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Topic: Smart alternator and leisure battery

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Iain4702

via mobile 18/7/2021 at 7:25pm
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Hi Broadside.
Just bought a new Bailey Autograph on Boxer with smart alternator and experiencing the same no charge to leisure or fridge whilst driving.
Who could I contact if I have to get a DC to DC fitted.
Thanks for your help
Iain Burrell

chris4

18/7/2021 at 9:48pm
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Hi Iain

If you have no charge at all to the fridge or leisure battery then I suggest there is a problem beyond the generic smart alternator issue.

If the issue is like ours in that the leisure battery charges but to a very low voltage but the fridge works OK then we have solved it to a certain extent.

Like you we tried Bailey and they were not interested. Eventually a Mr Swain took up the matter but having procrastinated for ages suggested that they come to collect the van to investigate the matter. They said they'd need to keep the van for two or three weeks and the date they suggested was the first week of lockdown easing in April....! We decided to go away in the van instead. Bailey insisted that there was no known issue and as they sell thousands of motorhomes if it had been an issue they would know about it...

Disconnecting the battery sensor from the cab battery whilst the engine is running works temporarily and results in 13.8v being sent to both batteries. But once the engine is switched off for a time it reverts to the previous regime. So only an emergency fix if you need to run the engine to top up the leisure battery.

However, I have discovered another potential solution/cause. If you have a solar panel then read on. It seems that Bailey set the solar panel charge controller to 50/50 (ie half the charge from the solar goes to the leisure battery and half goes to the van battery at all time). I have changed this to 100%/0% so the panel will only charge the cab bettery once the leisure battery is fully charged. Not only does this mean that the leisure battery charges much more quickly on solar when parked it also, I think, prevents the engine ECU "thinking" the van battery is fully charged and cutting the output from the alternator when driving in the sunshine. I am still getting a variable charge from the alternator but never as low as 12.2v. Usually after driving the leisure battery is around 12.7/12.8 which is fine.

If you look in your Bailey handbook or the solar controller handbook it is easy to change the settings.

Hope this helps...!

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Iain4702

via mobile 19/7/2021 at 1:24pm
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Hi Chris and thanks for your prompt reply.
If I crank the engine when the chassis battery is say only 12.5/12.6 for a short period the control panel does show that a high charge rate is going into both chassis and leisure batteries (I have two).The fridge does get a charge on DC also. However these readings drop drastically after a short period as ,in my opinion ,the EMU recognises that the chassis battery is up to 80% charge and cuts out.By my reckoning then this suggests that the standard split relay system is working as it should but isNOT suitable for smart alternators.

Iain4702

via mobile 19/7/2021 at 1:31pm
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Sorry Chris,should have mentioned that I have reset my solar regulator to 90/10 with 90 going into leisure batteries and that suits my needs.
I have had 30+ days since purchase off EHU and my solar charge is very effective.
My main issue is that due to the non charging DC issue I am having to travel with fridge on gas as using the DC fridge setting whilst travelling is depleting my leisure batteries voltage.

Broadside

via mobile 19/7/2021 at 1:49pm
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Iain, it would be worth speaking to the people at travelvolts.do.uk they can provide DCDC charging systems which are specifically designed to work with smart alternators and will get you around this 80% state of charge issue.

chris4

via mobile 19/7/2021 at 1:53pm
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Hi Iain
I think (without any actual knowledge!!) that your fridge will be ok on 12v when travelling. Ours is fine and keeps the freezer at minus 20c when driving, even though the control panel frequently alarms to say leisure battery low. It's still pushing out over 12v so enough to run the fridge. I think your theory of what's happening with the ecu is probably right. Ours is better in this respect since I've put the solar regulator to 100/0. The manufacturers of our previous camper said they never connect the cab battery to the solar supply as it confuses the ecu. It shouldn't be like this when one has spent over £50k on a vehicle, but we've decided to live with it with a few fixes in case of emergency!! Good luck and have fun.

Ernie DB

19/7/2021 at 2:12pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Iain4702 on 18/7/2021
Hi Broadside.
Just bought a new Bailey Autograph on Boxer with smart alternator and experiencing the same no charge to leisure or fridge whilst driving.
Who could I contact if I have to get a DC to DC fitted.
Thanks for your help
Iain Burrell

I have no connection with this company nor have I used their products/ services, but came across this article whilst researching another matter.

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/auxiliary-battery-charging-in-vehicles-with-smart-a........

Hope it's of some use to you.

-------------
Never argue with fools........They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.

chris4

via mobile 19/7/2021 at 2:13pm
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Iain
PS: If you do opt for a battery to battery charger, I'd be interested to know who would be willing to do this alongside the factory fitted controls and regulators. I tried travelvolts and they were very keen to sell me a unit but less keen to assure me how to fit it without messing up the existing electronics. I tried several others and it was the same. Seems they are what should be fitted at the factory but that won't happen until Bailey admits their current systems don't work with smart alternators. Vanbitz near Taunton said they could do it but couldn't give a price as it depended how long it took to disconnect the existing electronics, find the relevant relays to bypass and then fit the new btob charger...

Also, if you're running low on leisure power at night, switch to the cab battery, it has huge capacity. We've done that a couple of times after a cloudy day off ehu. The bonus is when you start the engine in the morning the battery's voltage drop triggers a full 14.8v charge to both batteries for half an hour...!

Iain4702

via mobile 19/7/2021 at 2:37pm
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Thanks for your advice Chris and for taking an interest in my charging problems.
If I do not go down the road of a DC2DC I suppose I will have get by as it is.
This is my 6th new van since 1995 and I have never experienced the lack of interest shown by a manufacturer but there again it is our first Bailey!
Having said all of that we are loving our Autograph 74-2 but totally frustrated that after spending a lot of money the charging system is clearly not fit for purpose.
Enjoy your travels
Iain

jaybee

23/7/2021 at 9:38am
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Have you tried RoadPro? They supply and fit B2B chargers. Worth giving them a call.

https://www.roadpro.co.uk/product/02d-battery-to-battery-dc-dc-battery-chargers/vo........

Iain4702

via mobile 23/7/2021 at 10:09am
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Thank you jaybee

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