[matty72]

hi everyone, varistream controller problem, i have a split charge from van battery to pump battery, power runs down in an hour and letter u appears on varistream, start up van and everything works fine so its charging battery, then goes dead again within 10 mins when engine off, im sure the battery is fine, any solutions guys, cheers.

[bobplum]

i would say the battery is dead, is there water in it or is a sealed type

[matty72]

2nd battery same problem

[Dave Willis]

Doesn't U mean under voltage?

Sounds like the split charger is duff.

[matty72]

i wondered that, it works but just not properly i will try that next,cheers

[SeanK]

Check that the battery connectors are tight and that the battery terminals aren't corroded.
If they look chalky give them a clean with sand paper.
If this doesn't sort it then the battery could be dead or in need of a full charge.
U means under voltage 10.4 volts and the controller will shut down.

[Steve foster]

I had a cheap 30amp ebay split charger that damaged my 2nd battery. After lots of forum reading I fitted a 140amp split charger and used 16mm welding wire to wire it all up. Then went and cocked up by only fitting an 85amp battery instead of the 120amp one that came off the system. Try to pries the battery tops off and check water level. Charge up and see how long it lasts. If you go to any motor factors they will test the battery for you, just make sure its charged up first.

[matty72]

ok cheers guys will look into all that

[Spruce]

hi everyone, varistream controller problem, i have a split charge from van battery to pump battery, power runs down in an hour and letter u appears on varistream, start up van and everything works fine so its charging battery, then goes dead again within 10 mins when engine off, im sure the battery is fine, any solutions guys, cheers.

Running the engine will provide a trickle charge into a flat battery but won't last long when you switch the engine off. So the SCR is working.

It sounds like a battery problem. You need to recharge the battery with a charger and if its working fine then an 85 amp hour battery should last you 3 days on a full charge without the use of the SCR. (Pump drawing 4.5 amph and working for 4 hours will use 18 amps a day.) A previous reply about good connections is also very important. The fuse holder is also a very suspect place for poor connections.

Do you regularly recharge you battery overnight or do you rely on your SCR?

If you are using a Varistream (not another controller make) then do a search on an issue we had and how we solved it.

Here is one:

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=178401.0

and another

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=160694.0
 

[matty72]

cheers spruce