Do solar panels on modern Burstners charge only the hab battery?

[Essgeebee]

My 2021 Burstner has been parked without EHU for almost three weeks. I check the batteries about twice a week using the vehicle’s control panel. The hab battery remains fully charged but the starter battery has dropped gradually to 12.2v.
The last time it was parked for a while the same happened. There’s been plenty of light for the solar panel.
Does the panel charge only the hab battery I wonder? If so, is that normal? I worry that I might not be able to start it after a longish layover.

 

[Tombola]

We were excited to know our new Citroen/Pilote motorhome had a solar panel which was really 'hyped up' by the dealer in his sales pitch, claiming it would give us two days of power 'off grid' only to learn that it's next to useless and all it does is trickle charge the leisure battery when the vehicle is stationary. Of course this may be a very helpful source of energy at some point, should any problems occur with hook ups. Every day is a 'school day' though no amount of pre purchase research can ever cover all eventualities. Love our motorhome and what it does for us regardless. Hope you find a soloution.

depends on what size panel it is and what controller or batteries you have really.
Do you know what you have, we can advise

 

[Stealaway]

Whether you connect your solar at the battery or connect it where the batteries terminate on the Electroblok it’s the same thing. I’m just suggesting you don’t need to find a route for a cable from your solar controller to your engine battery. The cable is already there just use it.

The Electroblok would be just as torturous to get to as the starter battery. The leisure batteries and controller are under the cab seats behind the drivers seat. The Electroblok is under the passenger seat.

 

[Rodneyplonker]

My last van was a 2020 Lyseo TD 680g auto and I had the same problem. I took it back to the dealer and they said everything was ok. What I did find out is that, on my van there was a Shaudt booster hidden behind the EBL under the passenger seat which you cannot see unless you unscrew the back panel behind the seat. I emailed Udo Lang at Shaudt and he told me to take a wire from the Shaudt Solar controller to the outlet at the back of the EBL directly.
I have to declare that none of this made any difference! The only thing I can tell you is that, the voltage never dropped below 12.2 and I never got a flat engine battery - despite being parked up throughout COVID.
Unfortunately, we had to sell the van with less than 1k on the clock due to my wife becoming ill and no chance of an op for (as it transpired) exactly two years... despite the consultant saying it was urgent...She had it done this September.
I have stayed in touch with the couple who purchased it and they have had no problems.
i eventually came to the conclusion that the alarm was possibly causing some drain?
hope that helps?

 

[Tombola]

I emailed Udo Lang at Shaudt and he told me to take a wire from the Shaudt Solar controller to the outlet at the back of the EBL directly.

maybe this is a pre installed type of battery master device that keeps it topped up ??

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[Rodneyplonker]

maybe this is a pre installed type of battery master device that keeps it topped up ??

Yes. I mentioned it because, being a similar van it may have the same setup. Several commenters suggested he fitted a booster which, if he already had one, would have been pointless.
I wasn't implying that it was solution for a van that was parked up for long periods.

 

[Essgeebee]

Battery master for my Burstner. No problems everything just keeps topped up by solar. Connect straight into EBL.

The pic you posted is really helpful and suggests even a tech numpty like me could wire it up. The wire colours you connected don’t correspond with the colour labels in German on the EBL - does that matter?

 

[Beekeeper]

I had a Burstner Elegance 710. It came with a factory fitted solar panel. Having been to the factory on an owners club visit I can tell you they are not fitted in the factory , but in covered areas outside , by contractors. They fit an after market unit directly to the leisure batteries. Mine had been corrected with opposite polarity so after two days off grid I had a depleted battery. On reversing leads it luckily worked ok. I subsequently fitted another panel , and after some research that the electrobloc manufacturer Schaut make an add on unit with all lead options for different units to feed the solar into the panel directly. You then will charge all three on board batteries and you panel with compute the power in and out. Also a little sun shows on the panel when the solar is working. You need the engineers PIN to switch this on in the display. Obtainable on the internet. All this genuine tackle for just the £80 I paid for it. Magic! Do not know why Busrtner did not fit this. I bought the unit from a company near Kielder Water who specialise in off grid. They had a name like Wind and Sun. Hope this helps

 

[Beekeeper]

Just done a search and found the unit is a Schaudt LRS1214 and has already been discussed on Motorhome Fun. Really easy to fit. The leads from the solar panel to regulator and batteries actually ran past the Electrobloc unit. Took less than an hour to fit. Almost plug and play.

 

[Rodneyplonker]

yes, that is the controller I had on my van which Udo Lang advised me to take an additional link from it to the back of the EBL... A sort of doubling up, as it were. However, as mentioned, it made no difference to the cab battery dropping to 12.2. That was the case with my setup, anyway.

