Low leisure battery alert - absolute Novice!

Clueless

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Hi all. Any help would be gratefully received. I've never owned an MH, only a Bailey Pegasus previously. I've just bought a 2019 Bailey Advance (Peugeot Boxer) and been on a site with ehu for a few days. LB was fully charged. Then the low level battery message appeared on the control panel. I needed to get the ferry pronto to France so bought a new leisure battery (110ah) before I left as I had no idea how much abuse the previous battery had been put through. Battery purchased through a company in Fareham that specialises in batteries, inverters etc so a reliable one. Spent another few days on a site in France on ehu and then drove for a few hours with the Dometic fridge switched onto battery. I assume the MH would automatically run the fridge via the engine/alternator that way? As soon as I turned the engine off the low level battery message appeared again. The van also has 100w solar. The solar panel lights are flashing green for Battery 1 and battery 2 but the green light next to the 'sun' indicator is very dim (not sure if this of any relevance). I am a complete Novice and despite having read the hand book I'm still clueless!. So a) Is there a procedure to keep the fridge working while I'm driving that I'm not doing and that is draining the LB and b) any advice regarding what else might be draining the LB would be very useful ie, when I stop driving, how long do I have to remember to put the fridge onto gas or back onto ehu? I've used nothing else on LB, only been on ehu. Sorry for essay, thanks
 
Me again...Clueless... Further to my first post, the battery low level indicator has just come on after running the tap/water pump for only 90 seconds. Charge before was 100%/13.7v. I turned on a small light and it dropped voltage to 13.6. Then I tried running the shower (cold water only) and after 90 seconds the low battery indicator started bleeping at me and it said 12.4v. So the battery doesn't seem to holding a charge? Any help for a woman stuck in France tearing her hair after reading what seems to me to be the entire internet, would be very gratefully received. Thank you
 
First thing you should do is test the input voltage with a meter, cost about 4/5 bucks.
There could be lots of problems, you van may have a smart altanator which is cutting back as it sees the starter bat voltage, so in efect wont send any current to the les battery.
Is your solar running a good mppt regulatoe or one of the old pwm units, it to could be at falt or not set up correct, wildbus is you man and he will have knowlage of your model of van electrics.
Could also be a inline fuse gone or faulty charger, is it a smart unit or the old black box type, if stuck run a thick wire from the starter batt to the leasure one with a inline heavy fuse which you can remove when not driving so you wont run the starter bat down, hope this helps.
 
My first thought was a fulty battery not holding its charge.But it is a new one so more likely to be the charging circuit as described above by @trevskoda.
But my warning from bad experience is not to use EHU if the battery is in any way faulty and not holding charge.Certainly make sure the LB does not get hot.
 
Hi and many thanks for your responses. Hopefully Wildbus will have some ideas too then? Reading more, I think it might be a temporary voltage drop. The 12v voltage (after running tap for 90 seconds) goes back up to around 12.6/12.7 from 12.4v very quickly (seconds) without being on ehu and I know the solar doesn't work that quick. Presumably not a short circuit as everything works ok on ehu? Presumably not a fuse, as it either works or doesn't? What could make voltage drop very quickly and then return that quickly? More ideas gratefully received
 
Sorry I can't be of any help but the Dim light u spoke of sounds like a bad Earth point to me / as far as I know when engine running the fridge is kept at the Temp / & doesn't cool anymore I'm sure help will b along soon 👍
 
Does you EHU actually have power coming into the van? Check the power sockets with a multimeter for 220volts, or a mains appliance. The fridge is automatically put to mains voltage or gas the 12volt only works when running the engine and after a short break will change over because of the open gas flame in a garage whilst filling. If you do not get mains then check the plug or the input trip box and fuses.
 
I have no knowledge of the Bailey Motorhome, but on mine a German model there is a switch on the Electroblock which must be switched to the type of battery installed. It maybe worth checking first if you have such a switch, second if it is set for the right type of battery, lead acid, AGM etc.
 
I have a 2006 Peugeot boxer motorhome something like that happened to me my leisure battery had run flat after an 8 hour drive and I had my fridge on 12 volt turned out to be a fuse in the charging circuit had overheated and melted it was located above the battery in the engine compartment
 
Further to the above the 12 volt setting on the fridge seems to only operate when the engine is running. When the fuse blew the leisure battery was used to try to cool the fridge.
 
