Has changing From Sargent to Victron effected charging my engine battery on solar.

if you go into the hidden menu on your panel you can charge either starter or hab battery's on there own instead of auto & Sargent fit a 100w panel as standard plus you can add up to 2/ 110AH hab bat's
 
I fitted the Vanbiz battery master a couple of weeks ago, although disliked by some liked by others, I made a new loom as did not want to break into the vehicle wiring. Loom made to exactly as required by Battery master., I returned M/H to storage all well, the charging and at rest leds working fine.
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Yesterday I collected M/H and returned home as were away on a trip on Sunday, today whilst loading M/H I checked the leds on the battery master, to my amazement none were alight. strange, I checked the cables the connections the polarity, none were incorrect, I did find the 5amp fuse on positive cable to battery master from leisure battery had blown. Replaced fuse like for like no problem up to now.
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Now the more electrically minded on here may well come up with an answer, current draw, faulty fuse, or more.
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As the unit only draws at best 2 amps I would consider a 5amp fuse sufficient, unless anyone can advise differently..
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I used the battery master over the others available as it seemed a fit and forget unit, Hurricane Smith seemed happy with his as well as others I spoke with.
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What fuse ratings did you use Hurricane?
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All the various battery maintainers available are fit and forget. Seems some are more fit and forget than others?
 
TrevandJenny said:
,.............
I used the battery master over the others available as it seemed a fit and forget unit, Hurricane Smith seemed happy with his as well as others I spoke with.
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What fuse ratings did you use Hurricane?
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Click to expand...
I'm ashamed to say that I honestly can't remember.

I'll have a look when I next visit the van in it's storage compound.
 
HurricaneSmith said:
I'm ashamed to say that I honestly can't remember.

I'll have a look when I next visit the van in its storage compound.
Click to expand...
Thanks I will be interested as my 5amp fuse has blown again,I checked it this morning at home it was fine, arrived at site and found fuse had blown, have fitted a 10amp and will monitor it during the afternoon.
cheyenne said:
this is what happens when you start messing with the sargent system i wouldn't they do sell a mppt regulator i have & charges my 2 hab batteries & engine battery auto & we keep our on storage plus you should have the app to check everything in your m/h every day
Click to expand...
 
First trip out since fitting battery master, now find on hook up we have reverse polarity, sites checked out power post, not at fault, isolated all 240v appliances and sockets, none found faulty,
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Removed the battery master as has it affected charging output on the Sargent?, I’m not sure, however with every thing off isolated and removed from power source we still have reverse polarity on sargent unit.
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Sargent help line says only thing left is loose wire or faulty EC328. The hunt continues.
 
TrevandJenny said:
First trip out since fitting battery master, now find on hook up we have reverse polarity, sites checked out power post, not at fault, isolated all 240v appliances and sockets, none found faulty,
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Removed the battery master as has it affected charging output on the Sargent?, I’m not sure, however with every thing off isolated and removed from power source we still have reverse polarity on sargent unit.
Click to expand...
Did your plug in-tester not confirm the socket tests ok? It could be the indicator light that is the problem and not an actual fault?
don't have a tester and had to borrow one? why don't you have your own? A plug-in tester is a very basic bit of kit EVERY motorhome, campervan or caravan owner should carry and there is no excuse not to have your own one give they cost so little. Not only do they tell you about reversed polarity (important although ridiculously dismissed as unimportant by so many here it seems, so not going to discuss that further to closed ears), but also wiring faults with the earth cable as well.
I like the tester inthe photo below as not only do they have the simple warning lights, they also tell you the voltage. I leave mine plugged in 24/7, and only remove it if I want to use the socket. That way it is always visible and I don't have to hunt around for it when plugging into a new service to check.

tester by David, on Flickr

TrevandJenny said:
Sargent help line says only thing left is loose wire or faulty EC328. The hunt continues.
Click to expand...
I don't really see how it can be a faulty EC328 apart from one specific thing (and that is extemely unlikely)

To explain, I just went and checked that my thinking was correct and that Sargent did what everyone else does .... They do on the EC325 unit I just looked at so I would be 99.999% sure the EC328 is identical.
Here is a photo of the inside of an EC325 ....

