Electrical Jayco Standard Electrics

[Dobbie]

Re testing solar input and such.....which controller / regulator do you have fitted?

If it's one that gives amps volts etc etc just use that....check it carefully as most give multiple read outs.....but, if not, you might be able to hook up a simple voltmetre

Maybe a photo of the regulator, with any details would also help.

 

[Boots in Action]

Morning All,
Thanks for all the replies. You guys all lie too far away or I'd owe you all beers.

Ok, so first things first, I will go next weekend and look really closely at the cabling. Should be positive to positive and negative to negative, and needs a much heavier cable connecting the two batteries.

I'm sure i can do that, go to a electric store, buy some cable and some connectors.

Once I've done that, then I will see how it performs.

I do have a multi-meter, so will also take the time to check what voltage the batteries have according to the drifter panel versus my multi meter, from the drifter with things plugged in and also not plugged in

And I'll try to get some better pictures of the battery setup - took these ones in a hurry on the way to a weekend ride, so it was already late when i took them on the way out, and as usual i got home late Sunday. Next weekend I'l be go to the van and spend a heap of time testing and checking and taking photos etc.

Can anyone suggest to me how can i test what is happening with the solar panels - do I get up on the roof in sun with the multimeter and check what voltage/current is coming from the wires that come out of each individual panel? Or do they need to be taken off the roof and taken to someone to test?

Hi @aspiremr , I would forget about the "Drifter" pack at first. The problem will first be detected at the battery connections. Disconnect all leads and mark as necessary - take photo so you know what wire is what and can be reconnected correctly later. Some say to disconnect POS leads first, then the NEG connections. Then with new leads/connectors, and BOTH batteries connected in Parallel ie. positive of one battery to positive on other and same for negative terminals, check voltage of battery hookup by placing one probe of multimeter on Pos of one battery bank and other probe on to NEG on the other bank. That should give you a voltage reading of somewhere around 12.2 volts for a Gel battery with NO other leads connected . This will ensure there is no other input or load on system. After checking that the solar panels on roof are clean, connect up the leads from the solar controller, and place pos on pos battery terminal and neg lead on neg terminal of battery in other bank where batteries are joined. With some sort of sunshine, there should be an immediate INCREASE in voltage shown on multimeter. At least you will know they are charging!! The next step is to do what @mikerezny says - cover one of the panels with a heavy blanket to block out ALL light. Check voltage again. It will probably drop a bit indicating that the panel UNCOVERED IS producing current. Do the same for other panel and compare results of voltage variation. At this stage, all you have done is prove that both solar panels are working. Depending on your multimeter (if it has a clamp style) you can measure TOTAL current output from panels too. If you don't have clamp style multimeter, it will be necessary to place multimeter IN SERIES with one of the solar input cables going to battery from controller. Do this by removing solar lead (either one as meter will still give a reading even if incorrect polarity - just show minus sign in front of figures) from battery terminal and put one probe on battery where lead was removed and other probe on solar panel lead which you had removed. As @mikerezny said output should be 7 to 10 amps if all is well and sun is bright enough. If you have discrepancies at that point, it will be necessary to disconnect each solar panel lead from from the controller to check each panel individually. i GUESS THE PANELS WOULD BE HOOKED UP IN parallel. Would not do that at first as unlikely to be a problem. Connect Drifter pack and note/compare readings.
To check Setec unit, same thing. Disconnect all other input/output leads and connect only your Setec to power and see if it increases voltage of batteries. You can the check Drifter readings against what you have on Multimeter for voltage and also DC input from Setec unit that way.
You can then do your LOAD test by connecting up your refrigerator and check and compare readings. Like a lot of others on this forum, I believe that the problem lies not with the equipment/monitoring gear, but with the way it is hooked up. As I am not totally familiar with the Drifter pack, some other persons on this forum will surely be able to assist in advising where various lead connections may/should? be.
WARNING: ALTHOUGH WORKING WITH LOW VOLTAGES, ALWAYS TURN OFF POWER SOURCE BEFORE DISCONNECTING/RECONNECTING ALL LEADS. SOME PIECES OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT DO NOT TOLERATE VOLTAGE SPIKES VERY WELL!!!! Good luck and happy checking/testing too.

 

[mikerezny]

