Leisure battery flattened by fridge!

On my Dometic model, the supply to the courtesy light in the fridge is on a separate feed from the leisure battery. This is to ensure the light always illuminates, for example when working on gas.

The 12V supplies for refrigeration are thicker cables which are usually wired to the vehicle battery via an ignition actuated relay, or they could be, as in my case, on a manual switch.
 
Canalsman said:
The absence of the leisure battery shouldn't make any difference to the fridge operation when the engine's running.

You now need to replace the leisure battery and see, with the engine switched off, if the fridge 12v light comes on.

If it does, then it isn't wired correctly and is drawing power from the leisure battery.

If you aren't comfortable with rectifying the problem yourself, a visit to a friendly (and recommended and knowledgeable about motorhomes) auto electrician would be advised. A motorhome dealer would also be able to sort this - but try and get a recommendation.

In either case, ask for a quote first ...
Click to expand...

Ah, that's interesting. No... when the engine was off while I was away, the 12v light went out - even though I left it switched on. I'm more puzzled now! Unless, of course, the switch light operates off the leisure battery, whereas the fridge itself operates off the vehicle battery.

There isn't a light inside the fridge. I fail to see how just 10 days-worth of very infrequent water pump usage (shower used twice only, loo flush never, wash basin and sink once a day) and interior light usage (maybe 4 hours in total) could have run the battery so low - especially as I was driving on average 50 miles a day and was on an 18-hour electric hook-up for 6 nights, including the night before my 150 mile return journey.:confused:
 
fitting a smartcom is a case of connecting a wire to the van batterywith an inline fuse ,taking the wire through thr relay and then to the fridge +ve.then a wire from the fridge -ve to the van body. really not a big job and all the wire sizes etc are in the instructions
 
This may sound daft but you have checked the fluid level in your battery. If its a new van to you, it may have been overcharged which can boil a battery almost dry.

Richard
 
Update...

Ok... I've spoken to a motorhome repairer who said the cheapest option would be to change the relay. From my description of the problem, he said it sounds like it's faulty.

I then rang a motorhome repair centre to ask if they stocked said relay. The chap asked the nature of the problem, and I told him the story. His diagnosis? That the battery charger is not working. Apparently, it's a common fault with the older Ci motorhomes.

I asked why the fridge 12v indicator didn't come on when the engine was running AFTER I'd removed the leisure battery, and he said that the leisure battery needed to be in place to complete the circuit.

So, what I now need to do (as already suggested above) is to test the charger by putting a meter on the leisure battery.

QUESTIONS:

Can I do the test simply by having the engine running, or do I need to have an electrical hook-up?

Does anyone know where I might find the charger? It's a 1995 Ci Sirio. The electrician suggested I might find it behind the driver's seat, but I can't see a compartment.

If it is the charger at fault, does anyone know where I might get one at a reasonable price (i.e. less than the £450 I've been quoted)?

Thanks again, everyone.
 
a car 12v charger 8 or 10 amp will do the job for 30 odd quid.in case you're not sure,the charger is only for when on hookup to 240v,the 12v charger is the van alternator. if you want to spend more look at smart chargers that can't overcharge the battery. you can test the set up with a car charger anyway.
 
rienza said:
There quite a lot of items that are 12 volt on a motorhome ie lights, pump, 12 volt TV ? These operate on 12 volt even if you are on hook up but then the battery charger should be constantly recharging the leisure battery whilst hooked up.

Firstly is your battery charger switched on ( refer to manual) and is it set to charge the leisure battery or the vehicle battery?

Having said all that the alternator should have kept the battery topped up when you have done that sort of mileage so you may have a problem.
Click to expand...

I posted this three days ago. This might still be the problem and it won't cost you a penny if it is.

Perhaps you didn't see the post.
 
rienza said:
I posted this three days ago. This might still be the problem and it won't cost you a penny if it is.

