Helping a friend, Elddis Sunseeker 195, flat batteries advice please. Winter drain down. Advice PLEASE.

[G-A-R-Y]

I'm going to help a friend who has a Elddis Sunseeker (2015), the van was laid up due to bereavement, both batteries are said to be flat. Although there is a solar panel (added) they say is never worked, when last connected to main "the needle" jumps up and down I've been told.

I'll remove both batteries and charge first to test. How should this van charge/does it charge only leisure on EHU, they said the engine battery always goes flat despite being renewed twice. Would it have a Truma combi or Aldi.

I'm confident with solar and leisure system but could do with advice on this vans systems please.

 

[Outdoors Dad]

If it was me I'd throw away the discharged batteries as will be degraded now and it's not worth the hassle to try and revive what's left of them. I would then check solar panel and replace fuse/check wiring/check terminals of solar with mult-meter.
Then I would fit new batteries enable solar to work and fit a trickle charge thingy from HAB to starter battery so both batteries benefit from solar. Give the van a good run out every fortnight job done......drain water from boiler it's going to be -1 tonight.

 

[starquake]

Exactly -> and make sure solar is working with a clamp meter or similar item that can check inbound current when sunny.

Ref; vehicle battery fit a batterymaster once you've fixed leisure charging.

Measure leisure battery discharge via a clamp meter (cheap on amazon) to make sure you don't have any rogue loads using lots of amps (should be near zero). The fact you have discharged batterys mean something probbaly wasn't off. Remove fuses and connected items one by one until the discharge item is known.

 

[GeoffnDee]

G-A-R-Y The heating/hot water should be a Whale system and I think you will find that the Motorhome built in charger only charges the leisure battery , on that Autoquest ? model.
If needed , to help with this , the owners handbook can be downloaded from the Elddis website. (support section)