# Urgent advice please on battery charging



## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

My MH has a completely flat vehicle battery.

I have a 2011 Swift Sundance 530lp. It is permanently on hookup on my drive and I have just found it has a flat battery. The charger light is on and all the 12v and the habitation batteries are fine.

I had the radio switched over (by Brownhills) to always on (but it was turned off), but thought this was not a problem as it is on hookup. 

I have tried to switch manually to charge the vehicle battery but it will not change from the leisure battery.

I thought the charging unit charged both leisure and vehicle batteries switching as and when necessary automatically?

Previous to the radio change, I always have had full charge on both veicle and leisure batteries whenever I check even if it is left for weeks without being used ...I tend to leave the control panel showing the leisure batter as charging.

Please help!!
I am due to go away tomorrow...I will get the RAC to start me up, but need to know if I am doing something wrong, whether it is safe for me to have a couple of days away (on hook up) and whether it is possible that Brownhills has disconnected something...

Thanks
Julie


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

The vehicle battery tends to go flat if you have used the remote locking and armed the alarm from our experience.

Do you have something like a batterymaster fitted?

I know that if you have that sort of technology it keeps BOTH batteries topped up on EHU.

But if you do not have that there is a switch on our Kontiki (nothing like as new as yours) which switches between vehicle and leisure battery. If you have left that on the leisure and do not have the BM type equipment AND used the alarm that MAY be the underlying cause.

One problem is that when a battery goes completely flat the battery is often damaged and will never take a full charge again (there are threads about this on here), so you may be lloking at a replacement vehicle battery if it is damaged.....

IF you can start the MH (using jump leads from a car with engine running) and/or if you can see that the switch is in the wrong place, that should get you going (I think),

hope that gives you some thoughts as to how this has occurred,

Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Hi Dave,

I always use the remote and it has never lost charge before.
I thought the charger charged both the leisure and the vehicle battery, but if it doesn't I have made a mistake in having the radio changed to the can be always on position.....I thought I did not need a batterymaster as the technology was built in. I hope someone here can enlighten me. I will ring Brownhills tomorrow, but they can be a bit vague.

The switch on the control panel swaps between the vehicle and leisure battery for usage not charging. I have just looked at the manual again.


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## aikidomo (Jan 8, 2008)

most probably left your van on the vehicle setting, i was a victim of this a lot in our early days, and kept wondering what was going on.
Also check your battery connection on the vehicle, fit a battery master maybe. :idea: 
I also always have an emercency power pack in the van that will supply a boost charge, got it from Halfords, especially for diesel vehicles.  
Helped other people at times also on campsite, by starting their vans.


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## Bill_OR (Feb 6, 2010)

Just been looking at the control panel in the Swift 2011 handbook - online at http://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/motorhomes/handbooks

It mentions 2 types of control panel (EC467 and EC 462). Both control panels have a button to select which battery is used/charged. Suggest you check which battery is currently being charged and switch it to the vehicle battery to see if it charges it overnight.

Good luck!
Bill


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

I can't get it to switch from leisure to vehicle....it may be that it is the battery used rather than charged so it won't switch as the vehicle battery is flat.......I just need to know if the charger should charge the vehicle batter too as it clearly isn't at present!


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

On the MH's I have owned it has always been necessary to have the control panel switched to vehicle battery in order to charge it (veh battery) from EHU

(Pilote, Hymer & Autotrail) 

The two battery system are kept separate in order to Prevent the vehicle battery being pulled down when the leisure batteries are getting low. 

A quick alternative is to make up a bridging lead (thread somewhere from Clive MGTB} to connect all the batteries together when on your driveway (I do that and the solar panel keeps everything topped right up) Its dead simple to do. Basically you connect the positive terminals of both batteries via a (fused) lead. You need to remember to disconnect prior to starting the engine (or the fuse 20a blows)


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## Bill_OR (Feb 6, 2010)

The manual says that the selection of battery defines which battery is to be used for providing the power to the habitation and also which battery is charged when on hook up.

If it won't switch then suggest you check all the trips/switches on the power supply unit - otherwise phone your dealer or Sargent.

Bill


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Bill, thanks. 

That is what I thought should happen. i have just had another try and nothing doing.

I sometimes put it on vehicle position when laid up on the drive, but mostly I forget (that is why I like everything to be automated!!). This time is different as the radio connection is different. Silly me, but I am surprised that it won't change. 

I don't know what to look for on the power supply unit everything looks OK and I have just turned the unit off, then on again....would resetting it be an idea or should I leave well alone?

I tried Brownhills, but the workshop had gone home so I will try again tomorrow.


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## tyreman1 (Apr 18, 2008)

You cant alter the charging on the control panel unless the charger is set to "smart charging" when the the charger switches between whichever battery needs to be charged,you can then decide on the control panel which battery you need to be charged.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Ah, tyreman.....maybe that was changed last time it was in when the work was done ? How do I set it to smartcharge?


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## Bill_OR (Feb 6, 2010)

Julie,
I'm not the person to advise your properly but let's go right back to the beginning. How do you know that the vehicle battery is completely flat? Is it that nothing happens when you turn the key? Have you checked that the battery terminal connections are tight?

As you say, the AA/RAC can probably get you started but you need to know that the vehicle battery will take some charge while you are driving so that you don't have the same problem when you stop.

I think my plan of campaign tomorrow morning would be:
1) call AA/RAC to get me started
2) while waiting for AA/RAC call Brownhills to get advice and if they can't help then 
3) call Sargent who (I think) make the power supply unit for your MH. I have seen good reports on here about their responsiveness.

