Andywal Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Hello everyone and as always I hope one of you may be able to advise. I have a 2017 Autosleeper with the standard factory fitted Sargent controls,and charging set up. Can anyone tell me if the AH value in % relating to the leisure battery is to be trusted? Reason I ask is we have been in the motorhome now for around 8 months with a mixture of on site and off grid living. When we embarked I always when on hook up got 100% capacity showing on the control panel but recently I have been getting low readings for example we went on site yesterday with capacity at 68% and this morning I am only getting 75% capacity.Voltages are good but I'm worried my leisure battery may be failing? I am not sure how old it is but I don't think it is as old as the motorhome so I wouldn't expect it to be failing yet as we don't hammer it even when off grid! Just a note though,I checked through the settings on the control panel and the battery was calibrated for a 95ah whereas ours is 115ah.I did change that and the capacity reading dropped to a lower reading but I'm wondering if I have been getting a false reading if it was set up wrong. Any help appreciated Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefitz Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Lead acid batteries are loosing capacity all the time due to natural ageing, charge/ discharge cycles, and less than ideal charging, so its probable, if the battery is over two years old, it has significantly less actual capacity than the label. Most, if not all , battery state of charge, ,SOC, monitoring systems, are a best guess, and can be misleading . What usually happens is the actual SOC is lower than the monitoring system reports. Since your system, with an overnight charge, failed to significantly improve the SOC, it suggests either a battery with a very much reduced capacity or an under performing charger. Changing the Ah setting will give a new reference point for the electronics computing battery capacity but won't Influence charging, as the battery charger terminates charge based on battery voltage. My guess is the battery is well past its best with reduced capacity and needs replacement. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 From what I understand the EC480 % charged is calculated by the control panel based on what goes in and what goes out, it is also dependent on having the correct AH set. As yours has been incorrectly set this can lead to errors, if haven't got the manual then visit Sargent's website where you can download it, as stated in the manual the % charged is just a guide and the voltages give the correct capacity, whilst it maybe the battery isn't at it's best you may well need to reset the panel to correct it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andywal Posted September 20, 2022 Author Share Posted September 20, 2022 Thanks for replies chaps. After another night on hook up the battery reading only went up by another 1% but I've just friven about half hour or so and the capacity has gone up to 76% !? What is best way to check the charger as I unsure if it is the battery now or the charger Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 We always carried these - work well for me for quick diagnostic checks or for continuous monitoring. Use lead for leisure battery, dash scoket for engine battery. There are dozens of alternative combimations available on Amazon. (Other retail outlets are available!) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charger-Adapter-Voltage-Display-Devices-Black/dp/B09LQ65DRF/ref=sr_1_63?keywords=car+socket+voltmeter&qid=1663684483&sr=8-63 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accessory-Socket-Battery-Clamps-Crocodile/dp/B003SQ6U6Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andywal Posted September 20, 2022 Author Share Posted September 20, 2022 Hi guys, Sorry for repost but having trouble editing my original post. Further to original post I am now getting low vehicle battery alarm when I turn tap on and the pump kicks in. I watched the vehicle battery value on the panel drop from 13v to 12.4v when I turned the water tap on which has bamboozled me a bit .I would have expected maybe the leisure battery reading to drop but not the vehicle battery? I had a new vehicle battery fitted about 3 weeks ago so I know that side is OK Any help please? Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Is it possible that the EC500 PSU or EC480 control has been set to supply the habitation power from the starter battery instead of the leisure battery ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andywal Posted September 20, 2022 Author Share Posted September 20, 2022 buddy - 2022-09-20 6:14 PM Is it possible that the EC500 PSU or EC480 control has been set to supply the habitation power from the starter battery instead of the leisure battery ? Hi many thanks for reply,I havent changed any settings other than up the ah to 115 which is what it should be. How would I go about checking your suggestion,is it the charging ing settings in the EC480? I have two options Charging MOde which is set to Smart with an option of setting to Normal and Solor Charging which is also set to Smart with an option to change to oral. I cannot see any others? Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Andywal - 2022-09-20 5:35 PM I had a new vehicle battery fitted about 3 weeks ago so I know that side is OK A material fact which you have omitted to tell us until now! Has this problem only occurred since having the new vehicle battery fitted? If yes then I strongly suspect either a lead was left off one or other of the new battery terminals OR a fuse was blown during the fitment. