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Subject Topic: Water pump no longer working. dims lights Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonNickWo
01/10/2016 at 8:36am
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Hi all. We acquired (albeit an old) caravan a month ago. The water pump seemed to work ok. But we are currently camping and it is playing silly buggers.

I've noticed that when you turn the tap on, it dims the lights and sometimes cuts out the radio. However the 240v electrics are unaffected.

The battery should charge when connected to the hookup. It reads green on the dial. However. When disconnecting the hookup, the lights and radio stay on for 20 seconds and then power down. The battery life then indicates no charge on the dial.

Would this be causing my water pump problem? Do I need a new leisure battery? Or is this irrelevant due to being hooked up to the mains?

Thanks for reading :)


Personfleck2
01/10/2016 at 9:20am
 Location: Derbyshire
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Sounds like the pump is seized up and taking excess current. The voltage is then dropping because the battery has also come to the end of its working life, which makes the lights dim.
Just check the output voltage of the charger though, it should be at least 13.8v


PersonHacksaw Bob
01/10/2016 at 9:53am
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As above, probably battery - check battery (and charger output) with a meter, and condition of pump (it may be trying to run "dry" if there's insufficient water in tank to cover it, may be blocked with debris or simply worn out).


PersonNickWo
01/10/2016 at 9:53am
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The lights are starting to turn off and the radio no longer works. Looks like it's a battery issue! I've just ordered a new leisure battery. Looks like it's torches for tonight!


PersonNickWo
01/10/2016 at 9:54am
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Just a note... I checked the pump 1 week ago and it was working perfect. Getting no sound at all. It looks like it is the battery


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Personfleck2
01/10/2016 at 10:06am
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If you've got hook up the lights etc should work off the charger as its also (usually) a power supply too.


PersonGrampian91
02/10/2016 at 11:17pm
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Before rushing out and buying a battery is the battery being charged?

You maybe just kill a second battery.


PersonNickWo
03/10/2016 at 7:54am
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When plugged in the metre shows charging


PersonGrampian91
03/10/2016 at 7:41pm
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Which meter? the onboard one? have you checked at the battery terminals?

A cheap meter will let you know if its charging or if teh battery is really low a simple car bulb. Connect the bulb and see if it gets brighter with the charger on.

Also check the battery fluid levels, often neglected these days. rarely are batteries sealed.

Sealed fopr life = dont try topping it up just buy another battery. But topping it up can make it last a lot longer.

The caps are usually visible, if not they will be under the sticker on the top. Use distilled water. You can buy 2.5L from ASDA etc for a £1 or £2

There will be markers inside the battery with the max fluid level, dont overfill it and give it a long slow charge after topping up.


PersonNickWo
03/10/2016 at 7:43pm
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Thanks all for the advice. A new battery is already on the way. Along with a trick charger with overcharge protection to keep it topped up when not in use.

I will report back


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Persongkkad
05/10/2016 at 8:49pm
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We had a similar issue, in that all the 12v items (some lights, water pump, toilet flush etc) stopped working.

We thought it was the battery but it wasn't. The cable that fed the mains electric into the battery charger and transformer had worked it's way loose, so even though themains was plugged in nothing was being supplied to the 12v slide. (This unit as well as charging the battery transformes the 240v supply down to 14v and feeds the other circuit, is my understanding). Removing the consumer unit cover and pushing in this cable fixed it for us)

If these issues are happening when on mains then i would say its not a battery issue, as having a battery fitted is not a requirement when mains attached.

Hope that helps aa bit


PersonColin21
06/10/2016 at 8:05pm
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It may not actually be a requirement gkkad, but it is highly desirable as the battery smooths and stabilises the charger output. Its also very handy if the mains fails, of course.

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


PersonNickWo
06/10/2016 at 8:15pm
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I was reading that a completely dead battery will not power the 12v equipment even when hooked up to the mains. Because the battery requires to be able to hold a small amount of charge. If it can no longer hold any charge then it wont be able to send power to the 12v lights/pump etc.

I may have read wrong - if so - at least I have a spare battery!

GKKAD - thanks for that tip. I will check that. I'm going into the van on saturday to test it all out


PersonColin21
06/10/2016 at 9:30pm
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You are right that a dead battery will not power anything, but if it is hooked up to a charger, the charger will do the powering. If it doesn't, then the charger isn't working either.

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


Persongkkad
07/10/2016 at 9:17pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 06/10/2016
It may not actually be a requirement gkkad, but it is highly desirable as the battery smooths and stabilises the charger output. Its also very handy if the mains fails, of course.


Fully aware of that Colin but when we are talking about the 12v side not working when plugged into mains its somewhat of a red herring (imho).



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