Leisure Battery

[Crampy]

With Site mains plugged in and Solar Panel working, my 12v Television warned me that the battery was discharged and was switching off!
Should the mains supply charge the Leisure battery?

 

[mikebeaches]

With Site mains plugged in and Solar Panel working, my 12v Television warned me that the battery was discharged and was switching off!
Should the mains supply charge the Leisure battery?

Yes, I should have thought so - always has on our three vans.

Two out of the three, the hook-up also charged the cab battery too.

 

[Crampy]

I confirmed the mains supply was coming into the van before I switched all off to stop the discharged.
I noticed that the Leisure battery was showing less than 12v. I then started the engine and the Leisure battery immediately indicated more than 12v. It seems starting the engine re kick-started the charging process somehow!

 

[MikeD]

Is the charger switched on?

Solar might not supply enough charge with the overcast days lately.

I don't know what they fit on your van but the big red switch does it on this one

 

[Crampy]

I don't have a separate charger. I assume that the Leisure battery is automatically charged when I plug-in the Site supply. The attached is the Van panel...very strange that the Main battery is less than the Leisure battery!! 10.7v whilst the Leisure battery shows 13.1v

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[autorouter]

In a situation like this, don't believe the panel display voltages unless you've checked them with a meter on the battery terminals. For example, if the fuse in the wire from leisure battery to charger has blown, the panel might be displaying the charger output voltage instead of the actual battery voltage.

Is this a fault that's recently developed, or is this MH new to you, so you might have some switches or connections set wrong?

 

[Richard n Ann]

Looks like your van charger is switched off or tripped and the displays are the wrong way round on the panel.

 

[TerryL]

Unless it's a self-build where a charger has not been fitted you WILL have a charger - somewhere. It's what powers all the 12v stuff, even if there is no battery there.

I presume that all other 12v is working okay? If that's the case the TV should be too so, question, how is the TV actually powered? Is it, perhaps, an inverter that's providing 240v, on the basis that some older TV's don't run on 12v? Our inverter starts complaining if the battery voltage starts getting low.

I know on our van that the TV (12v) is the first thing to "fail" if the battery level gets down so if the charger wasn't working you may still get most of the other stuff, either from the solar panel or whatever the leisure battery has left. TV's can be quite energy hungry!

I'm thinking as I go along here, trying to imagine different scenarios, but my money is still on the charger not functioning, either switched off or failed.

Or has someone been messing about with the electrics (from post above).

 

[Crampy]

Thank you all for the fantastic response. It is now fixed and the culprit was, as was suggested by you, that charger was switched off. I didn't even know I had the ability to switch it on or off. The switch was under the drivers seat in front of the vehicle battery and wasn't marked in any way. I now have a device that plugs into a 12v socket with a voltmeter gauge included. I can now see if the leisure battery starts to discharge and check this switch. Thank you again.

 

[MikeD]

I am pleased it is now sorted out

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[pappajohn]

I don't have a separate charger

Yes you do.... The battery couldn't be charged without one.
It may be part of the control panel.
Starting the engine will activate the spilt charge but won't have any bearing on the mains charger.