# Motorhome Electrics



## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Hi,

Wonder if anyone can help please.

When we were away for the NEC the 12v Control Panel went dead on our Auto-Trail cheyenne 660. This was replaced at Chelston Motorhomes on our way home and is working.

But on our first trip away since that we plugged into the hook-up on site last week-end and found that the electric socket and hot plate on oven was not working.

BUT all other electric sockets on other side of motorhome (nearside) were working, fridge working on electric, water heater working on electric and electric light on other side (offside) above electric socket (that isn't working) is working (it's a dimmer switch).

The Sargeant charger is working, the trip switch works, the on off switch lights up when in ON position, the polarity light is ok (it's off) all 3 MCB switches are in the on position.

The fuse under the oven is 5 amp (domestic type) and I changed that but didn't make any difference.

I did notice that the solar panel Fox D1 shows the voltage but whereas it used to be only 0.01 different to 12v control panel it did show yesterday:

12v control panel (when I arrived home) leisure battery 13.6
Fox D1 showed 14.04

I have checked behind the electric socket and no loose wires. 

Any ideas then please why one side of mh works electrically and not the one electric socket on the other side or the electric hot plate on the oven/stove. All was working ok before 12v control panel changed. is there a link?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.


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## warty (Jan 21, 2006)

Dear Rita

Richards your man ?


John (Warty)


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

contact chelston straight away and tell them, they will or should give you the choice of bringing it back or taking it to a local electrician and paying them and getting it refunded.
give them the opportunity to do this.

cabby


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

hi there,

first of all I think you can eliminate any link between the solar panel 12v electrics and the 240v.As far as the discrepancy between the control panel battery readings and the solar panel regulator don't worry about it.The digital readout on the control panel is not particularly accurate and intended as a rough guide to leisure battery state.

My Steca solar regulator alway reads approx.0.6v higher than the control panel,and my Fluke multimeter which is supposed to be accurate reads exactly the same as the Steca regulator.

On my 2004 autotrail both the 2x240 sockets and the fused spur supply for the oven hotplate are on mcb no.1 on the charger unit.It does seem a coincidence that you have a 240v problem at the same time that the 12v control panel was changed.

Is the mcb switch reseting fully to the up position,if it is then I would be looking for an open circuit on the 240 supply from mcb #1 on the charger unit(if it's the same as mine)to the socket that isn't working and the fused spur for the hotplate.If you have a mains tester and are confident about working on 240 then take the front off of the faulty socket and carefully test to see if you have an incoming supply.Be very careful doing this,get a qualified electrician in if you are not sure. 

Steve


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Thanks Steve,

I was going to contact Chelston but wondered if it could be linked to the 12 control panel being changed or not. However they were going to change the charger unit (Sargeant) but found it to be the control panel. But I don't know if they did anything to the Sargeant charger etc?

Yes when I press the RCD test button the switch comes down. I switched all mcb switches up and down and and all 3 stay up as they should. 

The mcb 1, can that be pulled out? I can't seem to find how to remove it! Maybe I shouldn't be trying?

I'm afraid I don't have a electric tester or know how to use one  so will have to get someone in to do it I guess. Could the Sargeant charger be at fault?

Many thanks for your help.


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## safariboy (May 1, 2005)

I have found that the trips can sometimes look on when they have tripped. I would switch all the trips off and then on again before anything else.


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Thanks safariboy,

I have tried that several times to no avail


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

Could be the charger that's faulty and if Chelston originally intended to change it they may have disturbed something,I reckon you ought to give them a ring and get them sort it out,especially if it's still under warranty.
good luck,

Steve


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Thanks again Steve,

Will do that. Unfortunately it's not under warranty.


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

Well when you ring them start off by saying ''what on earth have you done to my motorhome,this was working perfectly well before *you* touched it''

you never know it might work,keep us posted 

Steve


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## safariboy (May 1, 2005)

I have found that the trips can sometimes look on when they have tripped. I would switch all the trips off and then on again before anything else.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Electrics*

Rita

I can't help with your problems - no surprise there - but a few weeks ago mine tripped out one the same thing - 230v sockets and the hob. I thought I could pull open the front - but you can't. The trip out system is in place of a fuse.

I switched everything off and let it cool. Reset it and it was fine.

Russell


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Well I have phoned Chelston Motorhomes as when I went in to check the trip switches again noticed with the electrical tester plug in the socket that if I pressed on the box the electric flickered!! Looked at the 12v control panel and it was showing leisure battery 13.6 but then suddenly showed 7.2v!!! pressed the button on control pannel and it all faded! But solar panel readout shows leisure battery 14.4v! 

Also, although control panel faded and on off button doesn't seems to work the 12v lights and sockets are working!! and shouldn't be if control panel off!!! Also tried the engine and found 12v working when they shouldn't be with engine on.

I tried re-booting 12v control panel by taking lead out of back and waiting 30 seconds but this time when I connected plug found the awning light came on and wouldn't go off!! So now I have left it unconnected and I am going to Chelstons tomorrow.

ALL MY ELECTRIC WORKED OK BEFORE CONTROL PANEL CHANGED and previous control panel worked ok before it went dead but this one seems to do its own thing or something was done to the charger unit!!


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Hi Russell,

Thanks but I did try resetting everything, unplugged electric cable as well. 
As you can see from what I wrote above it's more than just resetting switches i think.

Not all electrics went, only one side rest ok. 12v was ok over week-end or rather the panel seemed to be but we were on electric so not using 12v much.
today testing everything, it all went haywire. Plugged in tester to socket and pressed on mcb's and tester flickered showing first one light and then 3 lights. Then other side stopped working. Then control panel went haywire. Definitely something loose somewhere. Now can't put control panel back as awning light comes on and can't turn it off. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

hello Rita,

so now 2 control panels have failed in a short space of time and you haven't got any 240v supply to the sockets down 1 side of the van and the hotplate.You say that Chelston originally intended to change the Sargeant charger unit but then changed their mind and only changed the control panel,which worked ok for a short while before developing a fault.

The common factor is the Sargeant charger,it supplies the 12v to the control panel and also the 240volt distribution to the van.Just a guess but they may have changed the control panel,found it worked ok so decided to leave the charger alone.

If they do decide to change the charger and control panel I hope they don't bill you for 2 control panels as it seems highly likely that if the charger has gone down it has blown both the original control panel and the replacement. 

good luck,

Steve


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

I am VERY HAPPY  

I got to the dealers early this morning and made sure I spoke to someone from the workshop when they came to collect the mh and ran through all that had happened.

It appears there was a loose wire in the Charger unit and all has been fixed. It's just a pity they didn't check the charger last time as that was suggested to me as being the likely cause of the control panel going dead. As usual only half a job is done each time I have gone in with something.

HOWEVER I must give credit where it is due. The did see to me promptly when phoning yesterday and when arriving at the dealers today. They also fixed the electric step which didn't retract when engine turned on. The 12 control panel luckily was ok this time and didn't need to be replaced. I of course wasn't going to be caught out, so before I left the dealers I plugged in the electric and checked every socket worked and made sure the 12v panel was ok also. When I arrived home I plugged in the electric again and checked everything is ok. What a relief  

Also this time it didn't cost me a penny  For which I am grateful to Chelston Motorhomes.

Thanks everyone for their advice.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

As I posted, give them a chance to sort it out, they have come up trumps, so it should be noted.
where are chelston motorhomes in case I need them.

cabby.


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

Wellington, Somerset.


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