Polarity by David, on Flickr
The polarity light is the one that pushes into the bit of red plastic on the cover next to the charger switch.
The Breaker on the left where I have written 'Neutral' is the RCD - first port of call for the Hookup Lead inside the van.
The way the polarity light works is very simple - it is wired to the Neutral and the Earth. The only time it will light up is if there is live power on the Neutral (or on L & N instead of E & N).
So possibility 1 - that wire has become 'loose'and managed to relocate itself in the Live connection? rather unlikely.
This is the OUTPUT of the RCD, so:
Possibility 2 - the RCD has reversed the wiring internally? This is impossible.
Possibility 3 - the wiring INTO the RCD is reversed? could be, but a fault indication like this would not suddenly just show up
Possibility 4 - Something internal to the Unit has connected Live to Neutral? That could be a fault but I would expect a much bigger result than a plug-in tester showing reversed polarity. I would expect NO AC to work at the minimum.

To restate - the polarity light test is before anything exciting happens inside the Sargent EC box - the only component that it is connected to is the RCD.

Testing I would do if I was there ....
  1. Use a plug in tester as a quick check. Check multiple sockets.
  2. Put a Multimeter on a socket to check voltages between L & N, L & E and N & E.
  3. Repeat test on EHU lead.
  4. turn off all MCBs (just leaving RCD on) and see if the light goes off. If yes, then turn on breakers individually to find problem circuit and then problem device on that circuit (the event that turning the breakers off will remove the fault condition is extremely unlikely, but troubleshooting means methodically eliminating all possibilities however unlikely).
  5. Put a polarity switcher on the EHU lead - to deliberately reverse polarity - and check if warning light goes out. Also check plug-in tester now reports a fault condition.
  6. If test 5 shows polarity light goes off but plug-in tester is showing a fault, I'd have to suspect polarity light is wired wrong and was never noticed before. Check the wires are to N and E and NOT to L & E
  7. If test 5 shows polarity light stays on but plug-in tester is showing a fault, I'd have to again suspect polarity light is wired wrong and was never noticed before. Check the wires are to N and NOT to L & N

Also, now apart from the Battery Master being the preferred device for Noahs Ark and best left there, it cannot cause an AC Reversed Polarity issue.
 
TrevandJenny said:
Thanks I will be interested as my 5amp fuse has blown again,I checked it this morning at home it was fine, arrived at site and found fuse had blown, have fitted a 10amp and will monitor it during the afternoon.
Click to expand...
The whole point of a Starter Battery maintainer is "fit and forget" as you said yourself. You have a "fit and constantly worry if it is still working".
What you have got there you need to send back. it is clearly faulty if a fuse is repeatedly failing between the supply and the device.
 
wildebus said:
Did your plug in-tester not confirm the socket tests ok? It could be the indicator light that is the problem and not an actual fault?
don't have a tester and had to borrow one? why don't you have your own? A plug-in tester is a very basic bit of kit EVERY motorhome, campervan or caravan owner should carry and there is no excuse not to have your own one give they cost so little. Not only do they tell you about reversed polarity (important although ridiculously dismissed as unimportant by so many here it seems, so not going to discuss that further to closed ears), but also wiring faults with the earth cable as well.
I like the tester inthe photo below as not only do they have the simple warning lights, they also tell you the voltage. I leave mine plugged in 24/7, and only remove it if I want to use the socket. That way it is always visible and I don't have to hunt around for it when plugging into a new service to check.

tester by David, on Flickr


I don't really see how it can be a faulty EC328 apart from one specific thing (and that is extemely unlikely)

To explain, I just went and checked that my thinking was correct and that Sargent did what everyone else does .... They do on the EC325 unit I just looked at so I would be 99.999% sure the EC328 is identical.
Here is a photo of the inside of an EC325 ....

