Vernon B Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 There have been two threads running this month on these units and several others some time ago. All the faults have related to the charging system and some have resulted in replacement units costing £600. I've got a couple of questions for our technical experts:- 1) Given the pre-occupation with recycling isn't it possible to get these units repaired? 2) As the problem appears to be limited to charging why can't victims (and I might be one) solve their problem by simply leaving the unit is situ and purchasing a £40 battery charger from Halifords? Vernon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I think you will find that making a polite aproach to Schaudt (who make this range of equipment) is likely to end up with an invitation to return the unit to them for a quick repair. Surey a more elegant solution to the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Peters Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 hi,im one of the people who had a major problem with my ELB, I tried to get it repaired in this country but because a circuit board and its components had fried beyond recognition no one could help. Clive kindly got the manufacturers address in germany, and after a few emails and £25.00 to send the unit, my ELB is now being repaired by the suppliers. The best news is it is being repaired under warranty, although the unit is actually 6 months out of its 2 year warrany. my advice is dont dump the unit and dont fork out £600.00. Contact the suppliers, you might get lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Peters Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 oh i forgot. as regards using a standard charger on your leasure battery could do permanent damage by overcharging, charger would be fine for starter battery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Brian Peters - 2008-01-21 7:48 PM hi,im one of the people who had a major problem with my ELB, I tried to get it repaired in this country but because a circuit board and its components had fried beyond recognition no one could help. Clive kindly got the manufacturers address in germany, and after a few emails and £25.00 to send the unit, my ELB is now being repaired by the suppliers. The best news is it is being repaired under warranty, although the unit is actually 6 months out of its 2 year warrany. my advice is dont dump the unit and dont fork out £600.00. Contact the suppliers, you might get lucky. Thanks Brian it'll be very useful having that experience for reference on the forum. I've already had one unit replaced under the two year 'van warranty but I suspect that the replacement unit will only be covered for 12 months. My original unit (a type 264 I think) didn't "fry" it just appeared to blow a fuse - but didn't contain a fuse to replace. The dealer sent it back and got a replacement but couldn't tell me what the problem had been and claimed "its the first one of those we've had" - story of my life! As for using a Halford's charger I take your point but for £40 you can get a pretty sophisticated charger that is more than capable of doing the job and looking after the starter battery if you have a Vanbitz Battery Master fitted. V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Surely the point is that the Electroblock is much more than just a battery charger. It contains all the 12V fuses, monitors battery condition, disconnects non-essential elements when battery charge falls below a "safe" level, and controls the rate of charge from the alternator, as well as the rate the batteries are charged when on hook-up. If the built in battery charger fails, it seems quite plausible that other functions may be compromised, or even that their failure has caused the charger failure. Getting the Electroblock fixed by it's manufacturer seems far better, even if they charge for the service, than either replacing it at £600 or substituting a £20 Halfords unit. This seems to be an "old fashioned" manufacturer who has pride in their product and is prepared to offer genuine customer service irrespective, to some extent, of what the warranty says. They seem to me to deserve praise, rather than a relatively cheap and nasty Halfords bodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Brian Kirby - 2008-01-22 12:44 PM Surely the point is that the Electroblock is much more than just a battery charger. It contains all the 12V fuses, monitors battery condition, disconnects non-essential elements when battery charge falls below a "safe" level, and controls the rate of charge from the alternator, as well as the rate the batteries are charged when on hook-up. If the built in battery charger fails, it seems quite plausible that other functions may be compromised, or even that their failure has caused the charger failure. Getting the Electroblock fixed by it's manufacturer seems far better, even if they charge for the service, than either replacing it at £600 or substituting a £20 Halfords unit. This seems to be an "old fashioned" manufacturer who has pride in their product and is prepared to offer genuine customer service irrespective, to some extent, of what the warranty says. They seem to me to deserve praise, rather than a relatively cheap and nasty Halfords bodge. That's brilliant Brian and answers my question comprehensively - if it does all that the Bl**dy thing is worth every penny of £600! But isn't it a pity that this "old fashion" company Schaudt don't explain these features in its manual; don't give details of their repair service, and don't offer an English language version of their website? V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Peters Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 bravo from one brian to anouther, yes the electroblock is a comprihensive bit of kit and from experience i cannot praise udo lang at the manufacturers enough. I do find though that this unit has had its problems, and when you think they supply some of the best made motorhomes in the world (ie hymer) they should have put these problems to bed, I own a Burstner van and during the winter months i leave the motorhome with mains on and let the elektroblock do its thing. Im just hoping that the unit is up to the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Why is it that us brits always expect the "foreigners" to learn our language?. (before you jump I am just as bad!) Anyway the user handbooks for the electrobloks are available in English and continental vans have a section in the user manual covering their use. If however you want to delve into the technology of the various Electrobloks perhaps the manufacturers would prefer that joe public doesnt meddle with things they cannot be expected to understand. The Elektroblok range is probably the biggest selling Motorhome / Caravan low voltage system controller in use today. Hence it has more chance of a failure. But if yours goes belly up then TALK TO SCHAUDT. I doubt if once repaired they would allow it to go wrong again! