The console showed "battery low" even though I was hooked up to the mains. No hot water and radio would not work. Can anyone shed light on this problem for me please.
why
- Thread starter thumbturn
- Start date
Just trying to make a checklist for you - forgive me if you are a seasoned caravanner and just new to the forum!
Was it working and has failed on site?
Are you trying to heat the water on mains?
Do you have mains connected successfully - or not tripped out - can you check if electric sockets work?
The radio is 12v and not working - do lights that are 12v work or are they very dim?
Identify the power unit and make sure the trip switches are all correct. Does your handbook or the unit itself carry identification so you can report the manufacturer to the forum? Some units are prone to failure!
If you are trying to use domestic appliances like toaster or kettle or microwave it is also possible that either the caravan mains or the site bollard outlet has been overloaded and tripped in which case you might need the warden to reset it for you.
Rather a lot of guesswork I'm afraid but these things are always hard to identify from a distance.
Was it working and has failed on site?
Are you trying to heat the water on mains?
Do you have mains connected successfully - or not tripped out - can you check if electric sockets work?
The radio is 12v and not working - do lights that are 12v work or are they very dim?
Identify the power unit and make sure the trip switches are all correct. Does your handbook or the unit itself carry identification so you can report the manufacturer to the forum? Some units are prone to failure!
If you are trying to use domestic appliances like toaster or kettle or microwave it is also possible that either the caravan mains or the site bollard outlet has been overloaded and tripped in which case you might need the warden to reset it for you.
Rather a lot of guesswork I'm afraid but these things are always hard to identify from a distance.
Parksy
Moderator
On some caravans there are separate switches for the battery charger, space heater and hot water system.
My Abbey 620 has a Nordelectronnica panel which has to be switched on and the switches that I mentioned are under a front bench in a separate unit.
My Abbey 620 has a Nordelectronnica panel which has to be switched on and the switches that I mentioned are under a front bench in a separate unit.
I am not a seasoned caravanner, I am a first time user. The caravan is in storage now but we had it out at the weekend. Everything was fine on Friday when we reached our destination and hooked up to the mains.
On Saturday afternoon we had no hot water, the radio did not work and the console gave out a warning ( in blue ) " low battery ". Messed about with the settings but could not get it working. I am not the best when it comes to gadgetry and programs I must admit. It can only be something simple.
Parksy
Moderator
There are 2 separate electrical systems on modern touring caravans Thumbturn.
Some appliances run on 12 volt from the leisure battery such as some of the lights, the water pump, toilet flush and radio.
The onboard battery charger is 230v and the fridge, water heater and caravan heating run on 230v or lpg.
It looks as though the battery charger either wasn't switched on or it's not working.
Do you have a handbook with the caravan?
Some appliances run on 12 volt from the leisure battery such as some of the lights, the water pump, toilet flush and radio.
The onboard battery charger is 230v and the fridge, water heater and caravan heating run on 230v or lpg.
It looks as though the battery charger either wasn't switched on or it's not working.
Do you have a handbook with the caravan?
I do have a handbook but it is in the caravan in storage. I aim to get the book before the weekend and then I can go through it. Thanks for your help and assistance though. The fridge can run on battery, gas or mains. That much I do know.
The fridge will run on the car battery when towing, but will only keep the fridge cool if it is already cold
The fridge will only run on battery while you are towing, when on site only on mains or gas otherwise the battery would be quickly depleted.
The mains systems should always work when you are hooked up - sockets, water heater, fridge on mains, but as said above reliant on battery for the water pump, radio, lights etc which depends on the state of the battery and it being charged from the mains hook-up (and assuming any switch from 'CAR' to 'VAN' on the control panel is set) will charge from the car while towing..
Good luck with the handbook and getting to the bottom of things!
The mains systems should always work when you are hooked up - sockets, water heater, fridge on mains, but as said above reliant on battery for the water pump, radio, lights etc which depends on the state of the battery and it being charged from the mains hook-up (and assuming any switch from 'CAR' to 'VAN' on the control panel is set) will charge from the car while towing..
Good luck with the handbook and getting to the bottom of things!
