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Subject Topic: Faulty battery or faulty transformer Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonLoch Morlich
11/4/2014 at 12:08am
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Hi

Getting ready for 2014.


We have a problem. Battery performance isn't so good, trouble actually using the van's motor move, voltage seems to drop quickly when ehu unplugged. The van had been newly serviced and electrolyte had been added to the battery.

After say 36 hours on the ehu there was a smell of rotten eggs in the van. I noticed the battery was very hot too. At this point I removed the van's fuse for the battery, the smell disapered and the battery cooled. The charger / transformer presumably still was operating as we remained connected to the ehu for the remainder of our stay.....but there was no smell as long as the battery fuse was removed.

My question is. Do we simply have a dud battery and it's venting SO2 which caused the smell? Or do we have a dud charger and it's the rectifier which is smelling like rotten eggs?

I think it's the battery because the smell goes after we remove it's fuse.

Am I right? I don't want to buy a new battery just to prove that it's the charger.....

We could take it for another service but if there's no power in the battery just getting it out onto the road will be difficult.

Your advice would be appreciated.


Personmichell8
11/4/2014 at 8:51am
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Sounds like you might have both if the charger has malfunctioned & overcharged the battery, once battery is fully charged then charger is supposed to shut off. Best idea would be to charge up battery with a separate charger & leave battery a few days, if it has lost charge then it has had it. Charger has probably also had it.


Personjeff juke
11/4/2014 at 10:32am
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You will need a multi meter to check the charger.

When the charger is connected to the battery the output should be 13.5volts but no more than 14v.

Anymore will cause the battery to boil and fluid will be lost as well as buckling of the plates.



-------------
Animals have feelings..

JEFF................


PersonDaveS1
11/4/2014 at 11:01am
 Location: Hatfield Peverel Essex
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As above but it definitely sounds like a faulty battery to me.
Daves1


Personboris54
11/4/2014 at 1:27pm
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I had the same, egg smell, hot battery and ruined battery.
I later realised that the van does not have a charger, only a transformer.When on ehu disconnect the battery and all 12v and 240v should work.
I just use the battery for the mover
Bye the way is your van european as a lot only have a transformer which will keep pumping power to the battery and fry it.

-------------
live for today as tomorrow ma never come.


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PersonLoch Morlich
11/4/2014 at 9:35pm
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Yes it is European.

It is an Adrian Adiva 2004

I must admit I thought it had a charger but possibly not.

Does anyone know for sure?

Thanks


VangoMan02
11/4/2014 at 9:48pm
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If you do not have a handbook maybe you could access one online, this would give all that kind of info??

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It is a fool who has to say something.


PersonColin21
11/4/2014 at 10:47pm
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I am getting a little confused here. A van having only a transformer?? Surely a transformer has an AC output? Or do you mean a transformer/rectifier? That would give a DC output. But then a transformer/rectifier is the basis of a battery charger, albeit an uncontrolled one.

Having said that, if the transformer/rectifier just had a 12 volt DC output, it would not charge a 12 volt battery. That would take an output of 13.5 - 14 volts.

Why would a caravan manufacturer fit a 12 volt transformer/rectifier unit, rather than a battery charger?

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


Personmichell8
12/4/2014 at 8:52am
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If caravan is not designed to have a battery it will have a mains transformer to produce 12v dc to run 12v lights, water pump etc while plugged into ehu. The transformer cannot be used for battery charging. Most continental caravans are supplied thus as standard with a transformer/charger & battery available as optional extra.

If your caravan has only a transformer then you need to change this for a transformer/charger, probably well over £200 incl. labour. To save spending this you could charge battery with separate charger plugged into caravan while on ehu so battery is charged up for mover.

If you only stay on sites with ehu then you don't need battery except for mover. Once you have used mover then just put a trickle charger on battery overnight & do this once a month if battery is not being used.


PersonDelboya
12/4/2014 at 11:07am
 Location: Somerset
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I would agree with michell8's scenario above as my Hobby came without a battery. However, I would totally disagree with the £200 for a charger - Amazon do a ctek 7-stage intelligent charger for less than £50 - I installed mine as an adjunct to rather than a replacement for the OEM equipment. So normally, the battery is not used (except for the mover), but also installed a switch such that if there is no EHU (or a power failure as happened once), then I can feed the battery to the 12v side of the OEM transformer. (The transformer is intelligent in that if I have both 240 and 12v supplies, it ignores the 12v.)

Del


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Personmichell8
12/4/2014 at 12:08pm
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You can do it cheaper if you diy as you point out & even cheaper is to simply plug in a separate charger as required but have a new transformer/charger fitted by a caravan workshop at normal labour rates+vat would certainly cost over £200.


PersonColin21
12/4/2014 at 8:26pm
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Just shows how out of touch I have become with modern caravans. When I last had a caravan, EHUs were very rare, as were motor movers. I don't think that movers even existed, come to think of it. I can only presume that these "transformers" are in fact transformer/rectifiers, as a transformer alone would give an AC output. The rectifier part converts the 12 volts AC to 12 volts DC.

On most sites back then, no battery would have meant no electrics, so only gas lighting. Oh dear, I'm really starting to show my age now.

One thing I love about this forum is that it shows that even us oldies can learn new things.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin



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