New Van owner need help. (22 Viewers)

[crafternewbie]

Hi,
Thanks for allowing me to join the forum. We have recently purchased a beautiful VW Crafter conversion.
There is a Sargent EC 155 installed in it but I think I may have blown something.
The power on button was lighting up no problem when I brought it home and everything was working as it should but I think I may have plugged the EHU in while it was still switched on. Now the EC155 doesn’t seem to be switchi On ( or at least the power button isn’t lighting up)
Obviously I’m worried the leisure batteries woo t be getting charged as I go.
Can someone help me please. This is our first van and I’m learning as I go!!

Thanks

 

[Richard n Ann]

I'm not familiar with anything Sargent, but can you test for power with a multimeter or better still clamp meter?

 

[Rob Hammond]

 

[suavecarve]

This couldnt be something as simple as turning the panel back on could it ?

And welcome.

 

[crafternewbie]

lol, tried that. And I wouldn’t have or know how to use a power meter.

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[Richard n Ann]

And I wouldn’t have or know how to use a power meter.

Now's the time to learn, it'll come in handy for years

 

[crafternewbie]

Yea I suppose you’re right there!

 

[Richard n Ann]

UNI-T DIGITAL UT210E 100Amp 600V AC DC CLAMP METER Multimeter True RMS VFC diode | eBay

1 Cloth Bag. 1 Gift Box.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[crafternewbie]

Could you recommend one!?

 

[Stonemags76]

https://sargent.zohodesk.eu/portal/api/kbArticles/82449000000785085/locale/en/attachments/0bzru0181e90dd824429a9259eb1727a49231/content?portalId=edbsn80847eb4d56f6232ed2f08ba8364db23c5b849d230b2253deebc7a153e9f8759&inline=true

Hope this helps!

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[Richard n Ann]

Could you recommend one!?

Yes the Uni-t one linked above. It's not the cheapest but it measures DC current through the clamp which is important for vans, and cars.

 

[Nanniemate]

Hi,
Thanks for allowing me to join the forum. We have recently purchased a beautiful VW Crafter conversion.
There is a Sargent EC 155 installed in it but I think I may have blown something.
The power on button was lighting up no problem when I brought it home and everything was working as it should but I think I may have plugged the EHU in while it was still switched on. Now the EC155 doesn’t seem to be switchi On ( or at least the power button isn’t lighting up)
Obviously I’m worried the leisure batteries woo t be getting charged as I go.
Can someone help me please. This is our first van and I’m learning as I go!!

Thanks

You have used up.your 5 free posts you need to.pay your subs it's the best £20 you'll spend as a newbie

 

[offagen]

There isn't a power on button on the EC155. It you mean the red illuminated button at top right of the unit, that's the battery charger button. It is only effective when on hook-up. i.e. it has no effect while driving. Sargent does say the the charger should be switched off while connecting and disconnecting ehu but, of course, this does happen occasionally and doesn't normally damage the Sargent unit.

If the Sargent EC51 display panel (often above the hab door) lights up, then it's likely that the EC155 is working OK. If the red charger switch on the EC155 will not now illuminate while on hook-up it might be a sign that the charger is damaged. One way to test if you have no test meter is to connect to ehu. Then, after dark, switch on all the lights in your motorhome. Wait a short while then switch on the charger button on the EC155. All the lights should brighten a little if the charger is working. If they don't brighten you may have a fault in the EC155, which will need the attention of a specialist auto electrician familiar with Sargent equipment.

 

[autorouter]

It's useful to know a couple of things about a battery. A battery that's not being charged and not under any load will settle to a 'resting voltage' after an hour or so. The resting voltage of a fairly flat battery is about 12.0V, and for a fully charged battery it's about 12.7V. There are charts available on the internet to show the percentage charge level depending on the voltage.

The other useful thing to know is if the battery voltage is 13.0V or higher, then something is charging it. For example when you plug in the mains EHU and the mains charger is working, the battery voltage will rise quickly to maybe 13.5V. It will continue to rise, up to about 14.5V, as the battery charges. When it is 100% full, the charger drops the voltage to about 13.5V.

So your can always tell if a charger is working or not, just by watching the battery voltage rise when it is switched on. So even just measuring voltage a couple of times can give you useful information.

You should see the same sort of voltage rise when you start the engine, and the alternator starts charging the starter battery and the leisure battery. I'd recommend the meter in Richard n Ann's link, it's the one I always have in the motorhome. But any cheap multimeter from a DIY store will be fine for voltage measurement, if you already have one or can easily borrow one.

 

[PlacidoD]

You can get that same meter on Amazon if you have Prime membership and want speedy delivery to be doing some checking.

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