A big THANKS to all the forum posters. I can see you are all quite knowledgable and willing to help out.
When I get the handbook and go through it I will keep you posted.
Have a great day.
That is not technically correct.
The fridge will cool down on 12V, it has roughly the same cooling power as mains or gas, but becasue 12V is only available to the fridge when the engine is running and producing excess power from the alternator, and that generally only happens when the caravan is being towed. In addition when it's towed the windage through the vents may detract from its cooling performance, but ultimately its the length of time a caravan is towed for is not a lot so there is not as much time for it to cool the fridge significantly.
One thing that caught me out, when on a Caravan and Motorhome site, I plugged the electric hook up in, but had no 230 volt supply. I had forgotten to turn the EHU plug 90 degrees to connect.
I don't know if the club sites are still like this as I haven't been on one for a long time.
I don't know if the club sites are still like this as I haven't been on one for a long time.
I've not been on a club site for many years - but I thought they were push to connect, twist to disconnect?
Mel
Moderator
We were on a site last August where some new bollards had just been installed. According to the owner the latest regs were that all new bollards had to have this extra twist mechanism. I guess it depends on when the bollard was installed or replaced but we will probably see them increasingly, albeit slowly.
Mel
Mel
One thing overlooked here.
To the OP there will be a mains box somewhere with two or three miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) which each have a switch that should be up for on. There will also be an overall safety device known as a Residual Current Device or RCD which protects you and also acts as the main switch. This also has a switch that should be up for on. If you want to find out if mains is coming into the van, there is a test button on the RCD which if you press should immediately make the RCD switch off. If it does not then for some reason you have no incoming mains on the EHU. RCDs and very occasionally MCBs can mechanically trip (as distinct from an electrical fault) due to vibration in transit.
If any MCB is down push it up and see what happens: if it will not stay up then whatever is connected to that MCB (they should be identified) has a fault. One MCB will be rated 10A or 16A (printed on the front) which will feed the 13A sockets and the heating/water system be it water or hot air: the other will be rated 6A and will feed the battery charger/12V power supply, the fridge and the microwave (if you have one) and any mains powered lights.
One final warning: Mains can kill. If you are unsure what is going on ask someone who does understand to have a look at it. That does not need to be a caravan tech - caravan electrics are relatively simple to any electrician, or ask someone else who is an experienced caravanner.
Good luck.
To the OP there will be a mains box somewhere with two or three miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) which each have a switch that should be up for on. There will also be an overall safety device known as a Residual Current Device or RCD which protects you and also acts as the main switch. This also has a switch that should be up for on. If you want to find out if mains is coming into the van, there is a test button on the RCD which if you press should immediately make the RCD switch off. If it does not then for some reason you have no incoming mains on the EHU. RCDs and very occasionally MCBs can mechanically trip (as distinct from an electrical fault) due to vibration in transit.
If any MCB is down push it up and see what happens: if it will not stay up then whatever is connected to that MCB (they should be identified) has a fault. One MCB will be rated 10A or 16A (printed on the front) which will feed the 13A sockets and the heating/water system be it water or hot air: the other will be rated 6A and will feed the battery charger/12V power supply, the fridge and the microwave (if you have one) and any mains powered lights.
One final warning: Mains can kill. If you are unsure what is going on ask someone who does understand to have a look at it. That does not need to be a caravan tech - caravan electrics are relatively simple to any electrician, or ask someone else who is an experienced caravanner.
Good luck.
Thanks to everyone who has suggested items to watch for. I had a guy look at the electrics today and the battery is only showing 8.4 volts. Seems like the charger is knackered. Its a Bonus PDU3 unit, has 6 plug ins at the rear, made in 2007. Does anyone know of a spares place or a reliable person to sort it out for me please. I can send it away for repair but 14 years old, it may be worth replacing. Any suggestions welcomed.
Try these they have an excellent reputation and have been used by forum members.
http://www.apuljackengineering.co.uk/product_repair.html
I would try a new battery first as a knackered battery could still bring the voltage down, how old is the battery? If its no good then even if its your charger thats faulty then you have eliminated halve the problem and you needed a new battery anyway!
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