Beginner requiring help! (there must be a lot of these)

[ChunkySouthpaw]

Hi all, I've had one trip out in my 2007 Bailey Ranger 4 berth caravan. I have a few questions/issues that I need some help with, my apologies if these have been asked before but I don't have much spare time to trawl through other posts finding the answers!

1) Each time I plug the electric into my mains at home it blows the trip in the caravan immediately. The fridge and the water heater in the van seem to work ok. Everything else in the van is turned off, still blows the trip. This means I can't charge my battery up at home without removing it.

2) When I follow the drain down procedure for the water, opening taps and flipping up the yellow lever under the water tank, the water does drain out but it drains out of what appears to be a threaded hole underneath the tank - should this have a bung or something to stop it just dumping the water out onto the ground?

3) My water pump came on all on it's own having worked ok previously, when none of the taps were open. Can this happen in the water level in the aqua roll is low? I can see any obvious leaks but then again when is anything every obvious?!

I'd appreciate any help as I'm sure I'm making rookie mistakes, despite what seems like hours trawling the internet for help !

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[RogerL]

2) That's normal - the drained water is just dumped on the pitch

3) Sounds like the water system has a pressure switch - if you're off-grid with no mains electric connection, the pressure switch may need adjusting as it's voltage sensitive - set it when the battery is a bit discharged, then it'll be ok when fully charged or running off mains electric.

 

[Paullus1959]

Hi and welcome to the forum and the caravanning community ChunkySouthpaw.
Although I cannot help with your questions on this occasion don't ever feel that you shouldn't or mustn't ask a question.
There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and I'm sure you'll get the answers you require.

 

[bertieboy1]

Hi all, I've had one trip out in my 2007 Bailey Ranger 4 berth caravan. I have a few questions/issues that I need some help with, my apologies if these have been asked before but I don't have much spare time to trawl through other posts finding the answers!

1) Each time I plug the electric into my mains at home it blows the trip in the caravan immediately. The fridge and the water heater in the van seem to work ok. Everything else in the van is turned off, still blows the trip. This means I can't charge my battery up at home without removing it.

2) When I follow the drain down procedure for the water, opening taps and flipping up the yellow lever under the water tank, the water does drain out but it drains out of what appears to be a threaded hole underneath the tank - should this have a bung or something to stop it just dumping the water out onto the ground?

3) My water pump came on all on it's own having worked ok previously, when none of the taps were open. Can this happen in the water level in the aqua roll is low? I can see any obvious leaks but then again when is anything every obvious?!

I'd appreciate any help as I'm sure I'm making rookie mistakes, despite what seems like hours trawling the internet for help !

Thank you in advance for your help!

When you say "blows the trip" do you mean a circuit breaker opens - what circuit breaker? earth leakage CB ? overcurrent CB ?

 

[Woodentop]

BB1 asked my question (sob!) If it is one of the MCBs look at the printing on the case of the MCB - which will be either 6A or 16A. 6A usually covers the charger, any mains lights, and sometimes the fridge. 16A covers the 13A sockets, the water heater and the room heater if you have warm air.
If it is the RCD try:-
Switch off mains supply from house. Switch off both of the MCBs. Switch on the mains supply and see if the RCD trips. If it does then you have a problem in the power box.
If it does not again switch off the mains supply, turn on the 6A MCB and then the mains. If the RCD trips you have a problem on one of the items attached to it - my guess would most likely be the fridge. All of the fitted electrical appliances - fridge, microwave, cooker if electric are each connected by a 13A plug buried somewhere nearby. Unplug all of them, restore the 6A MCB and mains and plug each one in until the RCD trips. If necessary repeat but using the 16A MCB - with the 6A switched off.
Its just a sequence of testing each circuit until something happens - going round in circles!

 

[ChunkySouthpaw]

When you say "blows the trip" do you mean a circuit breaker opens - what circuit breaker? earth leakage CB ? overcurrent CB ?

Not sure on correct terminology - the switch that says lights, charger etc is the one that goes

 

[ChunkySouthpaw]

BB1 asked my question (sob!) If it is one of the MCBs look at the printing on the case of the MCB - which will be either 6A or 16A. 6A usually covers the charger, any mains lights, and sometimes the fridge. 16A covers the 13A sockets, the water heater and the room heater if you have warm air.
If it is the RCD try:-
Switch off mains supply from house. Switch off both of the MCBs. Switch on the mains supply and see if the RCD trips. If it does then you have a problem in the power box.
If it does not again switch off the mains supply, turn on the 6A MCB and then the mains. If the RCD trips you have a problem on one of the items attached to it - my guess would most likely be the fridge. All of the fitted electrical appliances - fridge, microwave, cooker if electric are each connected by a 13A plug buried somewhere nearby. Unplug all of them, restore the 6A MCB and mains and plug each one in until the RCD trips. If necessary repeat but using the 16A MCB - with the 6A switched off.
Its just a sequence of testing each circuit until something happens - going round in circles!

Thanks and so far I can only locate one appliance plug - it’s under the oven but looks like it goes to the fridge - I tried that and the results were the same - any pointers as to where to look for the others for say the heater and the water heater? Thanks all so far.