Good luck and I hope you manage to get away OK.
Bill


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## tyreman1 (Apr 18, 2008)

On the charger system there should be a panel with a voltage readout with 2 small buttons next to it,on mine its a red and yellow,hold the yellow button down for 2 or 3 seconds and it goes into a management mode,press the yellow button 7 or 8 times until it says "smart charge" ,you can then alter which battery gets the charge on the main panel,hope it works for you....Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Good plan of campaign.

Nothing happens when I turn the key....I was alerted when the remote would not work and I thought it odd that the battery on the remote had gone!
The control panel display is bleeping and has a red light with no battery power showing. The PSU display shows the vehicle battery as 2.1 and the leisure as 13.6...Hmmm!

Dave, I have a different looking PSU. I have tried to see if there is a function as you describe but the select button just cycles through leisure, vehicle and battery power and nothing else.


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## tyreman1 (Apr 18, 2008)

If the battery has gone below a certain voltage it will take ages to charge and if its been flat for a while might not even accept a charge......do you know which charger is fitted to your van,on mine its an EC400.


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## rugbyken (Jan 16, 2006)

thankfully i have a little more time to play with than yourself, but over christmas my bessie was on hook up at the daughters, on the 3rd night electrics tripped or possibly more correct to say wouldn't stay on found both leisure batteries to be flat & the in line charger relay clicking but plugged in heater etc working, to date have been told that the second battery could be causing this so have removed that, doesn't seem to have made a difference , charging them direct with a battery charger work's fine , have got a veh electrician coming next friday not going away till 24th feb so not panicking yet but watching this thread closely.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

My unit is the EC450. I have confirmed that it is a smartcharger as I thought.....but I suspect Brownhills disconnected it to do the radio work and did not reconnect the unit properly on smart charge....I hope so anyway or it is faulty.


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Had a problem with our charger over New Year, unit was faulty.

BUT 

all batteries, 2 leisure and vehicle, lost power at the same rate.

Phone Sergent, they are excellent, do feel, that as all was well before radio changeover, the fault probably lies there. If it is the charging unit leisure batteries will also lose power try using someof the 12 volt electrics and watch what happens at the power unit. The sergent one, not the display where you switch on power for lights etc.

If our display is set to vehicle it is using the vehicle battery, not charging it. It is worth noting that a couple of the lights, on ours anyway, work from the vehicle battery. Could one have been left on? not sure how long that would take to flatten your battery though.

Hope you get it sorted out soon.

Sue


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## tyreman1 (Apr 18, 2008)

Just had a look on the sargent website and its showing the two buttons on the 450 the same as mine,try holding the yellow button down a bit longer to scroll through the main menu but i've got to be honest i wouldnt hold my breath that its going to recharge a battery as flat as yours anyway.......i've had exactly the same problem as you and i've had to change the cab battery......not happy,i'm going the solar panel route this year to make sure it doent happen again.


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi Julie I have posted on Swift Talk, 

To check that the charger is working then please check that the LCD display on the PSU is charging the leisure battery and that the voltage is 13.6 or above? if this is then the charger is fine and you need to check the settings.

As Dave has suggested if you locate the LCD on the PSU, locate the yellow button, hold down the small yellow button for a few seconds the display will show "Advance Menu" then release the yellow button and then press it again a number of times to get to the "battery" this should be "smart" but it may be on "norm" change it to smart using the red button to exit to the Advance menu press and hold the yellow button the display will change to "basic menu"

To select the vehicle battery it has to be above 9v I suspect that your battery is lower than this, if the vehicle is boost started then this will raise the voltage , so that when the engine is stopped, the charger should be able to select it?

I would still suggest that you call our support people on 01482 678981.

Best regards

Ian Sargent


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Posted thanks on Swift talk.

Thanks to you all....what an amazing community this is.

Ian. I found all the info on your website and have just come in from fixing it. Rather proud of myself actually!

It was on normal rather than on smart so it is now changed and should start charging the vehicle battery too.
The level for the leisure battery is 13.6. The vehicle battery was 2.1  

I hope it charges it, but if not the RAC will and then it should be OK....hopefully no damage, but time will tell.

I might buy one of those instant charge units Halfords do....are they any good?

Grateful thanks
Julie


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## Sargent (Feb 1, 2008)

Hi Julie, great news, at least you have found out why the battery has not been charged. 
You now have to raise the voltage even for a short period, just enough time to allow you to select the battery at the control panel.

I am not sure about the Halford unit, but hopefully you won't need it in the future, but?

Regards

Ian


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## Sloany (May 15, 2010)

Sounds like you had your radio altered so it could be left on & may have left it on after parking up. With your charger only being set to charge the leisure batteries it has drained the engine battery. Should be fine once you have recharged it, but you may have to have a reminder on the dash to make sure you turn off the radio in future.

Dave


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

Mine went flat last year. 

I got a spare battery and a charger from Halfords, so I always have a spare battery at home which I can put in if I need to. 

When I'm away, the battery has usually charged by reason of the trip.

Now, however, I have had a bridge added to the leisure battery and a generator, so I can recharge the battery without driving.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Sloany said:


> Sounds like you had your radio altered so it could be left on & may have left it on after parking up. With your charger only being set to charge the leisure batteries it has drained the engine battery. Should be fine once you have recharged it, but you may have to have a reminder on the dash to make sure you turn off the radio in future.
> 
> Dave


No it was off.....I was in and out loads of times over the hours and couple of days after I last used the van.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

*update*

The RAC got it started and it is nicely charged up now. 
The PSU is set to smart charging by default so it had been changed by someone and I have not touched it so I strongly believe it was Brownhills when they did the radio work.

Thanks again.

Julie


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