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Fitting and cable help please.


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I've just bought this split relay to give a charge from the Solar panel to both leisure and starter batteries.

 

Any advice on fitting, the instructions supplied are very basic, what size cable do I need between batteries and relay and do I need a fuse somewhere between batteries and relay?

 

It's on a 2013 Pilote MH

 

Any help appreciated

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Most of the later Pilote Motorhomes we have worked on recently have a Schaudt electronics power system? If that is what is installed in your Motorhome we would suggest you don't fit this device as the Elektroblock already has that functionality built in?

This type of 'Battery Master' is aimed at relatively crude Solar Installations with simple Electronics. In a more complex installation it will effectively be short circuiting the functionality of the primary Power Controller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The CBE CSB2 device was originally marketed for motorhomes that had no in-built capability to charge their starter-battery when the vehicle was connected to a 230V electrical hook-up.

 

The device is simply connected between the leisure-battery and starter-battery as shown in the diagram on the CSB2’s upper surface and passes a limited charge from the former to the latter when the voltage of the leisure-battery exceeds a certain voltage (13.6V ?)

 

It can be used in a solar-panel installation

 

http://www.shop.ilportaledelsole.com/Dual-Battery-charger-CBE

 

http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/182-electrical/35350-battery-master-v-cbe-csb-2-a.html

 

but there would be no point doing so if the motorhome already can charge the starter-battery. Given Allan’s warning, it would be sensible to confirm what capability the Pilote has.

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I've rung a Pilote dealer and it is a Schaudt unit fitted but the wiring needs altering to allow the leisure battery to charge the starter battery – only the leisure battery is being charged at the moment.

 

This, they tell me, will involve around 2 hours labour and maybe some parts will be also required.

 

At £65 +Vat per hour and any extra parts I could be looking at about a bill for £200 - this cost probably relates to buying a couple of starter batteries if the present one packed up.

 

Add on the two hour round trip to the Dealers, with me waiting for the work to be done, and suddenly having the work done just to save me running the engine for a short space of time on a regular basis hardly seems worthwhile.

 

Thank again for the info

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...since the CSB2 is designed to limit current flow to 4A under all circumstances, even lowish capacity thinwall automotive cables should be sufficient.

 

Since there is little saving to be made in paring back to the lowest requirement, I'd be inclined to use 32/0.20mm, 1mm2 , 16.5 amps thinwall which is easy to run, and well over-specified.

 

(the alternative is simply to match the pre-wiring on the unit).

 

As in all cases where the battery is being connected to, it would make sense to fuse at both live ends, close the the battery terminals, and you should get away with 7.5 amp continuous fusing (5 amp would probably be OK, but the protection is really against a short, for which 7.5 should be sufficient).

 

Edited to add:

 

I would be very surprised if your vehicle battery was not already charged from the on-board charger - as already mentioned above, my concern would be what would happen if you added this unit, and then were charging from hook-up.

 

 

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If your Schaudt unit does not at present have the functionality to charge your motorhome’s starter-battey, presumably Allan’s caveat will not apply.

 

The CBE device should do what you want and (if your Pilote dealer is correct) there ought not to be problems if you install it.

 

You asked about cable size. The maximum amperage that will be passed by the device will be 4A, but you’d need to allow for voltage-drop. This link

 

http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/cable-sizing-selection.html

 

includes a size-calculator into which voltage, amperage and cable-length data can be input. If in doubt err on the thick!

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Derek,

 

I suspect that a Schaudt installation will have the inbuilt capability to (trickle) charge the vehicle battery from the onboard charger as standard, but not the ability to charge the same from solar input unless certain steps have been taken.

 

Given the former, I would be very wary of fitting the CSB2 as (on hook-up at least) it will duplicate some of the inbuilt capability (with unpredictable results) and Alan has warned of this.

 

There are various safe ways that solar charging of the vehicle battery alongside the leisure batteries can be incorporated, but perhaps the simplest is by incorporation of the Schaudt solar regulator designed to add on to the Electroblock, and perform just that function.

 

The LR1218 (and now the more sophisticated LRM1218) is a plug fit to (most?) Electroblocks, and is a relatively easy and safe install (coming with all the connections one might need). No cabling to the batteries is required, as it uses existing connections.

 

Alan has championed this before, and indeed, I have installed one to my EBL99 for just the purposes defined in the OP.

 

The LR1218 cost me less than £70 delivered from Germany, and was a simple fit (though, if connecting to an existing pre-wired panel, some additional cable might be required).

 

Depending on the existing configuration and positioning, I would be inclined to take this route, rather than the CSB2 which might have odd results..

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Sorry to disagree with your Dealers assessment, but the migration to the correct Solar solution, as in one recommended by both the Pilote and Schaudt, is a simple one and not expensive, as detailed by RobinHood.

 

It is also the one that should have been installed by the company who fitted the Solar panel?

 

Most of the newer Schaudt Elektroblocks require a Data feed from the regulator as well as the Charging feed.

This Data feed provides data to the EBL on charging rate in order that the EBL can differentiate where the charge is coming from so it can display the data and calculate the other data required for operation.

Without this data input some Elektroblock's display inconsistent charge values and request connection to mains when it is not required. In some cases the EBL will shut down.

 

I am guessing you have either a Schaudt Elektroblock EBL 269 or EBL 226?

 

Depending on the model, Schaudt and Pilote both stipulate the correct Solar regulator otherwise the EBL may not perform correctly

 

If you look at the photo below of a post 2008 model Elektroblock you will notice the 3 pin Solar Charge connector, BL6 LR(S)..

This is the charge input for the Schaudt Regulator for CHARGING both the Habitation and Starter battery.

You will also notice BL10, a 4 pin DATA connector above it which takes the data from the Solar Regulator on charging voltage, amps, etc.

Most generic regulators do not have this data output, so not compatible with newer EBL units.

 

Suggest you go back to the Solar installer and get it installed as per both Pilote and Schaudt's recommendations.

Not just because it goes against Pilote's advice, but because in our experience there will be a whole load more things wrong.

See more info here : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/lr-1218.php and here : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/solar-power.php

 

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