# Is my Sargent EC325 working properly?



## Whyteleafe (Jan 9, 2013)

Dear fellow 'homers,
I have a 2007 Cheyenne fitted with an EC325. I have a hook up at home and switch the 325 on weekly to keep both vehicle and leisure batteries topped up.
The vehicle battery now dips to 11v after a week and has never shown more than 12.5v on the display panel when charging in the last 4 years of ownership (and neither have the leisure ones). Seeing others quoting 13v and higher makes me wonder if the 325 is performing properly and could this be why the vehicle battery has degraded.
I am seriously thinking of buying a new battery but any help/advice about the 325 and how one might check it would be welcomed.
Spring is just around the corner...we hope.
Thanks


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## readyforoff (Dec 28, 2013)

Hi,my EC panel never registers more than 12.7v for either battery on EHU. The higher voltages are engine running voltages which can't be read at the EC because it's disabled engine running...
Edit..you don't need to check your EC operation. Just put a digital meter on the battery at the same time and see if it matches the EC voltage. If starter battery is falling to 11v within a week of being charged it's probably seen better days.......


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Whyteleafe said:


> Dear fellow 'homers,
> I have a 2007 Cheyenne fitted with an EC325. I have a hook up at home and switch the 325 on weekly to keep both vehicle and leisure batteries topped up.


You have to select a battery on the control panel....then the battery you select will be used to power the van or be charged when on a hook up. AFAIK the EC325 does not automatically charge the vehicle battery unless you select it or have a solar panel hooked up to the EC325....you have to manually select it then it will be charged:wink:

If you have been expecting the EC325 to charge both batteries automatically that is where you may have gone wrong :wink:

read the manual :

http://www.sargentltd.co.uk/EC325_User_Instructions.pdf

section 4.1

Mike


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## readyforoff (Dec 28, 2013)

spykal said:


> Whyteleafe said:
> 
> 
> > Dear fellow 'homers,
> ...


Well spotted Mike......mine's a 2012 and auto selects dependant on battery state and never powers the hab from the starter battery.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi

I have an EC400 on our van and the charging fooled me for a while when we first had it. It works in the same way as an EC325

Now when we return home from a trip away I hook up the van then I select the Leisure battery bank to be charged ( it defaults to the leisure batteries) . 

After a couple of days I switch over to the vehicle battery so that it is maintained at full voltage. This is because I have an alarm system running from the vehicle battery.

If the van stands on the drive for a longish time I do select the Leisure batteries for 48 hours or so ...then switch back to the vehicle battery.


Mike


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## Whyteleafe (Jan 9, 2013)

*Is my Sargent EC325 working properly? thanks for the replies*

Thanks for the answers. I think it is time to get a new battery.
I do know about the need to switch the 325 over to charge the vehicle battery as the 325 only charges the leisure one by default when on hook up.
I'm thinking S4 Bosch or Exide 95ah.
Thanks again


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

If you email the guys at Sargent with your query they WILL answer you quickly and comprehensively.

Best customer service on the planet!!


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Whyteleafe,



The EC325 PSU has an "Offline" battery charger which disconnects the leisure equipment when charging which means the charger can supply higher voltages to the battery to control the charging current. 



Normally the charging voltage you can expect would be around 13.8V. If you are seeing below 13V with the charger turned on this would suggest you have a problem. 



Do you notice if the system monitor LED on the front of the EC325 PSU is showing as Green, Or does it also have Orange\Red showing?



Spykal,



Your EC400 does have smart charging capabilities, and if this is turned on (It is as default) then the PSU will direct the charge to the appropriate battery for charging. I.e. no need to manually switch, both batteries will be maintained. This is assuming the PSU is not shutdown, if it were to be shutdown the charger would only maintain the leisure battery.