Polarity by David, on Flickr
The polarity light is the one that pushes into the bit of red plastic on the cover next to the charger switch.
The Breaker on the left where I have written 'Neutral' is the RCD - first port of call for the Hookup Lead inside the van.
The way the polarity light works is very simple - it is wired to the Neutral and the Earth. The only time it will light up is if there is live power on the Neutral (or on L & N instead of E & N).
So possibility 1 - that wire has become 'loose'and managed to relocate itself in the Live connection? rather unlikely.
This is the OUTPUT of the RCD, so:
Possibility 2 - the RCD has reversed the wiring internally? This is impossible.
Possibility 3 - the wiring INTO the RCD is reversed? could be, but a fault indication like this would not suddenly just show up
Possibility 4 - Something internal to the Unit has connected Live to Neutral? That could be a fault but I would expect a much bigger result than a plug-in tester showing reversed polarity. I would expect NO AC to work at the minimum.

To restate - the polarity light test is before anything exciting happens inside the Sargent EC box - the only component that it is connected to is the RCD.

Testing I would do if I was there ....
  1. Use a plug in tester as a quick check. Check multiple sockets.
  2. Put a Multimeter on a socket to check voltages between L & N, L & E and N & E.
  3. Repeat test on EHU lead.
  4. turn off all MCBs (just leaving RCD on) and see if the light goes off. If yes, then turn on breakers individually to find problem circuit and then problem device on that circuit (the event that turning the breakers off will remove the fault condition is extremely unlikely, but troubleshooting means methodically eliminating all possibilities however unlikely).
  5. Put a polarity switcher on the EHU lead - to deliberately reverse polarity - and check if warning light goes out. Also check plug-in tester now reports a fault condition.
  6. If test 5 shows polarity light goes off but plug-in tester is showing a fault, I'd have to suspect polarity light is wired wrong and was never noticed before. Check the wires are to N and E and NOT to L & E
  7. If test 5 shows polarity light stays on but plug-in tester is showing a fault, I'd have to again suspect polarity light is wired wrong and was never noticed before. Check the wires are to N and NOT to L & N

Also, now apart from the Battery Master being the preferred device for Noahs Ark and best left there, it cannot cause an AC Reversed Polarity issue.
Click to expand...
David thank you for your observations, I will obtain a Habotest plug in as recommended, and will check out our 328 as per your advice you’ve kindly listed. Image is sites tester in my socket, I will advise as able with results, kind regards

IMG_1082.jpeg
 
My other update is reverse polarity light went out on its own, could it be the other MH that was using same electrical post had an issue that passed to us. We noticed after he left light w3nt out, still puzzled.
 
I'm absolutely delighted to hear that you are sorted again. Well done 👍

Didn't know there was another van using the same hook-up post, and now we'll never know whether it, or the site, had an electrical issue.

From many years of travelling, and cheerfully growing older, I continue to expect the unexpected, remain calm, and try not lose to much sleep. 🙂
 
TrevandJenny said:
Thank you for the thought, Could you fit a diode inline to stop the drain?
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Click to expand...
You CAN fit a diode but diodes have a forward voltage drop so the cab battery voltage will be lower than the Leisure battery. If you select a Schottky diode with as low a Vf as possible (maybe around 0.3V) and parallel half a dozen you can get to around 0.28V drop, which is good enough to stop the cab battery from going flat.
If you're 'into' DIY electronics and you want to save yourself £40-£50 you could build this unit which I mentioned a while back on WC. Post No 126.

Charging cab / engine battery from Solar panel.

Ive often left all my vehicles for months on end with no charge. Cars get left for up to five or six months, bikes often the same and the motorhome often gets left over winter. I just disconnect the negative lead off the batteries. Seems to work. Ask any good battery shop and you will be told...
wildcamping.co.uk wildcamping.co.uk

There's a typo in the post, the smart bypass diode I used is type SM74611. I built and used it quite a few years ago so there's probably better/cheaper alternative types now.
(y)
 
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