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 The EC500 PSU has a battery select button on it (according to its manual) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andywal Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 Hi Keith yes sorry for not mentioning the new vehicle battery but didn't think that would cause any issues regarding the leisure side plus I didn't want to type a long winded question thinking people my get fed up reading it half way though. Our vehicle battery died whilst out in middle of no where and we had to get it jumped by repair guy,then after a 160 mile drive I thought voltage would be back up but I turned engine off then tried it again and it had died again even after that drive so we had a new vehicle battery fit however this issue has started occurring whereby although voltages look ok on the panel for both batteries,the capacity reading on the leisure battery is slowly deteriorating even after being on hook up for a few days. Today we have driven again for about 1 hour and the capacity reading has dropped even further,down to 58% now and I have never had it lower than 70%. Another thing started happening last night where when I turn the water tap on and the pump kicks in the vehicle battery low warning comes on and icansee the vehicle battery voltage drop right off until the pump stops!? I cannot fathoms why something on the leisure side would affect the battery voltage. Do you have any idea whats best to check,I know you mentioned a fuse but which fuse in particular. We are up in the Highlands at the moment so I don't want to be left stuck again. Any help p.ease Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Andywal - 2022-09-21 10:40 AM ...and we had to get it jumped by repair guy, Another material fact not disclosed :D A word of warning, modern MH's and all their electronics do not take kindly to being jump started as this usually causes voltage spikes, so NEVER jump start a MH with a flat battery. Take time to charge the starter battery and then use that to start the engine without resorting to jump starts. I suspect the jump start has either blown a fuse or damaged something electronic so at this point you may have to seek professional help, and make sure to tell them the order of events including the jump start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andywal Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 OK thanks Keith when I say jump started i mean from one of those portable starters breakdown guys carry not jump start from another vehicle Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Your starter and leisure batteries , and which is used to power the habitation electrics , is controlled through the PSU EC500 with the EC480 used to read levels and to control switching of things through the PSU EC500 which is connected to both sets of batteries. You may also have a smaller fuse unit fitted (EM50) that may have fuses in it linked to the vehicle battery supply and charging of both vehicle and leisure batteries and those fuses may be worth checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefitz Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Setting the battery capacity to 115 Ah is a backwards step, it's unlikely the capacity was 115 even when new. After a years use the actual capacity will be much less. The net result is that the display will always be over optimistic. Changing the battery on this vehicle should follow a procedure, as should jump starting. There is a low, but possible, chance of damage to vehicle and 'camper' electrics. Things you need to check, a multi meter may be useful. Fuses and cable connections in the EM40/50 module. Engine battery voltage should read 12.4 to 12.6 at rest, and over 14 volts with the engine running. The leisure battery fully charged at rest should be over 12.6 volts with no load, and in excess of 13.6 volts under charge, reaching 14.4 at the end of charge from the battery charger. Under engine charging should reach over 14 volts. The undersized cables and interconnection losses reduce charging efficiency of the leisure battery. The engine and leisure battery are joined by a 'combining' relay when the engine is running. Thus with the engine off, there should be no effect on engine battery volts when leisure circuits are operated, assuming the Sargent electrics are working correctly. Do you have a solar panel? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andywal Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 mikefitz - 2022-09-21 5:26 PM Setting the battery capacity to 115 Ah is a backwards step, it's unlikely the capacity was 115 even when new. After a years use the actual capacity will be much less. The net result is that the display will always be over optimistic. Changing the battery on this vehicle should follow a procedure, as should jump starting. There is a low, but possible, chance of damage to vehicle and 'camper' electrics. Things you need to check, a multi meter may be useful. Fuses and cable connections in the EM40/50 module. Engine battery voltage should read 12.4 to 12.6 at rest, and over 14 volts with the engine running. The leisure battery fully charged at rest should be over 12.6 volts with no load, and in excess of 13.6 volts under charge, reaching 14.4 at the end of charge from the battery charger. Under engine charging should reach over 14 volts. The undersized cables and interconnection losses reduce charging efficiency of the leisure battery. Do you have a solar panel? Mike Hi Mike, Yes I have a solar panel. All voltages look ok using my fluke and correspond to whats on the panel display but its the capacity value I cannot understand. Maybe putting at 115 is a backward step but 95 was wrong in my book with a 115 battery in situ. I have recalibrate the ah on the ec480 all be it very quickly without switching the charger off or covering the solar and after a further drive to tonight's stop off the reading has gone up to 70%. I led to believe the ah on sargents ec480 needs recalibration a couple of times a year so I will see if this improves things. No fuses blown or loose connections so this was my only thing left short of a new leisure battery Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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