charging leisure battery from the car?

Jan 11, 2009
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Am l overlooking something? I am on site, wanting to put a charge into my leisure battery, by connecting grey car connector, 14+ volts into caravan, not reaching the battery, all fuses in tact!
 

Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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Is there a switch on the control panel that switches between the tow vehicle charging circuit and the normal habitation circuit?
Our Abbey has such a switch which would prevent any charge from the vehicle reaching the charging unit when the normal 12v habitation switch is on.
 
Mar 11, 2007
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You do have the engine running. I assume.
Where are you reading the 14+ volts? I wonder if it is pin 4 (perm live) on the grey plug.
Please give more details and I am sure someone will have your answer.
 
Apr 7, 2008
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SteveP said:
Am l overlooking something? I am on site, wanting to put a charge into my leisure battery, by connecting grey car connector, 14+ volts into caravan, not reaching the battery, all fuses in tact!

Have you got a multimeter with you to check that your socket is working ?
Here is the 12s wiring diagram

12S_Socket_Wiring.GIF
 
Mar 10, 2006
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To get a charge to the battery you need a supply to the fridge, and a permanent supply.
The fridge supply operates a relay in the caravan, which in turn allows the permanent supply to the battery.
Thats been the set up for Bailey since 2004, perhaps earlier.
So assuming you have both those supplies (and returns) to the caravan, and all the fuses are good, (as you say).
Then two possibilities to check, the relay could be faulty, or you could have a blown fuse adjacent the battery.
If you can get on mains hook up, then the fuse can be checked by testing for 13.7 volts at the battery.
 
Jan 11, 2009
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Ray,thanks for that, only thng I didnt do was to turn the fridge to battery! I will try this tomorrow am, didnt realise charging and fridge would be on a common curcuit?
 
Nov 6, 2005
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I don't see why the fridge needs to be switched to 12v.
The car needs to energise the fridge circuit to make the habitation relay change the car 12v supply to batttery charging but it should make no difference whether the fridge is actually running on 12v, gas or mains.
 
Apr 7, 2008
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Nov 5, 2006
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confused . I was of the understanding that changes to the 12s socket wiring was undertaken august 1998,(as published in the Haynes caravan manual series 3.) Pre 1998 pin 7 was a spare & pin 2 was aux battery charging. post august 1998 pin 7 became the refrigerator earth & pin 2 became spare & pin 4 became dual aux battery charge & 12v live feed
t
 
Jan 11, 2009
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Thanks all for the advice and comments, i found the problem to be, that the connection inside the van (where the wires join onto the spade connection tree) the spade had become loose an disconneted from the feed. Multi meter, torch and elimination solved it!
Cheers again
 
Mar 10, 2006
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As Rodger says the fridge need not be on.
But the habitation relay coil circuit must have the fridge supply.
Until the relay pulls in, no power gets to the battery from the permanent supply.

Its a nightmare for fault finding if you have a faulty relay, as my 2004 Vermont had about five of them!
None are identified.
 

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