12v system not working, Lunar Chateau

[Shipjack]

Morning!

Currently away in our van enjoying the great weather. Slight problem is my 12v system has given up the ghost. I fitted a motor mover just before we came away..all works great, so no problem with the battery. Everything works no probs if the 240v hook up, but we have a bit of an annoying hum from the transformer (which I will get a pro to look at on our return) so I wanted to turn the 240v off at night but I'm finding myself plunged into darkness.
I've done a search on this subject and think it could just be a fuse..but no sign of an inline fuse on the pos battery lead. Anyone got any clues?

Ta

Lesley

 

[Dustydog]

Is yours a zig charger?
Your best bet is to remove it and ask Paul at http://www.apuljackengineering.co.uk/product_repair.html to fix it for you

 

[Guzzilazz]

Is yours a zig charger?
Your best bet is to remove it and ask Paul at http://www.apuljackengineering.co.uk/product_repair.html to fix it for you

I have a pathological hatred of Zig... My boat had one when I bought it 15 years ago, installed by the previous owner. Because it's a dumb charger, it had cooked three Hawker Siddley Odyssey AGM batteries, to the point where one had bulged dramatically... AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[Craigyoung]

Burnt out charger ??

 

[Shipjack]

Might not have been very clear in my first post, but the battery itself is fine. The motor mover still works without issue.
I do nt have a zig unit. The Lunar Chateau electrics are pretty basic, no control panel at all. Just a switch to isolate the 240v .
Sure it's some sort of fuse but I do nt know where to look. I'm sure the humming transformer is a separate issue because that was an issue when the 12v system was working.
Cheers

 

[Hutch]

It might be a burnt out 12 VOLT power supply and not the charging side, I had that for about 6 months before the charging side went, and there was a humming sound as the battery was supplying the 12 volts to the van and the charger was working overtime to charge the battery. Dustys advice is the best. .

 

[Dustydog]

Might not have been very clear in my first post, but the battery itself is fine. The motor mover still works without issue.
I do nt have a zig unit. The Lunar Chateau electrics are pretty basic, no control panel at all. Just a switch to isolate the 240v .
Sure it's some sort of fuse but I do nt know where to look. I'm sure the humming transformer is a separate issue because that was an issue when the 12v system was working.
Cheers

It will help if you tell us who made the charger unit.

 

[Gafferbill]

Might not have been very clear in my first post, but the battery itself is fine. The motor mover still works without issue.
I do nt have a zig unit. The Lunar Chateau electrics are pretty basic, no control panel at all. Just a switch to isolate the 240v .
Sure it's some sort of fuse but I do nt know where to look. I'm sure the humming transformer is a separate issue because that was an issue when the 12v system was working.
Cheers

........there should be a main battery fuse of around 20 amps in the positive cable within 60cms from the battery. This is normally inside the caravan under seating.
There should also be 12 volts available from the power supply........you say this is not the case so that unit is either faulty or has blown it's own separate supply fuse.

 

[Shipjack]

Ah great. Yes, thank you ..found the fuse and all now back to normal service. For any other Lunar Chateau owners it's behind the seating in a small fuse box near the battery charger. Opposite side of the van to the battery box. The blown fuse was the one nearest the caravan wall. I must've blown it somehow fitting the mover..

Ta!

 

[Hutch]

Great enjoy your weekend,

 

[Guzzilazz]

All too easy to "let smoke out of the wires" with 12V. Whenever I do anything with 12V I disconnect the battery. Too many years of experience on the boat to do otherwise... 12V produces remarkably high currents on a short with the associated heat...

PS I have let smoke out of the wires a few times, it's a swine to get it back in afterwards! One of mine happened on a cable running next to the engine oil pressure gauge pipe (nylon), and I had a nasty oil leak when I first ran the engine after....

 

[ProfJohnL]

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people say: "it's only 12V so it's safe", Granted the potential is not enough to shock or electrocute you, but atypical car or caravan battery has the capability of releasing several hundred Amps of current if it's shorted out, and as Guzzilazz has written that's more then enough to cause car or caravan wiring to heat up and melt its own insulation and generate enough heat to ignite other flammable materials near by.
Batteries also have enough power to create sparks if a contact is opened. So care must be excersised when working with these systems.