Perhaps you didn't see the post.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Rienza, for the reminder. I did see the original post. I've yet to locate the charger, but I'll keep looking. I guess it's either that or the relay. It certainly seems that the leisure battery is taking no charge at all from either the electric hook-up or the alternator. The chap who recharged the leisure battery for me said it was as flat as a proverbial pancake. I used the interior light for about 8 hours in total, the water pump no more than 5 times a day (the longest was 3 minutes for the shower). Then there was the electric step and the radio (not much for either). Adding it all up over 10 days, I suppose that would certainly run the battery down low if it wasn't taking any charge.

Anyone got any clues about where the charger is likely to be? I've searched the cab inside out.
 
The control panel is above the fridge/hob area, which is behind the front passenger seat. The only thing I can see under either of the front seats is a thing that looks like a clockwork key (triangular top). Half a turn anti-clockwise and it comes off. I can't see what's underneath it. It's under the driver's seat. I can't think it's anything to do with the charger. Maybe it's enclosed behind the control panel.

Anyone else got a '90s Ci motorhome?
 
MartianTom said:
The control panel is above the fridge/hob area, which is behind the front passenger seat. The only thing I can see under either of the front seats is a thing that looks like a clockwork key (triangular top). Half a turn anti-clockwise and it comes off. I can't see what's underneath it. It's under the driver's seat. I can't think it's anything to do with the charger. Maybe it's enclosed behind the control panel.

Anyone else got a '90s Ci motorhome?
Click to expand...

Ah! that key may be a battery isolation switch (cut off switch)? May disconnect the leisure batt or even the starter batt?

Added: If the key can be removed then it is 'off' the key on batt isolators are not removable when on.

John
 
Last edited:
MartianTom first you need to locate the switch which directs the charge from the battery charger to either the vehicle battery or the habitation battery. If this is set to vehicle (veh) rather than (hab) then all the charge is going to the vehicle battery hence a flat habitation battery. This switch is normally on your control panel.

Failing that you need to find the battery charger switch which can be somewhere quite obscure. In our current motorhome it is under the front passenger seat at the side of the leisure battery. In our previous motorhome the leisure battery was under the drivers seat but the switch for the battery charger was under the wardrobe floor accessed via a plastic pull out disc.

Do you have an owners manual? If not, why not phone a CI dealer and ask where the switch is?
 
rienza said:
MartianTom first you need to locate the switch which directs the charge from the battery charger to either the vehicle battery or the habitation battery. If this is set to vehicle (veh) rather than (hab) then all the charge is going to the vehicle battery hence a flat habitation battery. This switch is normally on your control panel.

Failing that you need to find the battery charger switch which can be somewhere quite obscure. In our current motorhome it is under the front passenger seat at the side of the leisure battery. In our previous motorhome the leisure battery was under the drivers seat but the switch for the battery charger was under the wardrobe floor accessed via a plastic pull out disc.

Do you have an owners manual? If not, why not phone a CI dealer and ask where the switch is?
Click to expand...

I've checked the control panel, but cannot see such a switch.

The leisure battery is located in an outside compartment, underneath and to the back of the passenger seat. As I said, the only thing I can locate under either of the seats is that key.

I've been through the owner's manual from cover to cover and there's nothing about the battery charger. There's not even a description of the control panel, so I've had to suss that out myself. I tried ringing Ci, but they were doubtful. The company, it seems, was bought out by someone else in 1998 - 3 years after my MH was made.

I've done a search online for information about Ci Sirio motorhomes, but it doesn't seem like there were many of them made. In fact, most of the search results were for MY motorhome when it was for sale!

Here are a couple of photos showing the control panel:

View attachment 2863View attachment 2864

The main one is the right-hand red switch (left image), which switches on the 12v supply. The other switches control lights and water pump. The right image is just indicators showing battery level, water tank level, etc. The central brown rocker switch is the only one I'm not sure about. It doesn't stay down when I press it, but springs straight back. It looks to me like it shows level in the waste water tank. The indicator underneath it comes on when the 240v hook-up is made. The only other switch, not shown, is a large orange rocker switch to the right of the panel. As far as I can see, all this does is switch on the panel indicator lights. Do you think it might serve another purpose, such as controlling the battery charger?
 
