Electrical Problem with the Sargent EC200 - PSU2007 charger

[kevandali]

Hi All, where to start......

Was using the hoover that was plugged into the camper which was in turn plugged into the house mains. The hoover suddenly stopped working.

I checked that I had power and I had power up to the breaker that is just before the main charger. I have checked all the fuses and all are ok.

I have noticed that when I plug my tester into the plug socket it shows one light saying live and earth reversed, also there is a red light on the charger that is lit that says reverse polarity.

I have checked the incoming lead with my tester and there is no problem with the live, neutral and earth leads, they all match up and I have a circuit straight through as it should be.

The only other difference is that before, the charger came on when the switch was pressed, now it does not illuminate or work.

The charger itself is sealed (riveted together)so I am unsure of what else I can check before calling out an electrician.

As always, thanks for any advice, I have added two photos of what is happening.

Cheers

Kev

[Keithl]

Try phoning Sargent electrical for advice.

 

Keith.

[Harvey]

This is a link to the Sargent user manual. It has a checklist for 'reverse polarity light on'.

 

http://www.sargentltd.co.uk/PSU_2007_User_Instructions.pdf

 

Resetting RCD / MCBs may be worth trying.

 

Harvey

[kevandali]

I have phoned Sargent and they have informed me that the PSU unit would have to be removed from the van and sent away.

Has anyone had this sort of problem before?

There is one on ebay for £70, if they are easy to swap over then that may be an option?

[Harvey]

Did they quote a price for repair when you spoke to them? Their website has repair costs quoted and I think that it is about £75 for the power supply plus postage / courier costs I think.

 

Harvey

[Alanb]

Have you tried Harvey's suggestion of resetting the circuit breakers? In particular the RCD as it is a two pole device.

 

I am not familiar with the PSU 2007, but I have studied the instructions and looked at the posted photographs. It seems to be a combined mains distribution board, 12V distribution board and battery charger.

 

I surmise that the incorporated reverse polarity indicator, is a neon connected from the charger 240V neutral supply to earth. If the neutral to the charger is faulty this indicator could be enrgised via the charger to earth.

 

I have never managed to deduce the internal connections of the type W4 socket tester illustrated,

but I feel that it must be giving a false indication. Does it go out when the PSU 2007 is switched OFF?

 

I would suggest that there could be an open circuit neutral connection, either in or immediately before the PSU 2007.

 

I am surprised that the unit is rivetted together. The normal requirement for access to 240V live enclosures is to require the use of a tool, e.g. a screwdriver. Further the use of pop rivets could result in the head of the mandrel coming loose inside the enclosure, this is not good!

 

Perhaps the two silver circles that I can see on the cover in the photograph, are screws allowing removal of the cover.

 

UNPLUG FROM MAINS SUPPLY BEFORE PROCEEDING, ALSO GOOD PRACTICE TO ISOLATE BOTH BATTERIES BY REMOVING FUSES.

 

If possible remove cover and inspect neutral connections. The MCB with the cover removed appears to be single pole, so there is probably a neutral terminal. The neutral should route from there to the RCD input, and from the RCD load side to a connecting block. I suspect that it is not getting as far as the connecting block.

Also do remember that your neutral could be faulty further back in the supply chain and may be high resistance. This may not be obvious with a voltmeter.

 

Alan

 

 

[peterjl]

Hi

I had a problem with a sergeant unit not charging a few years ago. The van was less than a year old so the unit was under warranty. I sent it back and they sent a new one. All pretty slick and quick as I recall.

 

Good luck

 

Peter