ELEKTROBLOCK EBL 99 CHARGER

[Exustrek]

Hi, we have a 2007 Dethleffs Advantage 6971.

 

It's plugged in to the mains at home for long periods of time to run a small oil filled radiator during the winter months.

 

Every time i switch on the LCD control panel above the habitation door it shows that there is X?amps being fed into the leisure batteries.

 

The two leisure batteries fitted are 80AH & 110AH Gel.

 

Is it possible that the AH rating for the two combined batteries could be set too high on the LCD control panel? & would this make the charger to run constantly?

 

Does anyone know how to switch off the charger? I've read the manual but can't figure it out, it seems to be assumed that if you're connected to the mains then you'll be charging your batteries.

 

Thanks in advance................ Bryan

[Derek Uzzell]

I don't think your Dethleff's control panel should have any direct effect on how your motorhome's battery charger functions - or at least not in the way you seem to be suggesting.

 

The battery charger should charge the leisure batteries at whatever amperage the charger can manage, using a regimen appropriate to the battery type ('gel' in your case) and the batteries' state of charge at the time. In simplistic terms, the charger will 'sense' the batteries' charge-state and deliver a charge ranging from high when the batteries have been heavily discharged, progressively throttling back so that little or no charge is provided when the batteries are well charged up.

 

It's quite possible that your battery charger does operate automatically whenever your motorhome is connected to a 230V power supply, but whether this really matters will depend on what the charger does when your batteries have reached a fully-charged condition. At that point, as long as the charger has reduced its charging process to approaching zero, then there should be no problem. If it continued to charge your batteries strongly and indefinitely, then your batteries would be in big trouble. As your batteries are, apparently, still working OK, then it's reasonable to assume the charger enters 'maintenance mode' when the batteries are fully charged.

 

I've no practical experience of Electrobloc products. The battery charger on my Hobby carries a big illuminated button ON/OFF button, so it's very plain whether or not it's operating. If there is nothing similar on your Electrobloc, then you may find that there's a circuit-breaker on the vehicle's 230V RCD unit that be switched off to prevent the charger operating but still leave functional the power outlets into which you plug your radiator.

[Thai Bry]

Hello Bryan

On the Elektrobloc unit there should be a large switch with the German words - "Batterie Trennschalter". This is the battery cut off switch.Switch in the up position is "EIN = ON", or in the down position is "AUS = OFF".

In the off position it means that your entire 12v system will be disconnected.This just prevents the leisure batteries from slowly discharging when laid up for a long period of time. BUTTTT be warned that by doing this, it also switches off the safety/drainage valve for your hot water tank. So please drain down any water in your Trauma heater and any water in your pipes before switching off the battery.

The other point is that if this is not done, there is another feature that comes in to play. If the battery monitor recognises a reading of less than 11v in your leisure batteries it will switch off ALL the 12v appliances anyway.

Also make sure that your charge setting is for GEL batteries and not normal batteries.

There are more knowledgable people than I on this forum who I'm sure will offer further advice, which will be more useful than I've explained here.

Thai

[Brian Kirby]

A little thing in the back of my mind says the two leisure batteries should be, as nearly as possible, a matched pair.  That would imply same age, same type, and same capacity. 

Since yours are of different capacities, I wonder if they are of the same age?  If not, and one is getting "tired", I think it may upset the charging regime for the pair. 

It might be worth checking the electrolyte level on both to be sure a weak battery isn't causing the other to be "boiled", by a charger than can't adequately read their state.

[Derek Uzzell]

Brian K:

 

Amongst the documentation for my Hobby is a small Exide Gel-battery leaflet (in German). One page lists the various combinations that are permissible when batteries are connected in parallel or serially. The advice given is as follows:

 

PARALLEL CONNECTION

 

Gel battery + gel battery - YES

 

New gel battery + old gel battery - YES (provided that the old battery is no more than one year old)

 

Large gel battery + small gel battery - YES (provided that the ratio of their capacities does not exceed 3:1)

 

Gel battery + 'wet' battery - YES (provided that a suitable separator-relay is used)

 

SERIAL CONNECTION

 

Gel battery + gel battery - YES

 

New gel battery + old gel battery - YES (provided that the old battery is no more than one year old)

 

Large gel battery + small gel battery - NO

 

Gel battery + 'wet' battery - NO

 

Obviously it's much simpler for Michael The Motorcaravanner to follow advice that says that, when connecting batteries together, all the batteries should be the same type, capacity and age, as this represents best practice and the philosophy minimises confusion - but there is room for manoeuvre within those recommendations. (In fact, the different capacities question was raised on this forum some time ago regarding certain Auto-Sleepers models that have paired leisure batteries of 60Ah + 85Ah.)

 

As Exustrek's leisure batteries are gel type, checking their electrolyte level won't be possible.

[Brian Kirby]

Thanks for that, Derek.  Very interesting.  I didn't get the Exide battery leaflet in my info pack, so the permissible combinations were an unknown, especially the mixing of gel and wet.  I therefore responded with what I'm sure I've seen Clive say previously.

However, I had read "The two leisure batteries fitted are 80AH & 110AH Gel" as meaning one 80AH wet + 1110AH gel; rather than meaning both were gel type.  Hence the suggestion to check the electrolyte - though "both" is clearly inappropriate.

I had therefore thought it likely the 80AH would have been the original fit wet battery, to which Esustrek had possibly added the 110Ah gel.

