Sargent consumer unit on or off?

[Banus]

Hi guys,

A quick question if I may ? I have a Sargent consumer unit fitted to my 2018 (2019 model year), Swift Challenger 480. When leaving the van for a while in storeage, can you tell me if I need to leave the consumer unit switched ON (black master button in up position), for my solar panel to charge my leisure battery or will my battery continue to be charged if switched OFF? Unbelievably Sargent weren't sure!!

To add to the confusion, my supplying dealer stated that when the van is left in storeage the 12v master button must be switch OFF, (but he didn't say if the LB would continue to be charged or not), and there are other knowledable and well informed commentators on Youtube stating that it has to be left ON for the LB to receive charge from the solar panel. Your thoughts please.

So, what I'm asking in a round about way is does the 12v black master button need to be on or off for my LB to receive charge from my solar panel when the van is in storeage. Many thanks.

 

[RogerL]

The easy way to check - on a sunny day when the solar panel is operating, switch the consumer unit off and check the battery voltage with a digital volt meter (DVM) - if it's 13.0 v or more it's being charged.

 

[Buckman]

Either way the 12v should be switched off otherwise the battery will be drained within 2 - 3 weeks. The 12v comes from the battery which is being charged by the solar panels. The solar panel and solar controller are on their own independent circuit and more than likely not connected to the Sargent system which is why they do not know.

 

[Mel]

Needs to be Off. Black button up. I have a 2022 Swift Alpine 2 . The solar panel will continue to charge the LB assuming there is enough sunlight.
Mel

 

[ProfJohnL]

There spear to be lots of different models of Sargent distribution boards, but a Google image search only presented two models with a black switch, and both were specials for Swift Caravans. So I assume yours is most likely a Sargent ec155.

I also found this video clip video clip which you might find useful, and I deduce from it that this model of Sargent unit does not interface or control solar systems, so the black switch has nothing to do with any solar charging system.

 

[Mickyjb]

What Mel said!

 

[Jcloughie]

I fitted the solar panels myself. But contacted Sergent as their instructions stated they could handle 100 watts. and I was putting 120 watts in. They told me 120 watts would be fine. The solar feed did not pass through the unit, but the unit did register the amount of solar charge.

So my logic says that you should be able to switch off at the controller. As the purpose of the switch is to isolate 12-volt usage.

Is there a separate isolator for the solar panels? I think solar installations should have one as the solar should be disconnected before doing work on the battery.

Surely the solar controller will tell you if it is charging.

If there is a switch, you could test the battery voltage while switching on and off.

John

 

[Banus]

Guys, at last a difinitive answer and exactly what I was looking for. It's going off - TODAY!! Many Thanks.

 

[JDP]

I have a Swift Conqueror 580 and leave the black button in the off position.
the solar panel charges the LB which you can view on the Swift command app either by the locate or history sections. For the solar to operate you do not need to have button on, you only need button on if you wish to control via the app.

 

[Banus]

Thanks for that.
And finally does it need to be switched ON or OFF when towing for the car to charge the LB?

 

[otherclive]

Thanks for that.
And finally does it need to be switched ON or OFF when towing for the car to charge the LB?

Mine had to be switched to ON for towing. Doesn’t the owners manual say? It was covered in my manual.

 

[Ukdave2002]

The unit should be switched on when driving.
Most Sargent systems shutdown parts of the system while the engine is running, for various reasons, but charge the leisure battery and run the fridge etc.

Re your original question, yes switch off when the van is stored for the reasons others members have posted. Lead acid batteries do need some TLC to maintain long life, so should be charged monthly and in the worse case bi-monthly.

If your Sargent unit has a 3 stage charger, use this to charge the battery ,by plugging into the mains once a month for 24 hours, if not use a smart charger, I use CTEK as they have a multistage cycle that for the want of a better description "conditions & charges" in way that promotes longer battery life.

The solar unit will charge the battery, but in a "cruder" way, personally I wouldn't rely on it to keep the battery topped up whilst the van is not in use.
In some systems the solar unit can be controlled by the Sargent unit , in others its wired independently. If the Sargent unit is controlling the solar charger the unit needs to be switched on for this to function, this IMHO kinda defeats the object, as when the unit is switched on its drawing a current; discharging the battery.

In summary for safety, battery protection & piece of mind turn the Sargent unit off when the van is not in use, then charge monthly with a Smart charger.

 

[Buckman]

Our owner's manual states no need to switch on the 12v to recharge the battery or power the fridge, but we are lucky and do not have the Sargent system.

 

[Jcloughie]

Thanks for that.
And finally does it need to be switched ON or OFF when towing for the car to charge the LB?

My Lunar had two 12 volt isolation switches. One on the consumer unit. The second on the controller above the door. They only swiched on when needed for use, Therefore on site.

I towed many miles with both switches off. The fridge still worked so I assume the battery was charging. As it was full to start with anyway, it did not matter.

John

 

[Mel]

Thanks for that.
And finally does it need to be switched ON or OFF when towing for the car to charge the LB?

This is not made terribly clear anywhere. As far as I understand it, if you want to run the fridge when towing the button needs to be on. As we keep our van in storage and so cannot pre cool the fridge, there is no advantage to towing with the fridge on. We leave ours off and the ATC and lights all work perfectly fine. I don’t know about the battery charger but as we would only tow a maximum of 5 hours in a day and then use a site with ehu, the possible loss of a bit of battery charging when towing is of no consequence.
I guess if you tend to park up mid journey and use the loo then leaving the button On might be more convenient.
Mel

 

[Jcloughie]

So two opposite views above. Easy thing to do. With the switch off, hitch up and start the car. In our case, the fridge needed switching to the battery symbol, (which means car battery). The appropriate lights come on, so therefore the fridge is getting power. From that, I assume the battery will also be getting a charge.

Also, as I remember. The handbook only mentions turning on the isolators when setting up on site. No mention of traveling.

John

 

[Banus]

Brilliant and thanks. We're off for a few days tomorrow so I'll try that prior to departure. So, we've established that whilst in storeage the Sargent unit should be tunred OFF to slow the discharge in the LB, and the SP will still charge LB.