TimSands
Full Member
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- 14
I would be very grateful for any insights from the electrically savvy on an issue that has come up since I had my leisure batteries upgraded to lithium.
My moho is a florium A class 2020 on a euro 6 ducato.
Earlier this year I took the plunge and replaced my lead acid batteries with lithium. I also doubled the solar, added a battery master to trickle charge the engine battery and had an inverter fitted. I had the work done by a professional installer. I am very happy with the setup and its incredibly helpful to be able to monitor battery capacity and solar charge. With the old system, it was difficult to know how much capacity was available on the leisure batteries.
However I noticed that the alternator does not seem to charge up the lithium habitation battery. It hasn't yet got below 80% since I had it fitted but two hours driving between stops on a recent trip didn't increase the leisure battery charge at all. The moho came with a Nordelettronica NE325 DC-DC unit and this is still in use. When I contacted the installer, he suggested the nordelettronica unit may not be working. I dropped by his workshop this week to see if it needed replacing. He told me that when he tested the output from the alternator it was only 12.6v and so not enough to put a charge into the lithium battery. He suggested that it might be a faulty earth problem.
My moho has stop start and I believe that means it has a smart alternator. I wasn't really aware what a smart alternator was before this week but understand it reduces the charge when it is not needed as part of lowering emissions. I understand the DC-DC unit is supposed to prompt the smart alternator to provide sufficient current to charge the leisure battery.
I'm left with not knowing what to do to get the alternator charging the battery whilst driving. At the moment it is not a big issue as my battery capacity is significantly enhanced and solar plus when on hook up will charge it up sufficiently. But in winter it will be more of an issue. On reflection, I suspect this issue might predate the lithium battery upgrade. I had the 12volt cut out on me last winter within 30 minutes of parking up after a two hour drive and fortunately my weekend was saved by the site having a spare pitch with hook up. I put it down to failing batteries and brought forward the upgrade but I now wonder if it was an alternator charging problem.
Grateful for any wisdom on this and advice on wo might sort this. My installer saw this as an alternator problem (and I am booked in for service and MOT next month so could ask the garage to investigate. On the other hand if it is something to do with the nordelettronica kit, then it's a habitation side issue.
Thanks in anticipation
My moho is a florium A class 2020 on a euro 6 ducato.
Earlier this year I took the plunge and replaced my lead acid batteries with lithium. I also doubled the solar, added a battery master to trickle charge the engine battery and had an inverter fitted. I had the work done by a professional installer. I am very happy with the setup and its incredibly helpful to be able to monitor battery capacity and solar charge. With the old system, it was difficult to know how much capacity was available on the leisure batteries.
However I noticed that the alternator does not seem to charge up the lithium habitation battery. It hasn't yet got below 80% since I had it fitted but two hours driving between stops on a recent trip didn't increase the leisure battery charge at all. The moho came with a Nordelettronica NE325 DC-DC unit and this is still in use. When I contacted the installer, he suggested the nordelettronica unit may not be working. I dropped by his workshop this week to see if it needed replacing. He told me that when he tested the output from the alternator it was only 12.6v and so not enough to put a charge into the lithium battery. He suggested that it might be a faulty earth problem.
My moho has stop start and I believe that means it has a smart alternator. I wasn't really aware what a smart alternator was before this week but understand it reduces the charge when it is not needed as part of lowering emissions. I understand the DC-DC unit is supposed to prompt the smart alternator to provide sufficient current to charge the leisure battery.
I'm left with not knowing what to do to get the alternator charging the battery whilst driving. At the moment it is not a big issue as my battery capacity is significantly enhanced and solar plus when on hook up will charge it up sufficiently. But in winter it will be more of an issue. On reflection, I suspect this issue might predate the lithium battery upgrade. I had the 12volt cut out on me last winter within 30 minutes of parking up after a two hour drive and fortunately my weekend was saved by the site having a spare pitch with hook up. I put it down to failing batteries and brought forward the upgrade but I now wonder if it was an alternator charging problem.
Grateful for any wisdom on this and advice on wo might sort this. My installer saw this as an alternator problem (and I am booked in for service and MOT next month so could ask the garage to investigate. On the other hand if it is something to do with the nordelettronica kit, then it's a habitation side issue.
Thanks in anticipation