Hi @aspiremr

Hi @aspiremr , I would forget about the "Drifter" pack at first. The problem will first be detected at the battery connections. Disconnect all leads and mark as necessary - take photo so you know what wire is what and can be reconnected correctly later. Some say to disconnect POS leads first, then the NEG connections. Then with new leads/connectors, and BOTH batteries connected in Parallel ie. positive of one battery to positive on other and same for negative terminals, check voltage of battery hookup by placing one probe of multimeter on Pos of one battery bank and other probe on to NEG on the other bank. That should give you a voltage reading of somewhere around 12.2 volts for a Gel battery with NO other leads connected . This will ensure there is no other input or load on system. After checking that the solar panels on roof are clean, connect up the leads from the solar controller, and place pos on pos battery terminal and neg lead on neg terminal of battery in other bank where batteries are joined. With some sort of sunshine, there should be an immediate INCREASE in voltage shown on multimeter. At least you will know they are charging!! The next step is to do what @mikerezny says - cover one of the panels with a heavy blanket to block out ALL light. Check voltage again. It will probably drop a bit indicating that the panel UNCOVERED IS producing current. Do the same for other panel and compare results of voltage variation. At this stage, all you have done is prove that both solar panels are working. Depending on your multimeter (if it has a clamp style) you can measure TOTAL current output from panels too. If you don't have clamp style multimeter, it will be necessary to place multimeter IN SERIES with one of the solar input cables going to battery from controller. Do this by removing solar lead (either one as meter will still give a reading even if incorrect polarity - just show minus sign in front of figures) from battery terminal and put one probe on battery where lead was removed and other probe on solar panel lead which you had removed. As @mikerezny said output should be 7 to 10 amps if all is well and sun is bright enough. If you have discrepancies at that point, it will be necessary to disconnect each solar panel lead from from the controller to check each panel individually. i GUESS THE PANELS WOULD BE HOOKED UP IN parallel. Would not do that at first as unlikely to be a problem. Connect Drifter pack and note/compare readings.
To check Setec unit, same thing. Disconnect all other input/output leads and connect only your Setec to power and see if it increases voltage of batteries. You can the check Drifter readings against what you have on Multimeter for voltage and also DC input from Setec unit that way.
You can then do your LOAD test by connecting up your refrigerator and check and compare readings. Like a lot of others on this forum, I believe that the problem lies not with the equipment/monitoring gear, but with the way it is hooked up. As I am not totally familiar with the Drifter pack, some other persons on this forum will surely be able to assist in advising where various lead connections may/should? be.
WARNING: ALTHOUGH WORKING WITH LOW VOLTAGES, ALWAYS TURN OFF POWER SOURCE BEFORE DISCONNECTING/RECONNECTING ALL LEADS. SOME PIECES OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT DO NOT TOLERATE VOLTAGE SPIKES VERY WELL!!!! Good luck and happy checking/testing too.

Hi @Boots in Action,
if one has a drifter panel, there is a series shunt coming from the -ve of the battery. In order fro the drifter panel to measure current into and out of the battery, all the -ve leads that would normally go to the -ve terminal need to be put on the other side of the shunt.
At least that is my understanding.

Hi @aspiremr,
is it possible to get a better picture of the connections to the right battery? You will need to remove the strap securing the battery.
First question, show exactly where the black and red leads from the left battery are connected.
There appear to be three thin wires on the left side of the right battery. I suspect they go to the drifter panel. Two look like they are connected to each side of the current shunt, and the third looks like it goes to the +ve terminal. If so, it is ok for the moment.

Then there are two leads coming in from the top of the picture above the right battery. The two red wires seem to be joined and then through an inline fuse to th e+ve terminal. The black wires appear to be going to the shunt. Can you confirm that this is correct?

Then there is a heavier RED wire going through a bigger inline fuse then connecting to the +ve terminal. If you can, see if you can find the matching black wire and confirm that it connects to the shunt.

Now, you have to do some eliminating, before disconnecting anything.
I suspect that the thick red and black wires go to the Setec unit. Can you confirm this?
One of the thinner pairs of wires probably goes to the solar regulator, Can you confirm this?
That leaves the mystery of where the second pair of thinner wires goes. It is possible that it goes to you fridge. Can you confirm this?
If not, then you need to find out where it is going.

Are other any other wires that I have not identified?

If all is good up to here, then this is what I would do, given your circumstances.
As suggested by @Boots in Action, label all red wires. I believe all the black ones are all already in the right spot.
Then disconnect all red wires and the wire from the shunt to the -ve terminal
Disconnect the short thin lead connecting the two batteries.

Take both batteries and your good charger home with you. At this point, you need to only play with the batteries.
Measure the voltages of each battery. If you have time, charge each battery separately, preferably for 24 hours each.
Then wait at least 30 minutes after charging, put a small load on each battery, a couple of amps will be sufficient. Measure the voltage with this load.
Then disconnect the load wait a few minutes and measure the battery voltages again.
This will remove the surface charge and should give a reasonable indication of the SOC of the battery.

This is not its capacity. The capacity can best be measured by putting a load representing about 5% of the capacity of the battery and timing how long it takes to get down to about 10V. A good battery, discharged at 5% of its capacity should last for about 20 hours.

At this stage you should have an initial indication of whether one battery is better than the other.

Now find a load that will draw about 5A, a 60W headlight lamp would be ideal.
Connect a voltmeter across the battery and connect the headlamp. Find a few beers and take a reading of the battery every hour or so until they are discharged to about 10V. If you can find two headlamps, you can do them both at once. But that will take less time and you won't get to drink as many beers.

At this stage you will know how good the batteries are and you can determine whether to replace them or not.

