Need help with low battery issue in Sunlight 601 panel van

MickyP

MickyP

Free Member
Joined
May 13, 2012
Posts
224
Likes collected
72
Location
Alhama de Murcia, Spain
Funster No
21,019
MH
Sunlight Cliff 601
Exp
12 years plus
I have a Sunlight 601 panel van.
Currently moving around Spain
My batteries keep getting low I'm driving about 100km each day. And every night my batteries drops into the orange. I have two 90/95 amp Gel Batteries and a 100 watt solar panel
Not on mains when battery drops.
Only item in use is fridge which is only battery operated and is left on min settings.
Any ideas ?
Can batteries be defective after 4yrs 3 months.
Tried a few Spanish MH workshops but they can't help for two weeks?
 
Last edited:
MickyP said:
I have a Sunlight 601 panel van.
Currently moving around Spain
My batteries keep getting low I'm driving about 100km each day. And every night my batteries drops into the orange. I have two 90/95 amp Gel Batteries and a 100 watt solar panel
Not on mains when battery drops.
Only item in use is fridge which is only battery operated and is left on min settings.
Any ideas ?
Can batteries be defective after 4yrs 3 months.
Tried a few Spanish MH workshops but they can't help for two weeks?
Click to expand...
Have you used the same setup before including the fridge with no problems? If so I'd switch the fridge off and check for any battery drain if there isn't any it sounds like the batteries are on their way out or maybe previously you started with them in a higher state of charge.
 
Does you van have a smart alternator and do you have a B2B?
Also when stationary 100 watts of solar is not enough to support a compressor fridge.

Gel batteries often last 10 years plus.
Don't normally get 90 or 95ah gel batteries are you sure they are not AGM? If they are AGM it's probably the batteries as they are not much good as leisure batteries.
 
I would be inclined to find somewhere with hookup and charge your batteries fully at least that will keep you going a bit longer until you can sort it out😊

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MickyP said:
I have a Sunlight 601 panel van.
Currently moving around Spain
My batteries keep getting low I'm driving about 100km each day. And every night my batteries drops into the orange. I have two 90/95 amp Gel Batteries and a 100 watt solar panel
Not on mains when battery drops.
Only item in use is fridge which is only battery operated and is left on min settings.
Any ideas ?
Can batteries be defective after 4yrs 3 months.
Tried a few Spanish MH workshops but they can't help for two weeks?
Click to expand...
Regular batteries are only good for half their capacity and if gone below about 10.5 v they're probably useless. Lithium is the answer... Half the weight, twice the available juice at high voltage until around only 5% left..... Costlier up front but last at least 10 years and cost much, much less per Ah over their lifetime. Oh and will take as much juice as you can provide via a B2B charger, solar or mains charger. NOT A DIRECT SWAP FOR LEAD ACID so get the right advice FIRST.
 
Lenny HB said:
Does you van have a smart alternator and do you have a B2B?
Also when stationary 100 watts of solar is not enough to support a compressor fridge.

Gel batteries often last 10 years plus.
Don't normally get 90 or 95ah gel batteries are you sure they are not AGM? If they are AGM it's probably the batteries as they are not much good as leisure batteries.
Click to expand...
Don't know if I have Smart Alternator van in standard ducato.
Need to check battery receipt fof type.
Also don't know what of if I have B2B.
If I can get bstteriesctested and they are on way out is it worth replacing 2 with 1 lithium, ?
Thanks for your reply
 
The Wino said:
Have you used the same setup before including the fridge with no problems? If so I'd switch the fridge off and check for any battery drain if there isn't any it sounds like the batteries are on their way out or maybe previously you started with them in a higher state of charge.
Click to expand...
Yes same set up.
 
If the van is Euro 6d it will have a smart alternator (from around late 2019).
If no B2B with a smart alternator leisure battery will get hardly any charge.

If keeping the van Lithium is a good option but you would probably need to fit new mains and solar charger, more solar and B2B if you don't have one.

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MickyP said:
Don't know if I have Smart Alternator van in standard ducato.
Need to check battery receipt fof type.
Also don't know what of if I have B2B.
If I can get bstteriesctested and they are on way out is it worth replacing 2 with 1 lithium, ?
Thanks for your reply
Click to expand...
Depends on year model.... Latest ones are smart. Max output is under 30A but still needs a Battery to Battery B2B to feed the Lithium. The Lithium will pull as much as it can get from a standard alternator and could well kill an unprotected alternator or worse cause a fire alternator. One 110 Ah Lithium Ion will weigh half the equivalent sized single lead battery but give the same juice as 2 X Lead batteries (for 25% of the weight). If you have the cash it's a no-brainer IMO. Also the voltage stays at max until almost flat and can be recharged without issue over and over and over etc. Most Lithiums still produce over 80% even after 10 years of constant recharging.
 
Lenny HB said:
If the van is Euro 6d it will have a smart alternator (from around late 2019).
If no B2B with a smart alternator leisure battery will get hardly any charge.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily so. Our 2021 Euro 6d Ducato van conversion has a standard alternator.

Convertors could specify them with or without smart alternators.
 
We turn our compressor fridge off overnight when not on ehu. 👍
 
MickyP said:
Maybe a good idea thanks.
Click to expand...
Depends what you keep in it! Can be a very unsafe thing to do as they warm up a lot more than you think when unpowered.

I would suggest a bad idea in fact.
 
