Flashing Red & Amber Lights on Exsis i

[DrRogerRam]

Hi, on our 2012 Exsis i578 on the control panel the van battery light was green showing full charge, the first leisure battery the same. However, the second leisure battery (that also indicates the waste water level) was & still is flashing red with O% charge. I presumed the batteries had gone & our local Point S replaced them at my request - €419!

I found that the red light was still flashing & the mechanic checked both batteries & they were fully charged-beyond that they could only say they had replaced both batteries & they were fine.

On the electro block underneath the passenger seat there is an amber light flashing.

As you may have gathered I haven't a clue with electrics, don't have a voltmeter but could get one! Anyone have a clue? In UK I know exactly where to take it but no idea here. Does anyone have any idea what I could do in simple terms?

Intending to sell soon & want to make sure everything is OK.

Thanks,

Roger

 

[autorouter]

Do you have the Electroblock model number, and the control panel model number. For example EBL101 and DT201?

A multimeter is useful here. First, is the battery charged? (I know you said it was, but is it still charged or has a faulty connection flattened it). Set the meter to Volts. Put the meter probes on the actual battery terminals. I'd expect 12.5 to 13.0 volts if it's charged, and anything from 12.0 down to 10.8 if it's not charged.

Next, check the fuses. There will be a fuse near the battery. Possibly a pair of fuses, one big, one small. Check them both.

Switch the meter to 'Ohms', it may have a greek capital 'omega' symbol next to it. The Ohms range is commonly used to check that connections are good. It will show 'Overload' because there is very high resistance (air) between the probe tips. To test the meter, touch the probes together. The display should go from 'Overload' to a low number, ideally zero.
To check a fuse, first take it out and check it's not corroded.

Now put the probes on the fuse. For a good fuse, the display should go from 'Overload' to a low number, ideally zero. If it's blown, it will keep saying 'Overload'.

Then switch the meter back to Volts. It's easy to forget, and start measuring volts with the meter set on ohms. Volts is the safest setting.

 

[DrRogerRam]

Thanks so much. I don't have a multimeter - can you recommend a simple one? Flurries of snow here in the Gironde so it will be next week before I will start delving. However, I put the fan-heater on & discovered
1 it is an LT95 control panel
2 the electro block= LA51218-2

I have checked all the fuses & they are fine.

However, I wonder whether the flashing red light is due to the fresh water tank being empty & it is to warn not to turn on the heating since that would be dangerous without water! Easy way to check would be to add some water BUT courtyard water hose is frozen at the moment! Forecast tomorrow is 15C cloudy/sun.

Apologies for perhaps having wasted your time

 

[autorouter]

Sorry I'm not sure what the flashing red light means either. Maybe someone with this LT95 display will know. What's the point of a warning light, if it doesn't tell you what it's warning you about.

Could this LA51218-2 be an LAS1218-2? That's a mains charger made by Schaudt, the same people that do the Electroblock. I think the Electroblock itself is hidden away somewhere, and maybe you haven't discovered it yet. Could be under the seat or in a cupboard. Mine is in a cupboard by the driver, and you have to lift the base of the cupboard to see it. It'll be in the manual somewhere.

You say there is a second leisure battery. Is it charged separately by this LAS1218-2 charger?

There's an LAS1218 charger built into the Electroblock, and the LAS1218-2 is often used as a second charger if an extra battery is added. But usually it all goes through the Electroblock - the second battery is linked to the first, and the LAS1218-2 is plugged into the Electroblock.

For a multimeter, any cheap one will do what you need, measuring voltage and resistance (ohms). More expensive ones measure extra things like frequency and temperature, or have greater accuracy and precision. The automotive section of a hypermarket will probably have one, and certainly a big DIY store like Leroy Merlin will. But with bit of luck you won't need it.

 

[Speve]

We have an LT 95 F on 2015 Exsis 698 and the warning triangle light is for several things but yes it will flash when water is low also I think it flashes if your grey waste tank is full.have a read in your operators manual if you have one or I think you can download one online from Hymer.com
Ours only shows a leisure battery and vehicle battery and the two tanks irrespective as to how many leisure batteries you have fitted.

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[Jenben]

Roger

I think @Speve is right. We have an Exsis 578. I think you will find the LT 95 display will cycle through leisure battery, fresh water,waste water and then van battery when as you turn the control knob ( the appropriate symbol will light up in the van diagram on the panel). I don’t think it has a separate display for each leisure battery. I suspect it’s showing that your fresh water tank is empty with a red flashing triangle.

I assume the La51218 is actually your solar regulator (LRM1218?) not the electrobloc itself (probably an EBL29?) and the flashing amber light indicates you leisure battery is fully charged and it is now diverting charge to your van battery.

Hope this helps
Chris

 

[DrRogerRam]

Hi,
Thanks to all.

We have an EP Solarduo regulator for the panel. This has 2 red lights flashing-? full charge. The MeTer underneath shows battery 1 with an arrow down 14.9v, 2 has 14.8v & the panel 22.8 on a cloudy day this afternoon.
The LA51218-2 is the number on Schaudt unit underneath the passenger seat (LHD), with an amber light against Vol...?
According to the LT 95 display the 1st setting shows the leisure batteries fully charged (oops maybe did not need to be replaced), then freshwater tank flashing red (drained for winter) with (confusing for me) 0% on the battery indicator, then 0 for the waste, & finally full charge for the van battery.

According to my Weather app it should 16C by 4pm tomorrow when I will top up the fresh water & let you know what happens I suspect with some embarassment

 

[peterc10]

AFAIK the display only show the level of you cab battery and your habitation batteries together, they do not have a separate display for each habitation battery as they will be linked together to form one large battery. And the display is usually shown in terms of voltage, not percentage.

I suspect that what you are seeing is, as @Jenben has said, the display for the level of your fresh water tank. This will flash a red warning triangle if is empty, i.e. showing 0%.

 

[DrRogerRam]

Spot on- the batteries on the diagram of the motorhome have those at the back-full voltage & that at the front for the engine battery also full voltage. Being more carefull would have saved €419-sure anywhere in UK would have checked them I am sure, certainly my usual place. Oh well...there are advantages living here! France, c'est normale as we say .
Glad we are not in UK at the moment.

 

[DrRogerRam]

I have now part-filled the freshwater tank & lo & behold the flashing red light has stopped. Tank now drained since we still have occasional frosty nights.

So up for sale soon with plenty of pics-French reg only 7500 miles since new in 2012-£40K or €45K.

Thanks very much for all your hep,

Roger

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