Ehu At Home

[Altinatom]

Hi everyone
Is it best to leave it connected all the time, or not, and if not why not?
Should I use a surge protector?
If yes, where can I buy a waterproof surge protector for use on sites?
TIA

 

[autorouter]

If the batteries are lead-acid-based (flooded, sealed, AGM, gel, carbon) then they need to be fully charged to 100% at least every week or two, otherwise they slowly degrade by sulfation. A modern multistage charger will fill up the batteries, then maintain them at 100% without overcharging. Provided the charging profile is correct for the type of battery.

If you have a multistage charger, you could leave it connected for months and it would be fine. Some people prefer to run the charger through a timer that comes on for a few hours every week. It depends on how confident you are in the battery charger's programming. At home I leave the Hymer connected all the time, but it rarely gets a rest for more than a couple of weeks anyway.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you have solar with a decent solar controller that charges the leisure battery & keeps the starter battery topped you may not need to plug in.
I never plug my van in at home.

 

[Altinatom]

If the batteries are lead-acid-based (flooded, sealed, AGM, gel, carbon) then they need to be fully charged to 100% at least every week or two, otherwise they slowly degrade by sulfation. A modern multistage charger will fill up the batteries, then maintain them at 100% without overcharging. Provided the charging profile is correct for the type of battery.

If you have a multistage charger, you could leave it connected for months and it would be fine. Some people prefer to run the charger through a timer that comes on for a few hours every week. It depends on how confident you are in the battery charger's programming. At home I leave the Hymer connected all the time, but it rarely gets a rest for more than a couple of weeks anyway.

Thanks. I use a multistage charger on my classic car, but I assumed a MH would not need one - I thought it would have one built in as that is what it needs.

 

[autorouter]

Should I use a surge protector?
If yes, where can I buy a waterproof surge protector for use on sites?

A surge protector will protect against a 'slow' surge of voltage, that lasts for seconds or minutes, caused by a fault in the transmission line or at the substation. A spike protector protects against rapid spikes of overvoltage that last for milliseconds caused by lightning strikes and switching instabilities. The protection methods are different, and you can get different devices for each. You can get devices that protect against both surges and spikes, but best to read the small print to make sure.

Surges are rare in Europe, spikes are rare in the UK but common in parts of Europe, such as the Alps.

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[Altinatom]

If you have solar with a decent solar controller that charges the leisure battery & keeps the starter battery topped you may not need to plug in.
I never plug my van in at home.

Thanks. That's interesting. I have a solar panel, so I will see how it goes.

 

[autorouter]

I thought it would have one built in as that is what it needs.

Probably has. Look for the cryptic marking 'IUoU' on the charger label or in the manual, that means it's a 3-stage charger.

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks. That's interesting. I have a solar panel, so I will see how it goes.

What size & does it keep the starter battery topped up?

 

[Altinatom]

A surge protector will protect against a 'slow' surge of voltage, that lasts for seconds or minutes, caused by a fault in the transmission line or at the substation. A spike protector protects against rapid spikes of overvoltage that last for milliseconds caused by lightning strikes and switching instabilities. The protection methods are different, and you can get different devices for each. You can get devices that protect against both surges and spikes, but best to read the small print to make sure.

Surges are rare in Europe, spikes are rare in the UK but common in parts of Europe, such as the Alps.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. I will do some research.

 

[Altinatom]

Probably has. Look for the cryptic marking 'IUoU' on the charger label or in the manual, that means it's a 3-stage charger.

Thanks. Will do.

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[Altinatom]

What size & does it keep the starter battery topped up?

I don't know as it was fitted by the previous owner. I will investigate.

 

[Andy from Sandy]

Hi everyone
Is it best to leave it connected all the time, or not, and if not why not?
Should I use a surge protector?
If yes, where can I buy a waterproof surge protector for use on sites?
TIA

If you have lead acid Leisure batteries (not Lithium Ion) and the battery charger is the built-in one that came with the van then the only time it MAY be beneficial to leave on EHU permanently is during the winter months. The downside of leaving batteries on charge for weeks/months at a time using the standard chargers built into motorhomes is that they are not high-spec units so when the batteries are fully charged the charger profile only reduces the voltage to Float level, while the more expensive chargers like the Victron Energy range have an additional level called Storage, which switches on after it has been in Float mode for a while. This gives a lower voltage than Float and is, therefore, kinder to your battery's health. It has a 7-step charging algorithm. I was using this one in my motorhome https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip67-charger-waterproof instead of the simple built-in one. Due to upgrading to Lithium Ion batteries and a Victron Energy EasySolar (inverter/charger) I will be selling it if anybody is interested.

