help! problems with hook up/12v electrics

[minority]

hi all

please be patient with me as im new to the motor home scene and this may be really silly(or not)

after buying our first motor home, me the mrs and the kids took it out for the first time last week.

we had electric hook up, plugged it in and used everything as normal, thinking everything would run with no problems untill we packed up and went home

after a few hours the tv started playing up,the lights went dull, then when we tried to start the van the battery was as dead as a dodo

the fridge and kettle was still working though (persumably off the electric hook up)

could anybody please shed any light into what maybe wrong as we are baffled why certain things were still working but other 12v things were not working?

thank you in advance for your replys

mark & yvonne

 

[Deleted member 3011]

You could tell us the make and model of your motorhome because they are all different.

Things to look for. Find the battery charger - under a seat or well hidden somewhere you would never think to look for it - and make sure it is switched on. Check the charger fuse. Check if there is a mains breaker feeding the charger.

It also sounds as if the habitation 12V system is being supplied from the engine battery (or an interconnector switch has been left on) and this needs to be sorted out. The engine and habitation systems need to be completely separated when parked and the engine not running.

Check for any isolating switch.

There is often a relay that switches over between charging from the engine and charging from the mains charger - or it may be a manual changeover switch. Either way, it may be in the wrong position.

Other model-specific solutions will have to wait until your next post

 

[minority]

hi tony,

thanks for your speedy reply

thank you for the "things to look for" il get onto that first thing in the morning as it is very late now

as it happens there is a on/off switch under the drivers seat(near the leusure battery) that we can find no obvious use for, so this could well be the solution to our problem

in the mean time it is a 1990 peouget talbot knous 4/5 birth

thank you

mark/yvonne