Last edited:
The last 3 motorhomes that we have had have, all had a switch to change the charger from vehicle to habitation but they have all been Auto-Sleepers so perhaps CI don't fit such a switch.

I'm fairly certain that you will have an on/off switch for the battery charger but as I said earlier it may be in a very obscure place and it might not be obvious what the switch is for.

The one I mentioned that was under the wardrobe floor, when you pulled the plastic disc out, there was a red light glowing to show it was switched on. Had it been switched off you would have needed a torch to even know there was a switch there.

Another example is, in our current motorhome, there is a drawer below the wardrobe so you have to open the drawer while the wardrobe door is open then lift out a panel to expose electrical switches for heater elements in the water tanks and drain switch for the Trauma heater etc.

What I'm suggesting is thoroughly investigate your wardrobe.

Happy hunting Martian Tom.
 
Found it... I think!

Okay... after much searching this afternoon, I finally found this concealed behind a panel under the sink:

View attachment 2866

I assume it's the charger? I can see no switches on it, but I've checked all the fuses and they're ok.

Anyway, after I found it, something occurred to me. Don't ask me why I hadn't remembered it before, but not long after I got the van I took it to a nearby campsite one night and hooked it up to the mains - and during the course of the evening I heard a periodic 'ticking' noise coming from under the sink. I assumed at the time that it was the leisure battery I then had - an old and knackered one - taking the trickle charge.

While I was away the last couple of weeks, I had several hook-ups - but never heard that sound at all. I can only think that, because it was a brand new leisure battery, I assumed it wouldn't need to take a charge because the driving would have kept it topped up. But this got me wondering... was there something else I was doing on that first ever hook-up? Answer... I think, I think, I had the orange rocker switch on the electrics control panel ON. Now, when I bought the van, the dealer wasn't sure what this switch was for, but suggested it was just to illuminate the control panel indicators - which it does. But I'm now wondering if it's the elusive ON switch for the battery charger! I know, anyway, that I didn't have it switched on at all while I was away. Here's what it looks like OFF then ON:

View attachment 2867 View attachment 2868

Have I cracked it? I switched it on during a drive this afternoon, but heard no ticking noise. I guess an electrical hook-up will tell me one way or another.

I have to say I thought it seemed a mighty big switch just for panel indicator lights!
 
MartianTom said:
Okay... after much searching this afternoon, I finally found this concealed behind a panel under the sink:
View attachment 2867 View attachment 2868

Have I cracked it? I switched it on during a drive this afternoon, but heard no ticking noise. I guess an electrical hook-up will tell me one way or another.

I have to say I thought it seemed a mighty big switch just for panel indicator lights!
Click to expand...

Would be interesting to know if that switch is duel function like on the old Zig CF8 control panels. ON and the battery charges from EHU. OFF and the battery charges from the engine alternator while driving,

I think it also kept the engine and leisure batteries connected together on my old VW because the split charge relay was bypassed by a previous owner:mad1: Because both batteries were close together on my old VW I would connect a jump lead between the two "+" batt terminals while on EHU to make sure the engine batt was fully charged

John
 
Finger and toes crossed Martian Tom. Let us know how you get on please.
 
Did you manage to solve your problem MartianTom and if so what did you do?
 
rienza said:
Did you manage to solve your problem MartianTom and if so what did you do?
Click to expand...

Hi Rienza - and thanks for thinking of me!

I recharged the battery, but since then have used it sparingly - and I haven't done a huge number of miles, either. But I'm going to try to test it this weekend: put a volt meter on with the engine running and with a hook-up. I have a feeling that the orange switch I mentioned is the one I need to put on with the hook-up. I don't think, though, that the trickle charge from the alternator can be working properly, otherwise the battery wouldn't have been flat after a 150 mile run with no use. Unless, that is, 'trickle' means just that! Is it really just a trickle? Would it need, say, 1,000 miles to get a full charge?

I'll keep you posted, anyway. Thanks again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top