Mains hookup at home

[Ralph]

2 differnt issues here.

 

1 is the failure of the units. The first one "died" while on a caravan Club site. The second, as stated above I don't really have a time for but I suspect it was somewhere in France. AFAIK there were no problems with the mains at either time but of course I can't guarantee to know.

 

2 is the question of whether it's OK to leave a unit connected to the mains 24*7. Although some have said no, it appears that the unit is designed to be used that way. I was going to fit a time switch to just give the battery a charge now and again but I'm not so sure now as the spec above says that it will go into full charge each time so it might be better to leave it to float as I've always done till now.

 

Unfortunately I doubt that I will know the answer as to what is wrong with the current (pun!) unit as it will just be sent back to France on warranty. With any luck I won't have a third to find out about...

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

Ralph

My mistake, I didn't realise both failures had been while on site hook ups.  That would seem to eliminate your home supply.  Maybe Hayes should get their electrician to thoroughly check the whole installation, including your hook up cable, in case there is a fault somewhere that is causing the units to fail.  I just wonder if a bad connection somewhere might be at the root of this? 

The units are, as Clive says, well reputed, and there must be thousands of them in use all across Europe; they're almost a classic of their ilk.  I didn't know Pilote were fitting them, but they are virtually standard on Burstner, Hymer (and therefore Eriba) and I think Dethleffs, and that covers four of the major European motorhome producers.  If they failed elsewhere at the rate they're failing in your van, there would be hundreds of complaints flying around!

[Ralph]

Just an update. The unit has now been changed under warranty and I have charging again. Also the new unit has a circuit diagram which I've kept if anyone needs it in the future (hopefully I wont...)

 

I've also been thinking. I was away for a month at the start of which I was on the aire at Honfleur. The voltage there dropped when heavily used such that my fridge refused to function on 230v. I then never spent more than a couple of days stationary and only a couple of days at a time on sites. My last week was entirely without hookup. I'm now wondering whether the unit actually failed at Honfleur but I just never noticed it till it was parked at home after our return. If so this would concur with Bernie's experience above where an internal fuse failed after the voltage dropped, not surged. Any comments from the experts please? Should we be wary of free electricity?

 

 

[Vernon B]

Ralph - 2007-07-19 2:21 PM

 

Thanks for the replies. It seems to be a consensus that only putting the mains on now and again is considered best so in future I'll adopt that practice. I might just add a cheap timeswitch to power up the charger occasionally. The opinion of hayes is that I would damage the leisure battery by keeping it on charge but at 2 years old it still hasn't had the acid level drop very much (still above the plates) so I assume it's OK. My last van had a gel battery.

 

Regarding the 2 failed units, I'm very concerned as I wouldn't expect it. The charger is fitted under the bed with plenty of air space so it shouldn't overheat. I don't own a generator so it's never been connected to one. Are these things prone to failure? as they are very expensive!

 

Also does anyone know if I can get a circuit diagram? Might be useful as I would attempt repair if it wasn't a warranty job

 

I've added a picture so there's no confusion about the type.

 

 

Hi Ralph I have a Pilote from Hayes fitted with the same unit as yours. I've also had one of those units fail within the first 18 months. The 'van is now 4 years old and I've had no further problem. Here's a few observations:-

 

1. The info in the handbook is a complete waste of time because it does not cover this unit!

2. When my unit went it only affected the integral battery charger - the 230v sockets were still working.

3. With my set up it isn't possible to switch the battery charger off when hooked up - unlike the units described in the handbook!

4. When at home I don't have the van on permanent mains hook-up, but I do take two holidays a year of 8 weeks duration when I'm always on mains.

5. My unit blew when I was at home and had hooked-up to vacuum the van. It seemed to me that it blew when I disconnected the cleaner - which was switched off.

6. Rather than having to fit a surge device it seems to me that these units are not fitted with a protective fuse - again unlike those described in the handbook

7. When mine went Hayes said they hadn't come across the problem before. It was replaced under warrant and Hayes sent the unit back to the manufacturer. Unfortunately they were unable to tell me what if any explanation they got back from the manufacturer.

8. As my failure only affected the charging circuit I now carry a separate battery charger.

9. As these 'van are designed for semi-permanent occupation it seems an odd requirement that you shouldn't be hooked up to mains for extended periods.

 

Vernon

 

 

[osmodia]

Hi,

Not sure if this has any bearing, but my Trigano "appeared" to be correctly wired, ie. the polarity widget was ok on the 13 amp sockets. But, when doing some work on the electrics I found the mains input was reversed! On further examination of the sockets I found they had been reversed! To cure the problem? Clever French! Connections to the fridge and charger were as per diagram so the fridge and charger were in fact wired wrongly!

I put the sockets back as they should be and reversed the input. All is now well.

I leave my mains and charger on all the time now, voltage stays at around 13.8 on float with negledgable current. Charger is almost cold.

Oz