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[mitzimad]

We were excited to know our new Citroen/Pilote motorhome had a solar panel which was really 'hyped up' by the dealer in his sales pitch, claiming it would give us two days of power 'off grid' only to learn that it's next to useless and all it does is trickle charge the leisure battery when the vehicle is stationary. Of course this may be a very helpful source of energy at some point, should any problems occur with hook ups. Every day is a 'school day' though no amount of pre purchase research can ever cover all eventualities. Love our motorhome and what it does for us regardless. Hope you find a soloution.

solar will work all the time if yours isnt charging the leisure batteries either theres some thing wrong or your drawing more than it produces

 

[GeoffnDee]

The pic you posted is really helpful and suggests even a tech numpty like me could wire it up. The wire colours you connected don’t correspond with the colour labels in German on the EBL - does that matter?

The photo that Whizzo has put on is correct (for a vanbitz battery master) with the battery master red wire going to the leisure battery connection (shown as rear battery on van diagram) and the battery master brown wire going to the engine battery connection ( shown as front battery on van diagram) with the black wire from the battery master going to the negative connection (in the centre of the other two)

 

[Essgeebee]

Battery master for my Burstner. No problems everything just keeps topped up by solar. Connect straight into EBL.

Am I right in assuming the three connectors in your pic are at the back of the electroblock under the passenger seat? If so, is it difficult to get to them? Any tips appreciated.

 

[stuartforrest]

I have ordered my battery master. Thanks for the suggestion on here. I am sure this is the answer to my problem of an occasional flat battery.
My motorhome has an EBL220-2 fitted. Can anyone tell me where I should wire this so I dont have to run wires between my two batteries.

 

[GeoffnDee]

I have ordered my battery master. Thanks for the suggestion on here. I am sure this is the answer to my problem of an occasional flat battery.
My motorhome has an EBL220-2 fitted. Can anyone tell me where I should wire this so I dont have to run wires between my two batteries.

stuartforrest The battery connections to the EBL from both the cab and hab batteries can be found on the rear of your EBL and these could be used.

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[Nuno Gomes]

I have ordered my battery master. Thanks for the suggestion on here. I am sure this is the answer to my problem of an occasional flat battery.
My motorhome has an EBL220-2 fitted. Can anyone tell me where I should wire this so I dont have to run wires between my two batteries.

Am I right in assuming the three connectors in your pic are at the back of the electroblock under the passenger seat? If so, is it difficult to get to them? Any tips appreciated.

just taken mine off in preparation for the battery maintainer which I too have ordered (another miffed Burstner owner). You need to take the rear grill off from the passenger seat if it’s the same as mine. Pic 1 shows it in situ with 2 visible tabs at the top on both ends. You need to lift the grill from the bottom which was only secured there with adhesive pads then using a bladed screwdriver lift each of the 2 top tabs up whilst pulling back from the side. Came away very easily. Pic 2 shows the cover out, pic 3 sows the tab from the back and pic 4 the exposed EBL (mines the 119) with the battery terminals shown on the right. Hope this helps.

 

[stuartforrest]

Awesome thanks. I am going to have to take the passenger seat out I reckon as you cant get easily to the back of it but it will be worth it!

 

[Essgeebee]

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That’s really been helpful. I’ve taken my back panel off - slightly different technique as there’s a guard plate screwed to the floor around the base. But it all came away and I can see the connectors for the battery master. Bit fiddly to get to the screws but I reckon it’s doable. I’ll order a battery master and do it myself. This thread has saved me about £60 on installation charge and a fair bit on diesel going to a specialist. Thanks Funsters.

 

[stuartforrest]

I had mine in an auto electrician trying to solve why we get a flat battery. Even bought a new battery and it made no difference.

I have had two bits of brilliant advice off here and only been a member for a short while. Thanks everyone.

 

[VXman]

I didn't have a solar panel on my Burstner Lyseo 727 from the factory. I had one fitted later but requested it to just connect directly to the leisure batteries.

I really don't find not having solar to the starter battery a problem. A decent battery should be able to take a few weeks, maybe a month or more without use. If it was going to be standing for longer I'd just disconnect the starter battery completely, just as I do with my cars when in storage.

When parked up at home over the winter I will plug it into the mains occasionally as this does deliver a trickle charge to the starter via the electroblock.

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[stuartforrest]

I didn't have a solar panel on my Burstner Lyseo 727 from the factory. I had one fitted later but requested it to just connect directly to the leisure batteries.

I really don't find not having solar to the starter battery a problem. A decent battery should be able to take a few weeks, maybe a month or more without use. If it was going to be standing for longer I'd just disconnect the starter battery completely, just as I do with my cars when in storage.

When parked up at home over the winter I will plug it into the mains occasionally as this does deliver a trickle charge to the starter via the electroblock.

Not being obnoxious but I don’t see the point of that comment. Surely it’s a thread for people who have the problem which is numerous. You are right for sure if you use it plenty the problem does t exist. When we used ours kids in the summer it was fine. Tbh I don’t see the point of my comment either

 

[VXman]

Not being obnoxious but I don’t see the point of that comment. Surely it’s a thread for people who have the problem which is numerous. You are right for sure if you use it plenty the problem does t exist. When we used ours kids in the summer it was fine. Tbh I don’t see the point of my comment either

Just giving a different viewpoint, widening the conversation, educating. Someone might learn something they didn't know. Perfectly possible to scroll on by. tbh, I scroll pasts dozens of pointless posts everyday.

