| Author | Message | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 101 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
I went to start our 102 today and found that the starting batteries were just about dead. Thought that I had failed to turn them off last time this happened but this time master switch was off because I had to turn it on before attempting to start the engine. Posts and connections are clean and tight. Batteries were load tested this summer, acid levels in all cells good. When checking the batteries I noticed a clicking sound, like a relay, coming from the equalizer even with the main switch in the off position. Off the top battery are two leads, one from positive and one from ground going to, I assume, the equalizer. This would feed 12 volts directly from the battery to the equalizer. I disconnected the positive side of this wire from the battery and got quite a big spark from it and the equalizer clicked rapidly. Shouldn't the equalizer be hooked up to the output side of the main switch? Why would it be clicking? I don't think anything else could be powered with the main switch turned off so why would my starting batteries be going dead? Main switch is working because nothing else electrical works in the coach with it turned off. Any ideas where to start to look would be appreciated Les | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1172 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.25  Rating: N/A |
Les, What make and model of equalizer do you have? Many equalizers can not be connected downstream of the disconnect switch because the equalizer can be damaged unless the ground connection is broken first and made last. Most Vanners are this way, for example. So to avoid equalizer damage, they are connected directly to the batteries. Remember, too, that if you have an equalizer it's probably because you have 12-volt loads. If you have a disconnect switch on the 24-volt side but not on the 12-volt side, the 12-volt loads can drain the entire bank. This could be as simple as a clock, or the memory power for the radio. Lastly, the equalizer itself does have an idle drain, although it is minimal -- about the same as the batteries' self-discharge rate. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 102 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
It is the vanner that came with the coach. All of our exterior lights are 12 volt off of the chassis batteries headlights tail lights etc. I think you are right that it needs the ground disconnected first and I fear that I may have damaged it when I took off the positive lead today. I don't think that the drain is from parasitic draw because it was only a few days ago that I had the coach running. I had a webasto in the coach when I bought it that has a control mounted under the dash, It has a LED display that remains lit. I removed the webasto because the mother board and the pump were both non functional and very expensive to repair. We replaced the webasto with a new hydronic heater but the original control remains and as far as I know is the only thing that would be still drawing power. As that is only a small LED display I can't see it being enough of a load to drain two 8D batteries in 3 or 4 days. Is it any likely that the vanner was drawing power and making heat? I didn't feel any heat from it but I am at a loss as to where the charge went. Especially with the main switch turned off I will try to see the model number on the unit tomorrow and see if any info on it is available. If it is damaged what would you suggest to replace it with. Les | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 103 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
I have not found any numbers on the vanner battery equalizer. The only number is the MCI part number. I think that is not much help. Is there any way to test the equalizer to see if it is working? I guess I can see if it is drawing power when the coach is not running and thus be the cause of my dead batteries that would indicate that it was not functioning properly. I would be interested in any suggestions on an alternative way of balancing the two chassis batteries Les | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1173 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.41 Rating: N/A |
The simplest way to test an equalizer is to disconnect the 12-v lead from the batteries and connect it instead directly to a 12-v load such as some 12-v lights, then check the output voltage. Most Vanners have a fuse or circuit breaker built into them to protect the device itself; make sure this is not tripped or blown. There are also supposed to be coach-builder supplied fuses in line with both the 24- and 12-v leads. If these are present, make sure they are not blown. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 116 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
I finally got back to the equalizer. I now own 3 of them!! I talked to Vanner technical services and got the book for the units, went thru the testing procedure on all 3 units and according to the tests all 3 fail. The unit that came with the coach is a 60 100c. the testing procedure requires a clamp on DC amp meter. Test the 12 volt terminal with a load on between the 12 volt terminal and the ground terminal with the ground cable disconnected. results should be 3 amps or more. I got a test of 2.37 amps. the second test on this unit also indicated a fail but so far they haven't been able to tell me why I got a reading lower than 3 amps but higher than 0 amps The other two units are model #s 60-50 and 60-20 The test require less than .10 volt difference between 24 to 12 and 12 to ground terminals with the ground cable disconnected. Sean, if you can make any sense out of all this and offer some suggestions I would be glad to hear them. Les | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1197 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.14 Rating: N/A |
Les, I won't presume to know more about these than the manufacturer. If they gave you test procedures and those indicate the units are bad, I would think that they are. You might ask Vanner if they will refurbish them or refer you to a local repair center. I would not guess there is much you can do for them yourself without a test bench and a detailed circuit diagram. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 119 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
I am in e-mail contact with vanner and will ask about repairing the units. I need two of them to be working. One for the chassis batteries and one for the house batteries. My fear is that they are not as reliable as they might be. I have 3 of them and all 3 have failed. Do you know if they have chronic problems and if so is there a better way to balance the battery banks? Les | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1198 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.29 Rating: N/A |
My experience with Vanner is that they are highly reliable. I have two myself, both of which are over 20 years old with no problems, and that's despite very harsh conditions. They are easily damaged, however, if connected incorrectly, installed without the required fuses, or disconnected out of sequence. So if those units came to you already dead, there is a strong possibility that it was from operator error. FWIW. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| les marston (Les_marston)
Registered Member Username: Les_marston Post Number: 120 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 68.151.225.213 Rating: N/A |
in that case I hope they can be repaired because the replacement cost is high. Do you think that the 20 amp unit would be enough for the house batteries? Thanks Sean Les | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1199 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.12 Rating: N/A |
Les, The size you need depends on how much 12-volt load you have and how much of the time the 12-volt loads are in use. A 20-amp equalizer can provide 480 amp-hours of 12-volt power each day. That's enough for most people, but you'll have to add up your 12 volt usage to be sure. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com |