[Derek Uzzell]

The 2007 Dethleffs UK brochure indicated that the standard leisure-battery on all motorhomes for that model-year was gel type. The Esprit RT range had a 120Ah battery, while the remainder (including Advantage vehicles) had an 80Ah gel. A 2nd leisure battery (120Ah gel type) was an option for all models except Esprit.

[Exustrek]

Thanks for the responses & suggestions, & apologies for the delay in getting back to you all.

 

Both leisure batteries are Gel type, the second battery being fitted at first registration of the vehicle & both are less than one year old.

 

I checked that the charger was on the appropriate GEL setting (it was).

 

I checked & found a trip switch that isolates the lighting / fridge & charger unit & have switched this off.

 

When i checked the van yesterday the underseat storage in the front dinette (where the 2nd leisure battery is stored) was toasty warm, is this normal?

 

The control panel gave the following readings :

To the vehicle battery

13.4volts

 

To the Leisure batteries

13.6volts

+4.6amps

98% utilisable capacity

 

Also on the leisure battery menu :

190AH Nominal capacity

152AH Utilisable capacity (which is 80% of the rating of the 2 batteries)

 

The van has been hooked up to the mains for several weeks & would have thought that the +4.6amps being fed into the batteries after this length of time was excessive.

 

I've scanned the instructions for the Schaudt DT 220 B control panel into a PDF file & uploaded it here

http://download.yousendit.com/11DF9E6E469EDFB8

It will be there for 7 days or 100 downloads, whichever comes first.

 

Hopefully someone will be good enough to have a look at the manual & tell me if the settings i've quoted are OK

 

Bryan

 

 

 

[Clive]

Thanks for the Download, I have added it to my catalogue of information.

 

I do not understand why your system indicates such a significant charging current unless you have a constant electrical load on your leisure batteries which you are unaware of or they are very very leaky internally.

 

You need to be sure that no electrical loads are turned ON first.

 

The Elektroblock uses a clever charging algorythm. Initially the charger will limit the charging current to a maximum number of amps so as not to damage itself. Initially the battery terminal voltage will rise as the battery charges. In the later phases of charge the charging current will automatically be reduced to stop excessive battery voltage. In the final phase of charging the current will be very small, even so the battery voltage will reach 14.3 volts as its maximum and the current continue to fall. The Elektroblock system will maintain this voltage for 8 hours (for a GEL battery) and then the limiting voltage set by the charger will automatically reduce to 13.8 volts. For a while no charging current will flow but eventually the voltage will fall to 13.8 volts and the charger will then provide a small current to maintain this voltage.

 

Your 4.6 amps charging current suggests that the charger is still on the first and main part of the charging cycle, your battery voltage also supports this.

 

I suggest that you disconnect one at a time each leisure battery to be able to identify which one has the high internal leakage and hence is taking all this current.

Yes the enclosure will be warm. Its the cooling air for the electroblock. I hope there is a good natural airflow provided for it.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Clive

 

 

[Exustrek]

Thanks for the Download, I have added it to my catalogue of information..... You're welcome Clive

 

B.T.W. It was the second leisure battery getting hot, not the Elektroblock unit.

 

As far as i'm aware there is nothing drawing power from the 12v system, i've just checked the control panel now that the charger has been switched off for 24hrs.

 

Vehicle battery

12.8 volts

 

Leisure batteries

12.7 volts

- 0.1 amps

97% utilisable battery capacity

 

I'll take your advice & try the batteries individually to see if this makes any difference.

 

Bryan

[Exustrek]

Update :

 

I removed the 110Ah battery & left the original 80Ah battery on charge for 24hrs & all seems to be working OK, the control panel now gives a reading of +0.2amps.

 

No need to test the battery that i removed………….. it had spilled some of it’s content, a fact that was not apparent until it was lifted out of the van, i guess that means it’s dead.

 

I also found out that my Dethleffs manual gives instructions for the EBL 99 when in actual fact the unit fitted is EBL 220, which is prolly why i couldn’t find the battery isolation switch, there isn’t one, battery isolation is controlled from the panel.

 

I emailed Dethleffs direct on Monday evening & received the correct manual in the post Thursday morning. I could scan to PDF if there’s any interest, takes forever though.

 

Thanks to all who gave advice, it’s very much appreciated & gives a little confidence to a newby like myself to take a look & check things out.

 

Bryan

 

[Brian Kirby]

Silly question, I'm sure, but you have cleared up the spillage, haven't you?

Second question, hopefully not so silly: who now owes you a new battery?

[Exustrek]

Hi Brian

 

Yes have cleaned up & disposed of the battery at the local dump.

 

As for who owes me a new battery? It's not really something that i had thought about, i have two new batteries that i bought last year for our old van but ended up not using them. I will most likely remove the original battery & fit these as a pair.

 

I could i suppose go back to the dealer who fitted the battery to the vehicle from new but to be perfectly honest, where possible, i would prefer to sort out any simple issues myself & pay someone who really knows what they're doing to sort out what i can't.

 

Bryan

[Clive]

i HAVE A pdf OF THE SCHAUDT 220 IF YOU WANT IT.

C.

[Exustrek]

Clive - 2008-01-18 7:52 PM

 

i HAVE A pdf OF THE SCHAUDT 220 IF YOU WANT IT.

C.

 

Yes please Clive, always handy to keep on the laptop.

 

Thanks.............. Bryan

[Clive]

email sent.

C.