 

[Woodentop]

If it is a 6A MCB that is tripping something is drawing too much current. As you have disconnected the fridge(?) I would try removing the bulbs from any mains fittings that you have - bulbs do sometimes go short circuit when they fail. If that doesn't cure it then the likelihood is that it is the power supply/charger. The unit is located in the top of the power box but there is exposed mains in there so best not to go digging unless your REALLY know what you are doing. The power supply is connected by a kettle plug - if pulling it out clears the problem then it is the power supply that is stuffed. Simple job for any electrician - caravan specialist not needed.

 

[JTQ]

Not sure on correct terminology - the switch that says lights, charger etc is the one that goes

Can you post a photo of the switches, marking or otherwise identifying the one that trips?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello ChunkySouthpaw,

I presume the trip that's disconnecting is the one you mention and I concur with Woodentop, that is most likely the power supply/charger (PSU) that has failed. There has been a steady number of reports in the forum about Bailey Caravan chargers that have failed, which is why I believe it may have also happened to you as your caravan fits the age profile.

The PSU can usually be disconnected from the mains by removing its power lead (like a kettle lead) If this stops the problem, it essentially confirms the diagnosis. Many people with problems with their PSU seek help from Apuljack.

www.apuljackelectronics.co.uk

 

[Bluetonic]

I had a similar issue with my previous Bailey (a 2008 pageant)
It was the charger/12v PSU. The ferrite ring in the transformer had shattered causing a massive short. Tripped half the caravan site when I plugged in.
Quick test is to (with 240 and battery disconnected) take the cover off the consumer unit and find the old kettle type plug. Disconnect that, then plug back in to mains and 12v.
If it doesn't trip then you have found the issue. Replacement power supply/chargers are available, including an upgraded version but they are not cheap.
Good luck

 

[Buckman]

You need to switch off everything before connecting it to the mains especially the fridge and heating otherwise it will trip the caravan.

 

[ChunkySouthpaw]

Thanks all for great advice - I’ve enlisted the help of an electrician as I don’t want to fry myself or the caravan! Will report back when we hopefully find the problem.

 

[Buckman]

Thanks all for great advice - I’ve enlisted the help of an electrician as I don’t want to fry myself or the caravan! Will report back when we hopefully find the problem.

Most Approved Workshop Scheme technicians would have been able to sort out the problem. However if the caravan has not been serviced for a long time it is highly recommended that it is serviced before it is used for the safety of your family and yourself.

 

[ChunkySouthpaw]

It has been serviced so I’m not worried about gas etc and general safety - just want to sort out the electrical issue with someone qualified. Rather than me and YouTube! But the advice from here is valuable and helps me to learn.

 

[Buckman]

It has been serviced so I’m not worried about gas etc and general safety - just want to sort out the electrical issue with someone qualified. Rather than me and YouTube! But the advice from here is valuable and helps me to learn.

Surely the issue should have been picked up at its service and part of the service is testing the gas and electrical appliances that are fitted as standard in the caravan?

 

[ChunkySouthpaw]

Well I guess a service is like an MoT - if all is well at the time you can’t predict an appliance failing in the future.

 

[Gozza2]

2) When I follow the drain down procedure for the water, opening taps and flipping up the yellow lever under the water tank, the water does drain out but it drains out of what appears to be a threaded hole underneath the tank - should this have a bung or something to stop it just dumping the water out onto the ground?

That's normal. It's always annoyed me a bit and on my last van I fitted an extension pipe to bring the drain down outlet to the edge of the van, where I could drain it into the waste tank or straight down a drain.

If you search this forum under "dump valve" you should come across the discussion thread at the time, where wiser heads advised me why the way I originally planned to do it was a bad idea, and how I did it in the end.

The threaded hole should have a short length of 12mm pipe on it to make sure all the water being dumped comes out properly under the van, but on my new-to-me Ranger I've noticed it's quite a loose fit and drops off easily.

3) My water pump came on all on it's own having worked ok previously, when none of the taps were open. Can this happen in the water level in the aqua roll is low? I can see any obvious leaks but then again when is anything every obvious?!

There's a pressure switch which detects a drop in pressure when you open a tap, and turns the pump on. This switch seems to be sensitive to outside factors and needs adjusting sometimes - do a search on this forum on "adjusting pressure switch" and you'll find thread where cleverer people than me have explained the process.

 

[Bluetonic]

Surely the issue should have been picked up at its service and part of the service is testing the gas and electrical appliances that are fitted as standard in the caravan?

Well, ours was fine on the drive and had had the fridge on for a couple of days before we left on our holiday.
6 hours towing later and tripped half the caravan site

 

[ChunkySouthpaw]

Electrician narrowed it down to the battery charger! You were right! He unplugged it all and then reconnected and now it seems to be fine but I think I will need to order a new one from ApulJacks for next season to be on the safe side. Thanks all - I’m learning a lot!

 

[Buckman]

Electrician narrowed it down to the battery charger! You were right! He unplugged it all and then reconnected and now it seems to be fine but I think I will need to order a new one from ApulJacks for next season to be on the safe side. Thanks all - I’m learning a lot!

It is always nice to have feedback and glad you got it sorted.

 

[bertieboy1]

Not sure on correct terminology - the switch that says lights, charger etc is the one that goes

If it's the CB for lights,charger etc. that's tripping then you have an overcurrent condition.Might be one the light bulbs that have gone duff,sometimes when they do the filament short circuits and causes an overcurrent,check each light bulb first,if ok then it's something else on the same circuit.Switch everything off and switch on one at a time to see what is tripping the CB