MickyP said:
I have an Electroblock EBL 119 and 2 x AGM 95amp Batts a semiflex 100w Solar Panel and Sun control mppt 12v 20A.
Click to expand...
You said first off that your batteries were Gel. Suspect they are AGM, but if you are going down the lithium route, you’re EBL may need modification to match the full lithium charge requirements.
 
canopus said:
You said first off that your batteries were Gel. Suspect they are AGM, but if you are going down the lithium route, you’re EBL may need modification to match the full lithium charge requirements.
Click to expand...
They are AGM just checked and 4 yrs 3 mths old

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They’ve e had a good innings then, according several posts on here. Look at a Lithium alternative but as previously stated check your Electrobloc and alternator with regard to suitability.

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MickyP said:
I have a Sunlight 601 panel van.
Currently moving around Spain
My batteries keep getting low I'm driving about 100km each day. And every night my batteries drops into the orange. I have two 90/95 amp Gel Batteries and a 100 watt solar panel
Not on mains when battery drops.
Only item in use is fridge which is only battery operated and is left on min settings.
Any ideas ?
Can batteries be defective after 4yrs 3 months.
Tried a few Spanish MH workshops but they can't help for two weeks?
Click to expand...
Update: had batteries checked this morning at MH repair shop in Leon they are not dead but on way out. Workshop ordered two new batteries delivered in 20 mins. And are now being fitted. Very friendly and great service. Campervan Leon is the place.
 
MickyP said:
Update: had batteries checked this morning at MH repair shop in Leon they are not dead but on way out. Workshop ordered two new batteries delivered in 20 mins. And are now being fitted. Very friendly and great service. Campervan Leon is the place.
Click to expand...
I expect they will have done CCA test which is not relavant to a leisure battery but if the show up low on that they will be in a really poor state.
I hope you haven't gone for AGM's again.
 
When driving turn the fridge to its lowest setting when parked up not on EHU turn to its highest setting if you have space in the fridge when at a supermarket buy a bag of ice cubes. Each small effort will reduce the load on the batteries. Even 2 AGM’s and 100 watts of solar will struggle to maintain a compressor fridge for long on their own. If the beer and wine get too warm just drink them (when not driving of course)
 
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Lenny HB said:
I expect they will have done CCA test which is not relavant to a leisure battery but if the show up low on that they will be in a really poor state.
I hope you haven't gone for AGM's again.
Click to expand...
Don't know what test they did? But they said they will need replacing soon as wexare on a 6 week tour mainly off grid we replaced batteries like for like so yes AGM.
Our camper is being sold in the next two years to finance another project. If I was keeping it another 5 plus years then I probably would havd gone the Lithium route. Thanks for your input.

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Barti Ddu said:
Not necessarily so. Our 2021 Euro 6d Ducato van conversion has a standard alternator.

Convertors could specify them with or without smart alternators.
Click to expand...
That option should have stopped from September 2019 but there could have been old stock in the system from earlier orders.
 
Sadly MickyP there are a few issues with your set up. The AGM batteries are not suitable. The solar panel being flexible has a very short service life. You have insufficient solar to keep 2 batteries charged. The vehicle clearly has not got a B2B charger. All this combined means that you are lucky to see 3 days offgrid before needing a full recharge. Those 3 days will take the batteries down to a critically low state of charge, shortening their service life. Whoever specified that setup got it very wrong and it was guaranteed to fail early if not regularly plugged into mains to charge
 
Pausim said:
That option should have stopped from September 2019 but there could have been old stock in the system from earlier orders.
Click to expand...
Van was ordered in November 2020, left the Sevel factory in March 2021, was converted by Autotrail in June 2021, and registered as new by DVLA in the second week of July 2021. It's definitely a standard alternator. No shunt on the negative terminal, and one helpful funster was able to get me the exact spec including various options for the base vehicle from the the VIN plate using the Fiat UK computer system. This confirmed that a standard alternator was specified rather than a smart one. Probably a good thing in terms of compatibility with the basic Sargent charging system.
 
TheBig1 said:
Sadly MickyP there are a few issues with your set up. The AGM batteries are not suitable. The solar panel being flexible has a very short service life. You have insufficient solar to keep 2 batteries charged. The vehicle clearly has not got a B2B charger. All this combined means that you are lucky to see 3 days offgrid before needing a full recharge. Those 3 days will take the batteries down to a critically low state of charge, shortening their service life. Whoever specified that setup got it very wrong and it was guaranteed to fail early if not regularly plugged into mains to charge
Click to expand...
The ban came with the flexy 200w Solar panel and only 1 Lead acid battery. I had 2 AGM fitted after advice from this group 4 yrs ago. Hence 2 new AGMs. You say I need more solar? How many watts is more? The van was ok up till recently and 3 or 4 days it was OK.
 
MickyP said:
The ban came with the flexy 200w Solar panel and only 1 Lead acid battery. I had 2 AGM fitted after advice from this group 4 yrs ago. Hence 2 new AGMs. You say I need more solar? How many watts is more? The van was ok up till recently and 3 or 4 days it was OK.
Click to expand...
Initially you said 100watts of solar. As a rule of thumb you need a minimum of 100w per 100ah of batteries. AGM as a battery type does not work well for use as a leisure battery and you have done very well to squeeze 4 years out of them.

The main issue is not having a sufficient way to keep them charged whilst you use the van. The compressor fridge takes a lot of power to run properly

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