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Clive - 2008-01-22 4:53 PM Why is it that us brits always expect the "foreigners" to learn our language?. (before you jump I am just as bad!) Anyway the user handbooks for the electrobloks are available in English and continental vans have a section in the user manual covering their use. If however you want to delve into the technology of the various Electrobloks perhaps the manufacturers would prefer that joe public doesnt meddle with things they cannot be expected to understand. The Elektroblok range is probably the biggest selling Motorhome / Caravan low voltage system controller in use today. Hence it has more chance of a failure. But if yours goes belly up then TALK TO SCHAUDT. I doubt if once repaired they would allow it to go wrong again! C. As you've so eloquently pointed out Clive this is a pretty important piece of kit in a Motorhome and there is no excuse for not providing a English language manual with the vehicle. In fact from comments I received from the Trading Standards people (on a different but related matter) I suspect it is a requirement of the Sales of Goods Act. I accept that this might not be entirely Schaudt's responsibility. As an "old fashioned" company they might think they are supplying their products only for the German market not realising that many of their units end up abroad. So is it the 'van manufacturer or the component supplier who's responsible for providing UK folks with English version user manuals at the point of sale? As it was mine was in German and referred to an entirely different Elekroblock model to the one fitted to my 'van. Ask to see a wiring diagram for your 'van and the dealer looks at you as if your from a different planet. Is this reasonable? I don't think so - but I'm old fashioned! V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I think you're suffering from Piloteitis, Vernon, in that the French, bless them, do tend to be a bit less attentive to matters of communication than the Germans, and even we Brits. It may even be that there is no French language version of the Elektroblock manual, but more likely that it never occurred to anyone at Pilote to ask for an English manual for vehicles exported to England! Our present van is a LHD Hobby that was ordered and imported for US by Bundesvan. It came with German Ford manuals, but with an English Hobby manual and even with UK propane tails for the gas bottles. The Hobby manual is quite good on the Elektroblock. 11/10 to Hobby, because someone obviously had their thinking cap on, at least on that day! Our previous van was a Burstner, which had a very comprehensive manual that explained the Elektroblock, what it did, and what the fuses were for. This persuades me that the real villain in your case is Pilote, who should provide comprehensive, English language, manuals for all of the equipment they install in vehicles coming to England, even if that means they have to translate them from Swahili! Inexcusable! Box their ears for them!! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Just picking up the point about wiring digrams, Both myself and the Mrs are Radio Amateurs (as well as both kids and Son-in-law) and I will admit to spending what seemed a small fortune on Ham Radio equipment. In the "good old days" each knob did one job and arthritic hands could operate a radio. With the radio came a comprehensive manual including circuit diagram, block diagram, printed circuit board artwork and component layouts, setting up procedure. Even how to change a transistor and use a soldering iron. Today you only get a block diagram and instructions - mostly about the various menus - on how to drive the little beast. And little they now are as are the controls and the display. So the point I was trying to make is that as things get more "sophisticated" (I hate that word!) the less they trust us to fiddle with it. Even us who have passed exams suggesting we have half a chance of doing so. But did you get a diagram with your last TV purchase? or the one before that? But when it comes to spending motorhomes are in a different league! Waffle over. P.S. Or are you a very naughty boy and its a grey import. tut tut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 No Clive I'm the grey one not the 'van. I don't think the problem is limited to Pilote either. Only had two motorhomes but many many caravans. The first motorhome was a Lunar as were the majority of caravans. Certainly they supplied English language manuals but on the electrics side they were rarely compatible with the kit installed. There is of course an exception to this general short coming and that's Truma. Their heater/boiler manuals are concise, comprehensive and multi-lingual. But from various threads on this forum it would appear that many owners don't bother to read them - perhaps that's why some manufacturers don't bother! V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Hi V, As an aside I am doing a trial with one of these new fangled fuel cells. Inside the comprehensive packaging were both operating and instalation manuals in (from memory) 5 languages. Each a seperate bound document. They came in a sealed plastic bag. And yes, one language was English. But no internal wiring diagrams or even chemical block diagrams. And this directly from a German company. So not all foreigners are the same. The kit is advertised on page 257 of the Feb MMM and with luck my installation words and pictures will be in the March MMM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hello, To answer the very first question posed above, yes you can 'recycle' your old box without the £35 each way cost of sending it to Germany and the 4 week wait. You also do not need to spend £660 on a new box. As for why you should not fit a cheap Halfords charger? - there are a stack of reasons, the most relevant of which is that it will cost more in the long term. We are A and N Caravan Services who repair Schaudt Elektroblocks. We are also Schaudt recognised distributors, so know a little about the Blue boxes. Did you know that using more than a single Habitation battery will cause undue strain and eventual failure on some of the EBL range? Some of the older models will only support a 160Ah Battery bank INCLUDING the Starter Battery which it also charges, so a maximum sized Habitation/Leisure battery of 90Ah is all you should have. This reply is about letting everyone know there is an alternative and pointing the reader at our website where they will find a lot of Information about the Schaudt Elektroblock - What makes it fail : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/schaudt-elektroblock.php. How to get the best from it : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/schaudt-elektroblock.php. How to connect Solar Power in harmony with the unit instead of fighting it : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/solar-power.php The truth about the OVP01 and 240v power Spikes/Surges : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/schaudt-ovp01.php Our battery Technology page will turn upside down what you thought you knew about batteries : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/battery-technology.php. It has caused a lot of discussion!! Battery quality is key to the life of ALL Motorhome charger units from Schaudt to Toptron. The Website pages are not Sales based, but about Information that will help you avoid using our services in the future. We also repair Motorhomes so probably know as much as anyone in the UK on what makes the EBL fail. Time and again we come across bodges, like the 'cheap' Halfords chargers, use the link above to see why they will end up costing more than you think. You should never connect a unit like the Vanmaster Battery Master, as suggested above, without a strong understanding of how the EBL works and how a Battery Watcher/Master will affect its operation. I know this is an old thread but if anyone Googles Schaudt Elektroblock it appears as one of the top entries. Armed with the above knowledge your EBL can last 8+ years without issue. However, if it does fail a £130 repair bill is a lot less than a £660 new cost. We can also supply remanufactured units from £190 and new EBL 99's at £320. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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