Leisure battery

[gillianc21]

Hi there we have recently bought our first motorhome it is a Ducati Carioca 625 when connected via mains the led on the control panel doesn’t light up and the leisure batteries don’t charge,my husband has looked at the batteries and one didn’t look great but the other looks ok and is charging fine from a seperate charger when tested the main battery in the engine is charging fine as well as he has tested that is there anything else we should be doing to test it .Thanks

 

[68c]

Perhaps you could let us know the year if your van and perhaps a photo of your control panel and the general battery, electrics area. Someone brighter than me will be along soon.

 

[gillianc21]

It’s a 2004 model I will post photos of the panel thanks

 

[68c]

Bump.

 

[Lenny HB]

Could be the main fuse for the leisure battery blown it will probably be next to the battery.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[autorouter]

When you connect the mains hookup, you say the LED doesn't light, but do any of the 3-pin mains sockets work? That will show that the mains power is reaching that far. Or not.

Your control panel is an NE101C3, which means your electrics are Nordelettronica. There should be another box with 12V fuses and mains trip switches somewhere, possibly hidden in a locker or cupboard, anywhere really - even under a false floor in the wardrobe for example.

 

[PlacidoD]

"There should be another box with 12V fuses and mains trip switches somewhere, possibly hidden in a locker or cupboard, anywhere really - even under a false floor in the wardrobe for example...."

In my case the leisure battery is under the driver' seat and the fuses under the passenger seat but with OK access to change fuses from the front of that seat.

I suggest taking a photo before checking fuses. Not all fuse sockets may be occupied and there will be different amperage value to the fuses there. All to easy to lose track without care. (You would think that taking them out one at a time to check would be safe enough but then which of the three empty sockets is the right one to put it back in?!!!)

 

[gillianc21]

When you connect the mains hookup, you say the LED doesn't light, but do any of the 3-pin mains sockets work? That will show that the mains power is reaching that far. Or not.

Your control panel is an NE101C3, which means your electrics are Nordelettronica. There should be another box with 12V fuses and mains trip switches somewhere, possibly hidden in a locker or cupboard, anywhere really - even under a false floor in the wardrobe for example.

We have found this breaker in the cupboard,but only isolates the power supply when on mains supply the plug sockets and fridge is working when on mains supply,We have contacted previous owner who hasn’t experienced this before,happy to buy new batteries but fear that’s not the only problem as the mains power led isn’t illuminating when connected to mains,will have another look around for any other fuses have tested all the ones we have found so far but all tested fine .Thanks

 

[tonka]

I would not worry to much about the LED, on many control panels they can fail. In fact the one on mine does not light up, i'm just to lazy to bother to replace it.

Are you saying that you have 2 x leisure batteries ? "my husband has looked at the batteries and one didn’t look great but the other looks ok"
If that is the case maybe remove the dodgy looking one and run with a single leisure battery to see how that goes.
With used vans you never know what use / abuse the batteries have had so could be good to start with new ones.

 

[autorouter]

As you will have realised, it's hard to asses a battery just by looking at it. You need to get a multimeter on it and measure its voltage. A few voltage readings can tell you a lot.

A battery not being charged and with no load connected will settle to its 'resting voltage' after an hour or so. The resting voltage should be anything from about 12.7V (full) down to 12.0V (fairly flat). It can be lower if it's very flat.

When a fairly flat battery is being charged, the voltage goes up to over 13V quickly, then gradually rises over a few hours to about 14.4V. It then stays at about 14.4V for some time, until it's full. Then the charger drops the voltage to about 13.4V, which keeps the battery topped up without overcharging. When the charger is disconnected, the voltage of a full battery settles down to about 12.7V.

Using this information, you can easily find out if the mains charger is working, if the solar is working, and also if the alternator is charging the battery when the engine is running.

Any cheap multimeter from a DIY store will be fine for this. Are you OK using a multimeter for measuring voltages?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[autorouter]

We have found this breaker in the cupboard,but only isolates the power supply when on mains supply

Just for information, that breaker is a 16A RCBO. Notice the 'C16' and '0.03A' written on it. It has two functions. First, it trips if there is any leakage to earth, and that protects against electric shock. Secondly, it trips if the amps exceeds 16A, ie an overcurrent situation. There is a 'Test' button which you can press, and the switch should trip off immediately, if the mains is connected. If the mains isn't connected it shouldn't trip. In theory you should test it every few weeks, but I think few people actually do.

 

[gillianc21]

I would not worry to much about the LED, on many control panels they can fail. In fact the one on mine does not light up, i'm just to lazy to bother to replace it.

Are you saying that you have 2 x leisure batteries ? "my husband has looked at the batteries and one didn’t look great but the other looks ok"
If that is the case maybe remove the dodgy looking one and run with a single leisure battery to see how that goes.
With used vans you never know what use / abuse the batteries have had so could be good to start with new ones.

I have went and got 2 new leisure batteries today so he will fit them tonight and fingers crossed it solves the problems,just looking forward to getting away on our first trip

 

[gillianc21]

As you will have realised, it's hard to asses a battery just by looking at it. You need to get a multimeter on it and measure its voltage. A few voltage readings can tell you a lot.

A battery not being charged and with no load connected will settle to its 'resting voltage' after an hour or so. The resting voltage should be anything from about 12.7V (full) down to 12.0V (fairly flat). It can be lower if it's very flat.

When a fairly flat battery is being charged, the voltage goes up to over 13V quickly, then gradually rises over a few hours to about 14.4V. It then stays at about 14.4V for some time, until it's full. Then the charger drops the voltage to about 13.4V, which keeps the battery topped up without overcharging. When the charger is disconnected, the voltage of a full battery settles down to about 12.7V.

Using this information, you can easily find out if the mains charger is working, if the solar is working, and also if the alternator is charging the battery when the engine is running.

Any cheap multimeter from a DIY store will be fine for this. Are you OK using a multimeter for measuring voltages?

Yes he has tested them with his meter and they are decreasing very quickly so we have got 2 new ones today and he will try that tonight .Thanks