# in France with Leisure Battery problem



## Bovisand (Jan 16, 2008)

Deep in France at the moment and pretty sure we have knackered Leisure Batteries.
Barely able to do 1 night without hookup without them becoming flat.
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We have a 3yr old Autotrail Savannah with 2x110 leisure batteries.
On the control panel after a full charge Volts show solid green bar and 13+% but the AH is in the RED and barely touching 25%
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I'm guessing I need to get them checked and probably changed and wondered if any body can advise best way to get it done in France.
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We are currently in Bergerac area and travelling around the Dordogne over the next few weeks so happy to travel to any dealers that anyone can reccomend.


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

Why not call into a garage or w.h.y. and buy a car battery to tide you over? I used one for months on my van when my leisure battery gave up the ghost without any problems.

Nick.


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## larrywatters (Aug 21, 2007)

hi we had the same problem last year with our savannah,
turn out to be a fuse i think its the red 10 amp in the main sarge control panel.


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## Evs54 (Mar 11, 2013)

Bovisand said:


> Deep in France at the moment and pretty sure we have knackered Leisure Batteries.
> Barely able to do 1 night without hookup without them becoming flat.
> -
> We have a 3yr old Autotrail Savannah with 2x110 leisure batteries.
> ...


I doubt if both batteries are at fault , but one bad one will drag the good one down , try and find which one is faulty and isolate it ,


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## Bovisand (Jan 16, 2008)

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions.
Still a great site this when you are overseas with a problem.


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

A few years ago we had a major problem with the leisure battery not charging after a couple of nights without hook up.

It turned out to be a high amperage fuse (30 amps?) sited close to and behind the engine battery.
A friend found it after we got to a campsite after another couple of uncomfortable nights without lights.

The reason given for fuse failure was that having used so much from the leisure battery before recharging the fuse had blown from the surge when we ran the engine and the split-charge relay had opened. 

Not necessarily the fault with yours but another suggestion for the list.

Good luck sorting it out


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## Landyman (Apr 3, 2010)

You probably have the Elecsol batteries that were fitted as standard to a lot of Autotrails.
We had them on our 2012 Delaware and they only went for 3-4 days without needing a hookup, even in the south of France in summer with a solar panel. Totally useless!!!
They had been checked by our dealer and found to be OK but I made a log of usage, weather and voltage and when presented with the evidence the Elecsols were changed under warranty for a pair of Banner batteries.
*Our motor homing has been transformed as a result*. Our last trip to France we used aires and wild camped for three weeks without needing hook up.

Richard.


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## stevegos (Jun 23, 2013)

As someone else said, its unlikely to be both which are faulty.

Disconnect one, use it, charge it, use it for a few days and see if the problem continues. If it does then swap to the other battery and try to isolate which one is causing the problem.


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi,

I do not think you have a problem with the batteries, more an issue with the control panel readings as your battery voltage is healthy.

The AH reading is not a reading or measurement from the battery, It is purely a calculation based on battery size, the charging current into the battery and the current drawn from the battery and as such
is reliant upon a correctly calibrated ammeter and the correct sized battery being programmed into the control panel.

This reading will also be inaccurate if the leisure battery has been removed from the van and charged independently, or an additionallarger battery fitted. In this case a programming option is available to reset the AH Start Point.

1) Turn off the 12V Power To the Van
2) Scroll to the manufacturer logo screen (E.g. Autotrail)
3) Press and Hold the Up and Down Scroll arrows to enter the programming mode
4) Use the scroll keys navigate the menus
a) Battery Size (Set to Appropriate Size)
b) AH Start Point (Set To Estimated Battery Capacity, I.e. 100% when fully charged)
5) Use the Select (<) key to adjust the settings
6) Scroll to "Exit Advanced" and Use the Select key to exit.

The ammeter is within the EC500 PSU and requires calibration to the EC480 (Or EC300) control panel at initial install. Following this initial calibration you may need to re-calibrate if the reading is inaccurate, one cause of an inaccuracy could be due to a replacement control panel being installed.

To re-calibrate follow the below instructions:
1) Turn off the 12V Power to the van
2) Turn off the Battery Charger
3) Where possible solar panels should be covered
4) Scroll to the active battery screen (Battery Current Screen on EC300)
5) Press and hold the select button (<) to start the calibration process.
6) Note the "A" "Batt Amps" Reading reset to 0
7) Once calibrated you should see a more accurate display of the current.

I hope this information helps

Regards

Craig



Bovisand said:


> Deep in France at the moment and pretty sure we have knackered Leisure Batteries.
> Barely able to do 1 night without hookup without them becoming flat.
> -
> We have a 3yr old Autotrail Savannah with 2x110 leisure batteries.
> ...


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Yet again fantastic and helpful customer service from the guys at Sargent.

If only ALL companies were like them !!


Craig

How can I (do I need to) check what batteries my EC350 thinks it is connected to??? 

They are lead acid (display shows lead acid) but does it need to be "told" there are two and what AH rating they are??? If so how do I do it please?

Andy


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi Andy,

Your EC325 does not need to know battery size as it does not do any AH calculations like the EC500.

You can calibrate the current sensor however, by ensuring all power is off (so that current flow should be 0A) and then press and hold the select (Left Arrow) key whilst viewing the current display.

Regards

Craig



Mrplodd said:


> Yet again fantastic and helpful customer service from the guys at Sargent.
> 
> If only ALL companies were like them !!
> 
> ...


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Thanks Craig

That display appears to be accurate. I pulled the fuse from the solar panel and was off EHU. Reading was 0 amps

Andy


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

If all else fails and you have tried the various excellent suggestions and need further assistance, feel free to drop me a PM, we live about 30 minutes south of Bergerac in the Lot et Garonne and are happy to help if we can.

Dave


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## seanoo (Mar 31, 2007)

if you need to get decent batteries while in france then look here

www.batteriemegastore.fr/

my vote would be the dc31 125 amp/hr alphalines.
very good price and free delivery.
maybe penguin would let you have them delivered to their place?

link to dc31 batteries

http://www.batteriemegastore.fr/products/group/?c=Batteries&a=Caravane&l=Batteries+Alphaline+

hope you get sorted


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