Hi, is it a 3 way fridge? if so battery does power fridge when engine is switched off, battery should have been charged depending on journey time, and a very good point is made by Burge, Earth strap can make a big difference on charging & starting, best for that is take it off and clean surfaces, and reattach, But you really do need a meter to do some testing, good Luck.
 
Clueless said:
Hi all. Any help would be gratefully received. I've never owned an MH, only a Bailey Pegasus previously. I've just bought a 2019 Bailey Advance (Peugeot Boxer) and been on a site with ehu for a few days. LB was fully charged. Then the low level battery message appeared on the control panel. I needed to get the ferry pronto to France so bought a new leisure battery (110ah) before I left as I had no idea how much abuse the previous battery had been put through. Battery purchased through a company in Fareham that specialises in batteries, inverters etc so a reliable one. Spent another few days on a site in France on ehu and then drove for a few hours with the Dometic fridge switched onto battery. I assume the MH would automatically run the fridge via the engine/alternator that way? As soon as I turned the engine off the low level battery message appeared again. The van also has 100w solar. The solar panel lights are flashing green for Battery 1 and battery 2 but the green light next to the 'sun' indicator is very dim (not sure if this of any relevance). I am a complete Novice and despite having read the hand book I'm still clueless!. So a) Is there a procedure to keep the fridge working while I'm driving that I'm not doing and that is draining the LB and b) any advice regarding what else might be draining the LB would be very useful ie, when I stop driving, how long do I have to remember to put the fridge onto gas or back onto ehu? I've used nothing else on LB, only been on ehu. Sorry for essay, thanks
Click to expand...
 
We’ve got an Eldiss MH but had a very similar problem at New Year. We were also on an EHU with solar panels and just couldn’t understand what was going on. We bought a new leisure battery but didn’t solve the problem. Ended up taking it in to dealers and it was the 12v converter that needed to be replaced. Cost just over 200 but haven’t had the problem since. We didn’t know that the intererior of all caravans and MHs runs off 12v so if you are on an EHU it has to run n through the converter to operate everything. Because it wasn’t working anything we used drained the battery and it wasn’t recharging.
Hope this helps👍
 
Baznbabs said:
We’ve got an Eldiss MH but had a very similar problem at New Year. We were also on an EHU with solar panels and just couldn’t understand what was going on. We bought a new leisure battery but didn’t solve the problem. Ended up taking it in to dealers and it was the 12v converter that needed to be replaced. Cost just over 200 but haven’t had the problem since. We didn’t know that the intererior of all caravans and MHs runs off 12v so if you are on an EHU it has to run n through the converter to operate everything. Because it wasn’t working anything we used drained the battery and it wasn’t recharging.
Hope this helps👍
Click to expand...
In fact, not everything in the habitation on all MHs runs off 12V. Mine has a 3-way fridge, which will run off mains; I have a TV that will run off 12V or mains; many UK-spec MHs have an option of mains as an alternative to gas to run the boiler for hot water and space heating.
 
Clueless said:
Hi all. Any help would be gratefully received. I've never owned an MH, only a Bailey Pegasus previously. I've just bought a 2019 Bailey Advance (Peugeot Boxer) and been on a site with ehu for a few days. LB was fully charged. Then the low level battery message appeared on the control panel. I needed to get the ferry pronto to France so bought a new leisure battery (110ah) before I left as I had no idea how much abuse the previous battery had been put through. Battery purchased through a company in Fareham that specialises in batteries, inverters etc so a reliable one. Spent another few days on a site in France on ehu and then drove for a few hours with the Dometic fridge switched onto battery. I assume the MH would automatically run the fridge via the engine/alternator that way? As soon as I turned the engine off the low level battery message appeared again. The van also has 100w solar. The solar panel lights are flashing green for Battery 1 and battery 2 but the green light next to the 'sun' indicator is very dim (not sure if this of any relevance). I am a complete Novice and despite having read the hand book I'm still clueless!. So a) Is there a procedure to keep the fridge working while I'm driving that I'm not doing and that is draining the LB and b) any advice regarding what else might be draining the LB would be very useful ie, when I stop driving, how long do I have to remember to put the fridge onto gas or back onto ehu? I've used nothing else on LB, only been on ehu. Sorry for essay, thanks
Click to expand...
Do you have a multi-meter to enable you to check anything? Depending where you are in France, someone on here might be able to assist you.
 
Would be good to hear if this got sorted....must admit thought more help would have been posted for a Lady stuck in a Foreign Country 😉.
 
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