 

[stuartforrest]

Forgive my intolerance but I am a member of of a number of forums, Tesla and a sailing one and there are always people dismissing other peoples problems or concerns and I just don’t see the point of that. You are dead right of course that you wouldn’t have the problem but then again I doubt you would be looking for resolution if you didnt have the issue. Tbh your post and mine are just noise that distract from people reading the solution so I will shut up now

 

[Essgeebee]

I didn't have a solar panel on my Burstner Lyseo 727 from the factory. I had one fitted later but requested it to just connect directly to the leisure batteries.

I really don't find not having solar to the starter battery a problem. A decent battery should be able to take a few weeks, maybe a month or more without use. If it was going to be standing for longer I'd just disconnect the starter battery completely, just as I do with my cars when in storage.

When parked up at home over the winter I will plug it into the mains occasionally as this does deliver a trickle charge to the starter via the electroblock.

As the OP, who changed my Autotrail for a newer and more expensive Burstner recently, I was surprised that my Autotrail had a comprehensive battery management system that keeps both charged automatically, depending on what you set it to do. No such option with Burstner and I was noticing my starter battery got quite low in just a few weeks of lay-up. Not ideal if you have it at remote storage with no mains and inconvenient even though I keep mine at home.

 

[Nuno Gomes]

I had mine in an auto electrician trying to solve why we get a flat battery. Even bought a new battery and it made no difference.

I have had two bits of brilliant advice off here and only been a member for a short while. Thanks everyone.

Not being obnoxious but I don’t see the point of that comment. Surely it’s a thread for people who have the problem which is numerous. You are right for sure if you use it plenty the problem does t exist. When we used ours kids in the summer it was fine. Tbh I don’t see the point of my comment either

Just be thankful of the wonder of the internet! My ‘knowledge’ is only gleaned from this wonderful resource that we are now blessed with.

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[Essgeebee]

Did I see somewhere that I can order a van it’s battery master through this forum?

 

[Nuno Gomes]

Did I see somewhere that I can order a van it’s battery master through this forum?

MotorhomeFun Shop

Official Motorhome Fun Shop

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Third item. Hope there are some left as I supect this thread has made a run on them!

 

[Whizzo]

Am I right in assuming the three connectors in your pic are at the back of the electroblock under the passenger seat? If so, is it difficult to get to them? Any tips appreciated.

Yes they are. I think I lowered the front flap and unclipped the tie wraps on the heater pipes and then slid the tray out. Then slid the seat forward and made connections through the back.

It was a while ago. Was a little tricky but not too bad.

 

[Essgeebee]

Yes they are. I think I lowered the front flap and unclipped the tie wraps on the heater pipes and then slid the tray out. Then slid the seat forward and made connections through the back.

It was a while ago. Was a little tricky but not too bad.

I had a go over a week ago. Whatever way you approach it is tricky - I chose, following another post, to remove the metal plate and plastic vent guard behind the passenger seat. That exposed the battery connection block. It was a fiddly job making the connections but I did it. After all the fiddle and faff, I have yet to see the gratifying red light on the battery master indicating charge is flowing to the engine battery, even on hookup.

 

[Captain Birdseye]

Yep .
Burstner solar panels are a cheap and cheerful solution for keeping the leisure battery charged while they are on the dealer's sales pitch.
But fitting a dual battery solar controller and particularly finding a route to the starter battery is a challenge.

An SMPT charger will not take an auto electrician long to fit, with the main output to the habitation batttery and the second output to the engine battery (which has the load of the alarm system and tracker). As soo as habitation battery is full the solar output goes to the engine battery.

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[Medicalteam1]

My 2021 Burstner has been parked without EHU for almost three weeks. I check the batteries about twice a week using the vehicle’s control panel. The hab battery remains fully charged but the starter battery has dropped gradually to 12.2v.
The last time it was parked for a while the same happened. There’s been plenty of light for the solar panel.
Does the panel charge only the hab battery I wonder? If so, is that normal? I worry that I might not be able to start it after a longish layover.

My 2021 Burstner has been parked without EHU for almost three weeks. I check the batteries about twice a week using the vehicle’s control panel. The hab battery remains fully charged but the starter battery has dropped gradually to 12.2v.
The last time it was parked for a while the same happened. There’s been plenty of light for the solar panel.
Does the panel charge only the hab battery I wonder? If so, is that normal? I worry that I might not be able to start it after a longish layover.

Get a van biz battery master and get a professional to fit it. I did just that also had a new battery as it was starting to fail

We did not visit our van during all the covid lock down as it was in storage. As soon as restrictions were lifted we book a site and along with Henry dog drove up to the storage loaded Bertie Burstner put key in ignition and he started straight away so the battery master does work and for a small out lay one worry is no longer on my mind .