split charge dual voltage charger

[dubslug]

hi thanks for replies....

how easy is access to replace bushes??
engine was refitted by a specialist only few months ago so im hoping cables are okay, will check them asap..
i never hear any screeching from slipping belt but will check tension asap too...
the split charge seems to be working off 240v, the leisure battery seems to be first charged then after a while u hear it clicking between two batteries, the issue is when using the alternator to charge system, as far as i can see from looking earlier i never get past 13.2volts charge at battery with engine running

thanks all

[Oldiebut goodie]

Maybe you have not got a split charge relay for leisure battery charging from the alternator! Someone may have just set one up for the mains charger. You will have to trace the individual wires to find out exactly what you have there, making a rough diagram so that you can work out what it is doing.
Who knows what has been concocted in the lifetime of a 30 year old van.

[dubslug]

i contacted people who sold the van, they assure me it is dual voltage regulator and should be charging the aux battery.. wiring is quiet simple from what i can see...from main batter into the relay, out the relay to aux battery.. the relay is also earthed...
ive had the bush 6 months and this has only started showing as issue

[Oldiebut goodie]

I don't know what you mean by 'dual voltage regulator' - the voltage regulation is carried out by the alternator regulator.

Are you sure that there are only 3 wires to the relay? Normally 4 as the voltage sensing one is separate from the charging cables.

[RedGus]

If your starter battery is not getting to a higher voltage than 13.2V under charge, it will NEVER get fully charged [well, actually, it could do in theory, but it would take DAYS]. Can you take the batteries out and charge them on a mains charger for long enough to get them properly charged (12.7-12.8V a few hours after they come off charge)? Then, if you put them back in the van and see what the alternator's producing after a while at reasonable engine revs, you'll have a better idea if it is the alternator regulator that's causing a problem. You should be seeing around 14-14.4V at the battery terminals, as others have said. It sounds like your batteries have become very heavily discharged, then never get a decent enough period of charge to get them back to 100% state of charge.

[Mocki]

In the original post it was stated that the fridge wasn't working because the leisure battery was low on voltage ........
Is the fridge REALLY connected to the leisure battery ???
Is the fridge only capable of working on 12v when the engine is not running ?? make sure it is switched off ??

[RedGus]

Is the fridge REALLY connected to the leisure battery ???

Oh yes, missed that bit in all the discussion about batteries not charging.

Presumably this is a three-way fridge we're talking about? Normally the ONLY time they can run on 12V is when the engine is running, so what's going on with the OP's fridge setup? I'm pretty sure that on most camper conversions they were wired to run off the starter battery, triggered by a relay that's switched by alternator charge light feed, so you could keep stuff cold on the move. I can't understand why you would ever want to run them on 12V when parked up, because they use tons of power, and have no thermostat control on 12V.

[dubslug]

bit of update..
firstly thanks for all comments so far...
i changed the alternator bush pack as mine were really low, this gave me slightly more volts on charge at main battery so changed the whole alternator to one i had in garage again using the new bush pack..it now reads 13.8 volts on main battery when engine is running....
now both batteries are charging when engine runs... thinl it was about 13.6 volts on both batteries, is this going to be enough to keep everything charged up??
also my fridge is only 12v so can only run of the 12v system, it has a cut off switch which cuts the the fridge off if power gets too low

[Krugerbaydesign]

I had a 12v Fridge running on my girlfriends Holdsworth and it used to drink the power when parked up, I started using the coolbox instead which meant my stereo and lights lasted the whole weekend

[California Dreamin]

As a general rule, you just don't use a fridge on 12volts whilst static....unless of course you have a substantial leisure battery charger on 'hookup' but then again, if you have mains you use it 'on mains'.
Bit daft having the fridge 'wired' so 12 volts is even possible without the engine running....it's just asking for trouble.

Martin

[MattBW]

Is it a compressor fridge?

[RedGus]

Is it a compressor fridge?

That's what I wondered, too, Matt. There's a massive difference between a 3-way fridge run on 12V (always on, absorption, massive power use, no thermostat control) and a real 12V compressor fridge (cycles on and off in a 50%-ish duty cycle, controllable, efficient use of power). The former, as Martin said earlier, you would really only want running while the van engine was running, the latter (with a suitably-sized leisure battery and perhaps a bit of solar power) could work well. Plenty of people on boats use them. They are very expensive though, at least in 12V form, compared to domestic fridges.

Personally, I can't see why you'd not use a 3-way fridge in a van for the ideal mix of options: 12V for while you're on the move and the alternator's running, mains for when you're on hook-up (cheap and efficient) and gas for when you don't have the mains option.

James

[RedGus]

i changed the alternator bush pack as mine were really low, this gave me slightly more volts on charge at main battery so changed the whole alternator to one i had in garage again using the new bush pack..it now reads 13.8 volts on main battery when engine is running.... now both batteries are charging when engine runs... thinl it was about 13.6 volts on both batteries, is this going to be enough to keep everything charged up??

Presumably, when you say "brush pack", you mean the whole regulator? If you've changed this, then chances are it should have a higher regulated voltage. If you can get one that charges at 14.4V and make sure that all your cables and connections to the batteries are as good as possible, your batteries will charge much faster, and live longer because there is more chance of them getting closer to 100% state-of-charge on a typical journey.

James

[California Dreamin]

i changed the alternator bush pack as mine were really low, this gave me slightly more volts on charge at main battery so changed the whole alternator to one i had in garage again using the new bush pack..it now reads 13.8 volts on main battery when engine is running.... now both batteries are charging when engine runs... thinl it was about 13.6 volts on both batteries, is this going to be enough to keep everything charged up??

Presumably, when you say "brush pack", you mean the whole regulator? If you've changed this, then chances are it should have a higher regulated voltage. If you can get one that charges at 14.4V and make sure that all your cables and connections to the batteries are as good as possible, your batteries will charge much faster, and live longer because there is more chance of them getting closer to 100% state-of-charge on a typical journey.

James

Double quote....13.6 volts isn't enough and indicates a further issue....a duff leisure battery perhaps or a poor earth etc.

Martin