# Swift Kontiki 650..... (04-05)



## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Hi...

Are there any other Kontiki 650 owners out there?? 

If there are, I could really do with a bit of help in comparing my van with yours...  

Nothing major, but I have features which I believe should be enabled and aren't and a few questions regarding specific functions of the sergent control panel and PSU.....

Would love to be able to compare, or discuss with a fellow owner if possible... Either by PM or phone....any help much appreciated

Thanks


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## ambegayo (Jan 7, 2007)

*Swift motorhomes*

Is there not a Swift owners association? (at bottom of MH webpaage)


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

I suggest you join this forum here for Swift Owners:

http://www.swift-talk.co.uk/forum


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Mike48 said:


> I suggest you join this forum here for Swift Owners:
> 
> http://www.swift-talk.co.uk/forum


Blimey.... They want to know the ins and outs of a ducks arse before you can sign up there.....

Nothing urgent..... I'll wait until I bump into a fellow owner on a site :wink:


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## MrsW (Feb 8, 2009)

We have a 615 if that is any help (03)


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

MrsW said:


> We have a 615 if that is any help (03)


Thanks.... Could be, I imagine they're very similar....

1st question then....

I take it you have an EC200 control panel above the door....

If so does the switch that is supposed to switch from leisure battery to vehicle battery actually do anything???

Thanks


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

It does not appear to do a great deal when we switch it, presumably it is supposed to switch from using the leisure battery to using the vehicle battery, but short of disconnecting one or other I cannot se how that could be verified.

Answering for MrsW - my better half.....

Dave


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Cheers Dave..... Yes indeed it's supposed to switch from one to the other, and the led should be lit when it's switched to vehicle battery...

Also if the charger is on, the voltage on the vehicle battery should read over 13v....as the leisure one does when it's being charged...

I suspect yours is like mine, and this very useful feature has in fact, not been enabled or connected.....





PS the reason for my enquiry, is to see if all kontikis of the same era are wired similarly.....

I'd like this feature to work, so that when I'm on hook up, I can charge my vehicle battery at the flick of a switch..... The EC200 manual says it can do this.... And I'd like it to do so...


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I fitted a BatteryMaster to ours and it is a brilliant piece of kit and means I do not have to worry about using the switch, it feeds the leisure battery primarily and then tops up the vehicle battery but cannot discharge the vehicle battery to the leisure one.

IMO this option is better than having an enabled switch which I would probably leave in the wrong place and then find we have discharged the vehicle battery and can no longer turn the engine over to start.....

I try to ensure that the human element (me) is reduced as far as possible - it's much safer with that element out of the equation all together....... :lol: 

Dave

PS IMO the Swift forum is not worth the hassle - questions do not get answered and it is very slow to do anything, even once you have given all the detals including inside leg measurement, the name of the postman that delivered the V5 and the price of eggs......

I think the Swift service was much better when Ashe did it on here, but those days are long gone and are unlikely to return........

Swift are currently chasing an enquiry from me about why the French authorities cannot identify the Eurotype number on our Swift's Certificate of European Conformity.......

The Prefecture in Bergerac say it does not exist........


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Penquin said:


> I fitted a BatteryMaster to ours and it is a brilliant piece of kit and means I do not have to worry about using the switch, it feeds the leisure battery primarily and then tops up the vehicle battery but cannot discharge the vehicle battery to the leisure one.
> 
> IMO this option is better than having an enabled switch which I would probably leave in the wrong place and then find we have discharged the vehicle battery and can no longer turn the engine over to start.....
> .....


Thanks for the reply Dave....

As I understand it, the EC200 has built in protection that wouldn't allow the vehicle battery to become so discharged that it wouldn't start the van..... This feature should work, no matter what position the switch was in....

I really don't want to use the van battery instead of the leisure ones, but it would be really useful to be able to charge the van battery if needed when on hook up.....

I'm with you all the way on the swift forum.....life's to short to spend time over there :? S I'll stick with MHF


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## IanA (Oct 30, 2010)

My Kontiki 665p has the EC200 and the switch works - I've used it to charge the vehicle battery when on site for more than a couple of days. Looking to get a solar panel with a dual battery output so I don't need to be on hookup.


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks Ian... That's interesting....

Would you be so kind as to give me a brief description of how it functions....oh and what year is your van please..


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## IanA (Oct 30, 2010)

My van is a 2003. The software version on the panel v1.2l. I can choose between the batteries by pressing the switch to the right of the power switch. When I am off-hook the load is then taken from the vehicle battery, when on-hook the vehicle battery is charged.
The voltage of the batteries drops as I apply a load, so I can work out which one is being used.

I understand that some faults are cleared by resetting the panel - remove the plastic edging, undo the two screws, pull the panel and cable carefully from the bulkhead. You then disconnect the large black connector, wait about 30 seconds, then reconnect. Refit the panel and re-programme the clock - possibly the hardest bit of the job.


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Much appreciated Ian.... That's exactly how I suspected it should work..

Mine never has, and yet I've disconnected to cable at the rear 3 or 4 times now due to it doing some random beeping thing on occassion...

Looks like further investigation needed.... But thanks for the confirmation of how it "should" work...




Next question now.......any idea how the external pump function works??

As I understand it, you can switch to external and use it to fill the water tank from say a water hog..... But what do I need, and how is it all connected??
Any ideas??


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## IanA (Oct 30, 2010)

I don't have an external pump fitted to mine - I think the panel is for more than one vehicle - this option is for those with the pump to fill the water tank, using an Aquaroll or similar - mine just uses a normal hose from a pressure-fed supply.

You need to see if there is a power socket of any sort near the water filler, either outside or in a nearby locker. You will also need an external pump and hose to connect from container to tank.
I use 5l water container and a watering can if there isn't a tap I can reach. Makes you appreciate the water you use!


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## Enock (Nov 11, 2011)

Yep... I thought it would be more involved than sticking a pipe in a bucket of water and telling it to fill the tank  

I too use the watering can when I need water and don't want to move, but here's a tip, I bought a small plastic pump that fits into my Bosch battery drill..... It'll transfer 40 litres from a water hog in about a minute...

Not bad for what it is....... Kills the battery on the drill though, but I have 3 so can always use another ready charged one if I need more water 8)


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