Hi all was hoping for a little help. I've just recently bought an old caravan and the previous owner stated that they think the leisure battery is dead. Now when I hook the van up via 240 mains and switch over to caravan power on the fuse board my volt display/needle fluctuates and there is a clicking noise coming from the zig tx2000 charger... Is this normal? All sockets in the van work but we have no lighting, do I need a new charger? If so do I need to swap like for like or can I use a different brand/type of charger?
***UPDATE*** so I have had my leisure battery on charge for just over 15 hours externally (charger working fine) tested it with my multimeter and it's showing 2.1v so I can safely say that the battery is dead 😣 I have also tested the feed terminals to the battery from the zig tx2000 and the reading is also 2.1v, should this be 12v or more? It's looking like I'm going to be changing both.
My first move would be to get a new battery. Then I would connect it up to the caravan with the charger switched off. Check the voltage at the battery terminals then switch the charger on. The voltage should rise slightly. If it doesn't your charger may not be working correctly. I wouldn't place too much importance on the off-load voltage of the charger because some are designed to shut off when there is no load on them. When you put a load on them by connecting a good battery, they work normally.
However, be prepared to change the charger too if it proves to be faulty. Definitely start with the battery though.
I arrived at campsite yesterday, 12v battery discharged, despite having hooked it to 240 supply at home before trip for over 8 hours, no multi meter.. clicking noise at TX2000 which I understand MAY be thermal trip operating, anyway, having read that this Zig unit also supplies 12v to caravan, after much head scratching, I disconnected battery, set panel switch to caravan symbol and now have 12v.
So, essentially, if you hVe EHU, you don’t need a battery.
I reckon my battery has discharged to point that zig unit cannot actually recharge. I will try and recharge battery when home and then reconnect, however I can’t see the need for the battery unless you plan nights out without EHU.
If your charger is working it will provide a 12 volt supply, but what happens when the mains supply fails, and sometimes they do? You then have no lighting, no water pump, and your water heater will cut out. Also, not all chargers are designed to be used without a battery in the circuit, as it is used to stabilise the voltage. So, although you may not NEED a battery, it is far better to have one if only as a back-up. If you only ever go to sites with EHU, you don't need anything special and an old car battery will do, as long as it is in half-decent condition.
Your battery does sound like it's knackered, but it might recover after charging with a boost charger. It's worth a try.
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Topic: Zig TX2000 Charger/Transformer
via mobile 29/5/2019 at 1:53am
