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Subject Topic: Problems when switch from 12v to 240
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PersonGREEKZ
via mobile 22/11/2022 at 9:12pm
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Just bought a Lunar Astara 524 and all seemed OK. The battery test switch when pressed showed it was full and everything worked when I pitched and connected to mains. After about ha
lf an hour the water pump no longer works and the most ( all except two) lights are so dim you can't see anything. Even the battery test switch when pressed doesn't move the pin at all. When I then go and switch to 12v everything works properly again. Even the battery shows full straight away. If I turn it back over the same issues. After about half an hour I'll try again as I worried about leaving it on 12v but again the same problems.
I'm truly baffled with it!!!!!
HELP PLEASE.... I could do with some wisdom!!!!


PersonColin21
22/11/2022 at 10:07pm
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Sounds like you have a problem with the battery charger, it could be shorting out the 12 volt supply. The two brighter lights are probably running off the mains rather than the 12 volt circuit.


-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


PersonGREEKZ
via mobile 23/11/2022 at 3:34am
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The battery charger was my initial thought too but if it was though wouldn't I have seen some drop in the level of charge in the battery when I press the test? It's always full? I'm not very savvy with electrics.... can the battery charger short the 12v supply when I switch to 240v?
I thought about a smart charger on ebay but when I saw the battery is always about 14v with the multimeter and not changing I thought it might be something else


PersonColin21
23/11/2022 at 9:07am
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My thoughts are that the charger is the only common point where you have mains and 12volt in the same place. If the diodes in the charger were faulty it could possibly put a load across the battery causing the voltage drop. Have you tried switching the mains on with the battery charger switched off, if that's possible with your set-up? I don't know your caravan specifically.


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Best Regards,
Colin


PersonGREEKZ
via mobile 23/11/2022 at 1:07pm
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I'm not sure that's possible Colin. I'll check. My thought was that the switch is wrong and where it says 12v it really 240 and vice versa but that doesn't explain the dimming and pump stopping after maybe 15 minutes. Also, that the battery when I switch back is immediately full all the way!!!
Baffled!!! I'll have a look at the charger and see if I can switch it off and let you know.
Appreciate your help though anyway.
Thanks,
Anthony


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Persontrog100
23/11/2022 at 2:25pm
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i think you have a flat or worn out battery.. it holds enough current to run for 15 minutes and then goes flat.. when you switch back to mains you are running of the charger not the battery..

trog


Persontango55
23/11/2022 at 6:26pm
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To check the volts on the onboard battery charger, all you need to do is disconnect and remove the battery then switch on the mains power. Touch the voltmeter prongs onto the charger terminals and you should get a reading of around 13.8 to 14 volts. If it's dramatically less then it proves that the charger is defective. If it proves okay then the battery is suspect so you need to re-charge the battery via the onboard charger first, disconnect it and check the battery voltage which should be around 12.9 volts. Leave it for 24 hours then do another check to see what the voltage is. If it's anything less than the previous test then it proves that the battery is failing to hold the charge which a replacement battery is required.


Personsaxo1
23/11/2022 at 6:42pm
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A lot of chargers won't register an output voltage unless a battery is connected and has sufficient power to start the charger.
saxo1


Persontango55
24/11/2022 at 10:03am
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Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 23/11/2022
A lot of chargers won't register an output voltage unless a battery is connected and has sufficient power to start the charger.
saxo1


That's probably a fact on later model caravans that incorporate modern electrical technology so it really depends on the year of the caravan. I can check my charger output directly with a voltmeter but my caravan is a 2004 model so the electrics are most likely vintage compared to today's standards. I suppose it's based on the same principal as modern cars with sophisticated electronics built in. They may be more reliable but can be somewhat difficult to trace an underlying fault in some circumstances.



Personsaxo1
24/11/2022 at 11:21am
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Smart chargers are mostly the ones, they are designed designed to avoid reverse polarity and accidental contact between the leads if the charger is switched on while disconnected from the battery and to determine the state of charge of the battery to determine the rate of charge required.
saxo1


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PersonGREEKZ
via mobile 27/11/2022 at 5:37pm
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Checked the voltage already mate. Its not that unfortunately


PersonGREEKZ
via mobile 27/11/2022 at 5:42pm
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I was thinking of going with a smart charger. To be honest it's starting to really frustrate me and I haven't got much free time lately to fiddle.
Now the pump isn't making any noise at all when I open the tap and the pump light is continuously on. Could it be just a case if changing the whale pump? It's a bit battered anyway. If I pull out the whale pump and put the multimeter in the electric point's where it connects?
What would I be looking for? Any sort of voltage I guess right?



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