First van and charger issue. Replaced leisure batt but unsure the process to charge on our drive. Plugged in (given) however on the control panel, charger button on or off. An explanation to why would be appreciated as an engineer it is driving me mad not understanding the process. TIA
Sterling Eccles Topaz 2011 Charging Issue
- Thread starter Rickster
- Start date
The “charger” button should be pressed to “on” when in 240v EHU but turn to “ off” when towing. That’s what my Swift 2012 owners manual instructed.
Oops formatting gone to rats.
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Thank you , will try process of elimination for charging. What about when on my drive. Battery connected. ?
I would connect the caravan to home mains supply when in drive but not continuously as a good battery doesn’t discharge that quickly unless there’s an alarm system or something still powered On. When in storage I would remove battery and bring it home and out onto my CTEK smart charger.
Thanks. Yes it’s when it’s not being charged should the charger button be on or off. I think off and the alarm is draining the battery but good to have it confirmed (or not).
Logic suggests if your battery is fully charged then you don't need to leave the charging system turned on, but the your caravan charging systems should be voltage regulated to prevent damage to the battery if left connected long term.
Technically by 2011, your caravan should have a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) fitted rather than a simple charger circuit.
To confirm if the the battery is charging, do you have a voltmeter you can use to check the battery's terminal voltage? It should be about 13.8V when charging. And if you have a battery in good condition, fully charged, the terminal voltage, with the SMPS turned off, should settle to around 12.8V.
Unfortunately some makes of control do have a reputation for failing, but if that happens, there is a company that literally can repair to better than original.
Technically by 2011, your caravan should have a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) fitted rather than a simple charger circuit.
To confirm if the the battery is charging, do you have a voltmeter you can use to check the battery's terminal voltage? It should be about 13.8V when charging. And if you have a battery in good condition, fully charged, the terminal voltage, with the SMPS turned off, should settle to around 12.8V.
Unfortunately some makes of control do have a reputation for failing, but if that happens, there is a company that literally can repair to better than original.
Yes when the caravan was at home and not on 240v the charging switch would be off on mine. I didn’t have an alarm but watch that the radio is fully switched off too.
If it’s like my Swift it could have a Sargent EC400 power supply unit. They have a pretty good reputation and Sargent are a good company for any technical queries.
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