be a concern and it should of course be checked, but the 12V system should not affect the availability of mains power good or bad 12V battery.
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