If you have a solar panel, that MAY be enough to keep the leisure batteries reasonably topped up during winter, although you should plug in the EHU to fully charge the batteries before going out camping or if you are not using the van for a long time and there is no sun.

As for surge protectors, they should not really be needed unless your home electric supply or campsite is prone to voltage spikes. You could always unplug the EHU during thunderstorms to be safer. It wouldn't do any harm to fit a domestic type surge protector strip such as <Broken link removed> to one of the 13amp sockets inside your motorhome. It will protect anything plugged into it and to a lesser extent, other equipment plugged into your other sockets around the motorhome. To maximise its coverage around the motorhome, it should be plugged into the 13amp socket nearest the mains inlet.

 

[Altinatom]

If you have lead acid Leisure batteries (not Lithium Ion) and the battery charger is the built-in one that came with the van then the only time it MAY be beneficial to leave on EHU permanently is during the winter months. The downside of leaving batteries on charge for weeks/months at a time using the standard chargers built into motorhomes is that they are not high-spec units so when the batteries are fully charged the charger profile only reduces the voltage to Float level, while the more expensive chargers like the Victron Energy range have an additional level called Storage, which switches on after it has been in Float mode for a while. This gives a lower voltage than Float and is, therefore, kinder to your battery's health. It has a 7-step charging algorithm. I was using this one in my motorhome https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip67-charger-waterproof instead of the simple built-in one. Due to upgrading to Lithium Ion batteries and a Victron Energy EasySolar (inverter/charger) I will be selling it if anybody is interested.

If you have a solar panel, that MAY be enough to keep the leisure batteries reasonably topped up during winter, although you should plug in the EHU to fully charge the batteries before going out camping or if you are not using the van for a long time and there is no sun.

As for surge protectors, they should not really be needed unless your home electric supply or campsite is prone to voltage spikes. You could always unplug the EHU during thunderstorms to be safer. It wouldn't do any harm to fit a domestic type surge protector strip such as <Broken link removed> to one of the 13amp sockets inside your motorhome. It will protect anything plugged into it and to a lesser extent, other equipment plugged into your other sockets around the motorhome. To maximise its coverage around the motorhome, it should be plugged into the 13amp socket nearest the mains inlet.

Thanks. I'm familiar with the surge protection strips and use them at home to protect PC's. I was thinking that 1 surge protector plug, if there is such a thing, would protect the whole MH electrical installation, including the appliance pcb's. Does it not / can it not work like that?

 

[LesW]

I keep ours connected to the mains at home all the time, however we have solar on the van so do not use the on board charger, even in the winter... the Battery Master keeps both Lead Acid leisure and starter battery fully charged all the time.

It's convenient having 240v when I need it in the moho, using power tools, using the fridge/freezer and heating up the boiler water etc..

 

[Altinatom]

I keep ours connected to the mains at home all the time, however we have solar on the van so do not use the on board charger, even in the winter... the Battery Master keeps both Lead Acid leisure and starter battery fully charged all the time.

It's convenient having 240v when I need it in the moho, using power tools, using the fridge/freezer and heating up the boiler water etc..

Thanks. The sales / technical info online on the Battery Master is very interesting.

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[gerry mcg]

If you have solar with a decent solar controller that charges the leisure battery & keeps the starter battery topped you may not need to plug in.
I never plug my van in at home.

Solar keeps my battery topped up at home on the driveway too.
I only need to plug in if I've left the compressor fridge on in the winter and the weather has been lousy for a week or more.
With 200Ah lithium and a 50A B2B, I don't need to have a long drive somewhere to have the battery topped up

 

[bigwood]

I used to leave ours plugged in during the winter but having changed the leisure batteries and solar controller this spring I will see iff I can manage without plugging in.
The hook up socket is against the hedge so plugging in involves shuffling about so it would be easier. Also its one less thing to do when we are getting ready for off.