Where are my 35 watts going ? (2 Viewers)

Oct 10, 2023
26
33
Valencia, Spain
Funster No
99,304
MH
Rapido 9648DF
Exp
Since 2007
I tried today to plug my EHU directly into my Ecoflow 700w battery. Everything worked great. I was surprised to see that my fridge pulled 200w when filling, so the Ecoflow would only power me for about 3 hours. Anyway, that just by-the-by.

Anyhow, with everything switched off, including my control panel, it was still shoving 34 watts into the motorhome. I checked that everything was unplugged, no lights, no 12v , nothing on at all.....so i don't understand that. The MH has recently been on EHU for a week outside my house so every battery should be full, plus its very very sunny and i have a 200w panel on the roof. The only thing that i can't turn off (don't know how) is my solar controller, but f that is being fed by solar, surely it can't be using 35 watts independently?

Any thoughts where my 35 watts are going ? I need every one i can get !
 

meanders

Funster - Life Member
LIFE MEMBER
Jun 28, 2008
2,648
8,613
Ipswich, Suffolk
Funster No
3,075
MH
C class
Exp
Since 2004
In probability order:

Battery still charging even though reporting topped up?

Calibration error on the meter?

Next door have hooked up to your van and using your power?

Hole under the battery box so the watts are falling through it? šŸ˜³
 
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Apr 9, 2018
8,699
45,074
Worcestershire
Funster No
53,271
MH
Bailey Adamo 75-4t
Exp
March 2018
In probability order:

Battery still charging even though reporting topped up?

Calibration error on the meter?

Next door have hooked up to your van and using your power?

Hole under the battery box so the watts are falling through it? šŸ˜³
Watts are lighter than air so probably boiling off the battery.šŸ¤”
 
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Sep 17, 2017
5,522
10,322
Birmingham, UK
Funster No
50,575
MH
A-Class
Exp
2017
Random light is on somewhere. Cooker is my favourite. But lockers sometimes have lights.

Or you have a battery master?

Or the head unit?
 
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Tombola

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 21, 2020
4,862
15,784
Merseyside
Funster No
78,053
MH
Rapido 8094DF
Exp
Since 2004
Drain to starter battery

12v switched on in van so USB lights, control panel draw etc etc.

Have u left the bathroom light on again.. ;)

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Lenny HB

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 18, 2007
53,673
150,885
On the coast in West Sussex
Funster No
658
MH
Hymer B678 DL
Exp
Since 2008 & many years tugging
The battery charger even if the batteries are charged will still take some current, 35 watts is only 146ma (0.146 amps) at mains voltage, I would have expected a much bigger draw from the charger than that.
 
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OP
OP
J
Oct 10, 2023
26
33
Valencia, Spain
Funster No
99,304
MH
Rapido 9648DF
Exp
Since 2007
Are you plugging the van into the 230v socket on the Ecoflow? You're probably losing a fair chunk of those watts just through it's own internal inverter.
yes, using the ecoflow as some kind of EHU. Good call. Ill try and plug something else into 230v the Ecoflow - of a known wattage - and see if it draws more than expected.
 
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May 7, 2016
7,290
11,784
West Sussex
Funster No
42,951
MH
Carthago Compactline
Exp
Since 2003
Are you plugging the van into the 230v socket on the Ecoflow? You're probably losing a fair chunk of those watts just through it's own internal inverter.
I agree, if the Ecoflow is outputting 230V it will be running an internal inverter and even if it is outputting 12V it will probably be running a converter because the battery is likely to be 25V not 12V.
 
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May 16, 2023
696
1,474
Funster No
95,993
MH
Bailey Alliance 66-2
I agree, if the Ecoflow is outputting 230V it will be running an internal inverter and even if it is outputting 12V it will probably be running a converter because the battery is likely to be 25V not 12V.
48V inside most ecoflow units (needed to support the faster charges they offer), and agree, it's probably the charger needing the mcb tripping.

On our ecoflow (delta2) we've measured inverter losses at ~ 10W, it uses about 20W to run the TV... but still worth using the Delta2 for that, as we can just plug the solar in and get > 30W in most cases, so the TV use is "free" watts.

The neat thing about the ecoflow (and the allpowers 288w one we have) is both support turning on/off the inverter remotely, so we can turn the inverter on/off using phone and turn the TV on/off after that...
 
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Clive Mott

Funster
Nov 12, 2012
284
468
New Milton
Funster No
23,657
MH
Concorde Charisma
Exp
Since 1972
Items I have seen previously taking electrical power discreetly include :-
Alarm system, many aftermarket systems are quite greedy.
A Tracker which is effectively a mobile phone with GPS running.
Reversing camera where the monitor in the cab has an ON OFF switch but the camera at the back is powered all the time.
Interior light in the wardrobe (Our Hymer has two)

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Jul 8, 2020
30
55
Funster No
72,779
MH
Don't yet own one
Exp
Newbie
My dashcam is quite capable of flattening our starter battery. Don't know what its power consumption actually is, but as originally set up by the installer, it only took about 10 days!
Fortunately I was able to change the settings of the thing so it shuts down at 12.4V rather than the much lower voltage originally set.
 
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Dec 23, 2018
87
67
Funster No
57,673
MH
Researching which type.
Exp
Future newbie from caravanning for 44 years
I tried today to plug my EHU directly into my Ecoflow 700w battery. Everything worked great. I was surprised to see that my fridge pulled 200w when filling, so the Ecoflow would only power me for about 3 hours. Anyway, that just by-the-by.

Anyhow, with everything switched off, including my control panel, it was still shoving 34 watts into the motorhome. I checked that everything was unplugged, no lights, no 12v , nothing on at all.....so i don't understand that. The MH has recently been on EHU for a week outside my house so every battery should be full, plus its very very sunny and i have a 200w panel on the roof. The only thing that i can't turn off (don't know how) is my solar controller, but f that is being fed by solar, surely it can't be using 35 watts independently?

Any thoughts where my 35 watts are going ? I need every one i can get !
Are the fresh and waste water tank heaters on for they are too easy to knock on in our vehicle.

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Dec 18, 2011
753
510
Hull
Funster No
19,200
MH
Autotrail 634
Exp
Since 2006
I tried today to plug my EHU directly into my Ecoflow 700w battery. Everything worked great. I was surprised to see that my fridge pulled 200w when filling, so the Ecoflow would only power me for about 3 hours. Anyway, that just by-the-by.

Anyhow, with everything switched off, including my control panel, it was still shoving 34 watts into the motorhome. I checked that everything was unplugged, no lights, no 12v , nothing on at all.....so i don't understand that. The MH has recently been on EHU for a week outside my house so every battery should be full, plus its very very sunny and i have a 200w panel on the roof. The only thing that i can't turn off (don't know how) is my solar controller, but f that is being fed by solar, surely it can't be using 35 watts independently?

Any thoughts where my 35 watts are going ? I need every one i can get !
Is it still pulling 35 watts when you unplug the motorhome from the power pack?
 
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