baden87 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 I have an ec225 charger controll panel AND a px300 charger both made b Sargent anyone know why I need both ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 If your handbook does not explain it all, Sargents have an excellent website that will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baden87 Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 Nothing in book ,wonder if battery charger on ec225 has gone bad ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 It is not unusual for a charger to be 'strapped to the battery' when the main charger fails, as a budget fix. However it usually works out more expensive than fixing the issue properly as Sargent invoice less than the cost of a PX300 to fix an EC225. By the time you have added labour to the 'battery strapped' fix, it can work out a lot more money, for a less satisfactory solution. You often lose Starter Battery charging, for example. If your Sargent 300 goes straight to the battery, it is most likely a bodge fix. If you remove 230v at the PX 300 but still see the battery showing a 14.4v charge rate, the EC225 13.8v/14.4v charger is still working. If the charge stops when you interrupt only the PX300 230v supply the EC225 charger has probably failed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baden87 Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 Ok I understand but why would anyone put a px300 if the ec 225 is still working ( that's if it is ) beats me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I believe your current motorhome is a 2008 Auto-Trail Apache 634. It’s unlikely that this vehicle started life with two battery chargers, which would mean that sometime in the last 8 years the Sargent PX300 charger was added. The reason for adding that charger may be because the original charger became faulty, or because a previous owner decided to install (or have installed) a second charger for some specific (though not necessarily obvious) reason. You can do as Allan has suggested and test whether one or both of the chargers operates when the motorhome is connected to a 230V power supply. If just the PX300 charger functions, it’s reasonable to assume it was installed to address a fault with the EC225 charger. This - as Allan advises - might not normally be an economical or technically advisable approach, but it may have been seen as a good idea at the time and perhaps the owner or installer managed to obtain the PX300 charger for a pittance. If both chargers are functional, it may not be practicable to establish why the PX300 was fitted. Vehicle owners (including me) make all sorts of DIY ‘improvements’ and the reasons for doing this may not be immediately obvious later. If you bought the motorhome from a dealer you could inquire why the vehicle has two chargers. If you bought it privately the vendor may know. I think a secondhand vehicle’s V5C registration document will carry details of the vehicle’s previous keeper, so you may be able to progress your inquiry via that route. (I’ve occasionally found it useful to contact a vehicle’s previous keeper via the V5C details.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baden87 Posted July 13, 2016 Author Share Posted July 13, 2016 Ok thanks for that I'm just the curious type, so it's not standard then ? Next time I'm out I'll do the checks mentioned in previous posts, just fitted a solar panel and controller so all bases are covered now for charging ,not sure which way to go for charging cab battery if needed when not on hook up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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