Regards



Craig


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Sargent said:


> Spykal, Your EC400 does have smart charging capabilities, and if this is turned on (It is as default) then the PSU will direct the charge to the appropriate battery for charging. I.e. no need to manually switch, both batteries will be maintained. This is assuming the PSU is not shutdown, if it were to be shutdown the charger would only maintain the leisure battery.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Craig


Hi Craig (Sargent)

Thanks for that info it will save me having to remember to switch over from the leisure to the vehicle battery when the van is standing on the drive on a hook up.

I must admit to being confused over this as in section 2.5 Control Panel Operation of the User Instructions < it says "Battery Select. By default, the leisure battery is selected as the power source if no mains supply is present, or as the battery to be charged when the mains supply is available. To change the selected battery, press the battery select button. The selected battery is
indicated by an LED adjacent to the caravan or car logo (for caravans) or the LED situated in the centre of the leisure and vehicle battery gauges (for motorhomes).

Then further on it says

"3.3 Smart Charging
On EC465 and EC460 PSU's, the system incorporates a smart charge feature, which monitors both
leisure and vehicle batteries and automatically adjusts and directs the charger power (and solar power
if a solar panel is installed) to maintain the leisure and vehicle batteries at an optimal level.

So having an EC400 I just assumed that I needed to choose which battery was being charged.

Thanks again

Mike


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi Mike,

The EC400 is a series of power supply units, and the EC460\EC465 are models within this series. Your PSU will be a 460 or 465. 

You can follow the instructions in section 2.5 and manually select the battery you wish to use\charge, But the system will also follow the smart charge process as described in section 3.3

I hope that is clear, and helpful

Regards

Craig


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## Whyteleafe (Jan 9, 2013)

*Is my Sargent EC325 working properly? Reply to Craig*

Thanks Craig,

The LED shows green as you can see in the attachment.

Regards John


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi John,

Can you remove the leisure battery fuse, and with the charger turned on and leisure battery selected let me know what voltage you see on the control panel?

Regards

Craig


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## Whyteleafe (Jan 9, 2013)

*Is my Sargent EC325 working properly? Reply to Craig*

Hello Craig,

I will be out all day so will try your suggestion tomorrow

Regards John


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## Whyteleafe (Jan 9, 2013)

*Is my Sargent EC325 working properly? UPDATE*

Fellow 'Homers,

I have been in contact with Sargent who asked me to carry out a series of tests. The conclusion is that the EC325 is only charging to a max of 12.5v and they would recommend it is looked at.

I have placed a repair order with them and will let you know the results in due course. The repair is likely to take 7-10 working days.

Whyteleafe


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Like I said, exemplary customer service!!

Fiat could learn a LOT from them :roll:


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## Whyteleafe (Jan 9, 2013)

*Is my Sargent EC325 working properly? UPDATE*

Dear 'Homers,
Here is an update. I sent my 325 up to Sargent and after 10 days they told me the 325 was behaving normally and on thier test rig it was charging at circa 14v so I would only be charged half the standard repair fee.
They suggested the problem might be due to the internal wiring in the motorhome.
I asked if there were any further tests I could carry out and they suggested I only connected the battery, display panel and mains input leads and leaving the 10pin sensor lead unconnected.
When the 325 was returned I connected as suggested and eureka 13.9v was shown as the leisure battery charge.
Then after connecting the 10 pin sensor lead the charge dropped to 12.5v!
So suspicion pointed to a faulty battery temperature sensor. I then unplugged the sensor and immediately the charge voltage increased back to 13.9v.
Craig Foot kindly sent me a replacement sensor and when this was plugged in the charge voltage increased to 14.9v.
The unresolved issue is why was the original sensor not working properly and yet the LED light in the box was only showing green and no orange warning.
I have sent the problem sensor back to Sargent which might help them to diagnose similar problems in the future.
My message to anyone experiencing low voltage battery charging without any orange warning LED visible, would be to unplug the battery temp. sensor and see if the voltage goes up. This would only be advisable if the ambient temperature in the leisure battery compartment was not extreme cold or hot.

Regards


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