Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Don Kee on November 03, 2013, 04:17:26 pm
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Hi all
I put in a split charger around a month ago and everythings been fine until a few days a go when the battery seemed to be low on power.
Ive just checked the fuses and they've gone...
Anyone have an idea of why this would happen or if there is anything i can do to stop this happening again?
I use 30amp wire and 20amp fuses
Many thanks
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How many amps does your charger put out ?
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I have a 110 amp h leisure battery and have never blown a fuse in 5 years. My fuses are 15amp.
I have a volt and amp meter on my system and even when the battery is half flat, the initial charging surge rate is around 13 amps for a few moments and quickly drops to around 8 - 9 amps within about 5 seconds.
So it appears to me as though the limit of charge my leisure battery will accept is around 8 amps. It is a known fact that leisure batteries require a trickle charge.
However, if you are running other power hungry stuff with the engine running then I could see an issue. In my case I have a diesel air heater which is also driven by the leisure battery. If I start the diesel heater with the engine running, it will draw about 10 amps heating up the glow plug. If the battery in also drawing 8 amps to recharge at that time, then I will be drawing more than the fuse is rated for so will blow as I am drawing 18 amps from the alternator.
However as you are covered with a 20 amp fuse, I can only suggest that something has shorted out and caused the fuse to blow. I can think of no other reason for there to be an issue.
If you have an ordinary car battery to drive your pump/pumps, then I understand that a starter battery will accept a faster charge than a leisure battery will. If that was flat, then it could have taken a charge higher than 20 amps.
If you have replaced your fuse/fuses, then is the split charge relay now working? I had a blown track on a split charge relay on my son’s van which blew a fuse. We had to replace the relay as it was knackered. Has the auxiliary battery got a clean earth to the van’s chassis/body? (By a clean earth, I mean the paint scrapped off around the eye terminal to ensure a good contact.)
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I use a car battery but its huge and rarely gets low enough to require a high charge rate .
My charger can I believe put out 30 amps if required which would blow a twenty amp fuse .
Like spruce said that shouldnt happen with a leisure battery .
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Thanks for the replies :)
I have a 85ah leisure battery, around 2 years old now.
I have a transit 260 but have no idea how much amps draw ftom other things if im honest, the only thing i have drawing from the van is the leisure battery (apart from what the van should normally draw)
The earth is clean, i used a proper auto electrical earth wire (the ones that the van battery use) so i dont think its that....
Ive not noticed anything else short out to be honest, is it an idea so check the van fuse box?
I havent had a chance to change fuses yet, i didnt have spares and only realised 5 mins before original post so will have to check in the morning.
The split i'm using is :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161141607833?redirect=mobile
And the fuse that blew was the one in between van battery and relay.
The fuse between relay and leisure looks like it is on its way out as well...
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I use a car battery but its huge and rarely gets low enough to require a high charge rate .
My charger can I believe put out 30 amps if required which would blow a twenty amp fuse .
Like spruce said that shouldnt happen with a leisure battery .
Am i better putting 30amp fuses on then?
I used 20amp as thats what were recommended....
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when at maplins get a voltage meter ;D
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this happened to me when i had a flow cotroler built in charger it kept melting the fuse , i changed to a split charger
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this happened to me when i had a flow cotroler built in charger it kept melting the fuse , i changed to a split charger
Its the fuses on a split charger (i put fuses in the circuit) that have blown.
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when at maplins get a voltage meter ;D
What use would that do?do you mean put after the van battery to see if there is initial power surge when switching van on?
The controller (liquid logic-digital) tells me how many volts are in the leisure battery.
Although knowing you mr badboy i'd imagine your taking the michael somewhere :P
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Thanks for the replies :)
I have a 85ah leisure battery, around 2 years old now.
I have a transit 260 but have no idea how much amps draw ftom other things if im honest, the only thing i have drawing from the van is the leisure battery (apart from what the van should normally draw)
The earth is clean, i used a proper auto electrical earth wire (the ones that the van battery use) so i dont think its that....
Ive not noticed anything else short out to be honest, is it an idea so check the van fuse box?
I havent had a chance to change fuses yet, i didnt have spares and only realised 5 mins before original post so will have to check in the morning.
The split i'm using is :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161141607833?redirect=mobile
And the fuse that blew was the one in between van battery and relay.
The fuse between relay and leisure looks like it is on its way out as well...
Both of our other vans have 85 amph leisure batteries fitted. I have had the volt/amp meter on one of the vans (Ford Connect L220 LWB) and have found that the 85amp h leisure battery charges at about the same rate as the 110 amph leisure battery in my Citroen Relay - at around 8 amps.
I don't have an answer for your problem, sorry. I would certainly replace the fuse and check the fuse holders. It could be that the fuse itself could be the problem if the split charge relays works when you replace the fuse.
I would replace the other fuse as well. check all the connections and if its working then keep an eye on it. If it happens again then perhaps an auto electrician needs to look at it, prefferably one who has experience with this sort of thing in the motor home leisure market.
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Thanks for the replies :)
I have a 85ah leisure battery, around 2 years old now.
I have a transit 260 but have no idea how much amps draw ftom other things if im honest, the only thing i have drawing from the van is the leisure battery (apart from what the van should normally draw)
The earth is clean, i used a proper auto electrical earth wire (the ones that the van battery use) so i dont think its that....
Ive not noticed anything else short out to be honest, is it an idea so check the van fuse box?
I havent had a chance to change fuses yet, i didnt have spares and only realised 5 mins before original post so will have to check in the morning.
The split i'm using is :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161141607833?redirect=mobile
And the fuse that blew was the one in between van battery and relay.
The fuse between relay and leisure looks like it is on its way out as well...
Both of our other vans have 85 amph leisure batteries fitted. I have had the volt/amp meter on one of the vans (Ford Connect L220 LWB) and have found that the 85amp h leisure battery charges at about the same rate as the 110 amph leisure battery in my Citroen Relay - at around 8 amps.
I don't have an answer for your problem, sorry. I would certainly replace the fuse and check the fuse holders. It could be that the fuse itself could be the problem if the split charge relays works when you replace the fuse.
I would replace the other fuse as well. check all the connections and if its working then keep an eye on it. If it happens again then perhaps an auto electrician needs to look at it, prefferably one who has experience with this sort of thing in the motor home leisure market.
No problem, thanks for your help though.
Going to change the fuses tomorrow, looks like it may just be one of those random things!!
Thanks all :D