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Subject Topic: 12v powering issues Post Reply Post New Topic
14/1/2017 at 8:53pm
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View Jimmygunn's Profile View Profile   Reply to Jimmygunn Reply   Quote Jimmygunn Quote  
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Hi folks, please forgive my terminology on some things, but I'm a caravan newbie,
I've been doing cosmetics on an old Sprite major, mid 90'season
I've finally gotten round to getting a new battery as the old one was dead long ago, although the caravan works fine on the mains.

The problem I've got is the device the battery connects to, be it the "inverter/transformer/charger/adapter, which then powers into the caravan,

As soon as I attach the last crocodile clip to the battery (pop) the two 15 amp fuses in the "device" blow, I've done this three times and lost all six fuses, I'm not sure what the problem is, the caravan wasn't yet plugged into the device.
the battery is a 12v 100ah, I assumed the van would be fine with this, granted, the old battery I removed was a smaller 75ah, I'm at a loss at why the battery is blowing the device.


15/1/2017 at 1:53am
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
View tango55's Profile View Profile   Reply to tango55 Reply   Quote tango55 Quote  
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Sounds daft but have you got the positive and negative battery terminals connected the right way round?
Also, connect the battery terminals to the battery first before connecting to 240 volt mains as the reverse order could be also possibly be the source of the problem.
If the above proves to be correct then it is advisable to get an auto electrician to conduct a circuit test as they should be able to trace the underlying fault.


15/1/2017 at 11:26am
 Location: Hatfield Peverel Essex
 Outfit: Ace Supreme Twinstar Disco 3
View DaveS1's Profile View Profile   Reply to DaveS1 Reply   Quote DaveS1 Quote  
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Hi. The higher rated battery is unlikely to be the cause.
I would go along with Tango55. You are either connecting the battery the wrong way round or there is a fault in the charger unit.
If there were a fault in the caravan wiring itself I would have expected a fuse to blow in the fuse box rather than the charger unit.
DaveS1


15/1/2017 at 2:22pm
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View Jimmygunn's Profile View Profile   Reply to Jimmygunn Reply   Quote Jimmygunn Quote  
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It must be the charger unit then as the unit wasn't yet plugged into the mains nor the caravan before the fuses blew, I'm going to install am a few pics I think, see if anyone can see the problem, it might be staring me in the face and I don't know it, where could I get a newer "unit" for a 93 caravan? And what's it called exactly? Is it a charger? Is it a power adapter?

I'm not sure if this means anything, but on the unit, it says 12v 10A
On the battery itself, it says 12v 100ah but also says initial current 30A

So could that be the problem? Is a 30A charge trying to go into a unit that says 10A? I'll post the pics shortly.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPScXAnjt7m/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPScVGHjpsV/


15/1/2017 at 8:23pm
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
View tango55's Profile View Profile   Reply to tango55 Reply   Quote tango55 Quote  
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The charger unit is actually called a transformer as it transforms 240 volt mains power to 13 volts and all you need to do is replace the unit with the same rating that is stated on the outer case of the old charger unit. The only difference is that the older one may be a white casing and a replacement a silver one but they cost around the £100 mark.
If you suspect the charger is defective I would get a voltmeter and connect to the battery terminals when on an electric supply and see what the output is. It should be around 13.5 volts without any fluctuation if it is working correctly.



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