As soon as the test is over, recharge the batteries as soon as possible. Give each of them 24 hours, measure the voltages. Then you can connect them in parallel and keep them on float until you are ready to put them back in the van (assuming that they are not being replaced)

I hope this all makes sense and doesn't put you off.

best wishes
Mike

 

[Boots in Action]

Hi @aspiremr

Hi @Boots in Action,
if one has a drifter panel, there is a series shunt coming from the -ve of the battery. In order fro the drifter panel to measure current into and out of the battery, all the -ve leads that would normally go to the -ve terminal need to be put on the other side of the shunt.
At least that is my understanding.

Hi @aspiremr,
is it possible to get a better picture of the connections to the right battery? You will need to remove the strap securing the battery.
First question, show exactly where the black and red leads from the left battery are connected.
There appear to be three thin wires on the left side of the right battery. I suspect they go to the drifter panel. Two look like they are connected to both sides of the current shunt, and the third looks like it goes to the +ve terminal. If so, it is ok for the moment.

Then there are two leads coming in from the top of the picture above the right battery. The two red wires seem to be joined and then through an inline fuse to th e+ve terminal. The black wires appear to be going to the shunt. Can you confirm that this is correct?

Then there is a heavier RED wire going through a bigger inline fuse then connecting to the +ve terminal. If you can, see if you can find the matching black wire and confirm that it connects to the shunt.

Now, you have to do some eliminating, before disconnecting anything.
I suspect that the thick red and black wires go to the Setec unit. Can you confirm this?
One of the thinner pairs of wires probably goes to the solar regulator, Can you confirm this?
That leaves the mystery of where the second pair of thinner wires goes. It is possible that it goes to you fridge. Can you confirm this?
If not, then you need to find out where it is going.

Are other any other wires that I have not identified?

If all is good up to here, then this is what I would do, given your circumstances.
As suggested by @Boots in Action, label all red wires. I believe all the black ones are all already in the right spot.
Then disconnect all red wires and the wire from the shunt to the -ve terminal
Disconnect the short thin lead connecting the two batteries.

Take both batteries and your good charger home with you. At this point, you need to only play with the batteries.
Measure the voltages of each battery. If you have time, charge each battery separately, preferably for 24 hours each.
Then wait at least 30 minutes after charging, put a small load on each battery, a couple of amps will be sufficient. Measure the voltage with this load.
Then disconnect the load wait a few minutes and measure the battery voltages again.
This will remove the surface charge and should give a reasonable indication of the SOC of the battery.

This is not its capacity. The capacity can best be measured by putting a load representing about 5% of the capacity of the battery and timing how long it takes to get down to about 10V. A good battery, discharged at 5% of its capacity should last for about 20 hours.

At this stage you should have an initial indication of whether one battery is better than the other.

Now find a load that will draw about 5A, a 60W headlight lamp would be ideal.
Connect a voltmeter across the battery and connect the headlamp. Find a few beers and take a reading of the battery every hour or so until they are discharged to about 10V. If you can find two headlamps, you can do them both at once. But that will take less time and you won't get to drink as many beers.

At this stage you will know how good the batteries are and you can determine whether to replace them or not.

As soon as the test is over, recharge the batteries as soon as possible. Give each of them 24 hours, measure the voltages. Then you can connect them in parallel and keep them on float until you are ready to put them back in the van (assuming that they are not being replaced)

I hope this all makes sense and doesn't put you off.

best wishes
Mike

Hi @mikerezny , thanks for your info on Drifter electrical control/distribution system. What you said would probably be correct. I remember seeing on this forum something about "complete Drifter hookup" some time ago. It also provided wiring diagrams too. You and I would probably be able to follow it (even @Drover could too, although he likes to play down his knowledge a fair bit!!). Although of no significance to me and my Penguin, I might see if I can follow it up and pass it on.

It is interesting that you have prioritized battery checking first. I had taken that the batteries are beyond recovery based on reports from @aspiremr and therefore concentrated on the charging side of the problem starting with the simple hookup in batteries whether they be good or bad! Then the simple check on solar charging capability, then 240 volt charging and then load. Even if batteries do not rate well, if the charging system is put in place correctly, the state of the batteries is irrelevant!! Just my own idea of tackling this problem from afar.
Poor @aspiremr , I hope we have not provided you with TOO MUCH information and made it too complicated. All info provided is great. It is just where you want to start. @mikerezny made the good point and I would recommend the part about providing more precise information about WHERE EACH wire goes and what it is connected to. Saves a lot of hassles later and helps us trying to help YOU. Don't be put off. We are ALL here to help and want to see you succeed. Stick with it and you will win!!

 

[mikerezny]

When only an LED light was running inside, and the fridge had not been opened for some hours the Drifter told me I had 12.4 volts, and 60 or 70 hours useful battery life remaining. When I then plugged in my iPhone to the USB plug in the drifter panel, the voltage reading on the drifter panel dropped to 12.1 volts. Surely an iPhone cannot draw that much voltage immediately on plugging in. When I unplug my iPhone the volts returned to 12.4 volts. WT???

Hi @aspiremr,
I don't have a drifter panel. But I downloaded a manual, and it does indeed show a five-wire harness that goes from the drifter panel to the current shunt and +ve terminal via a inline fuse. But the picture of the cable and the wiring diagram in the manual are contradictory. The harness picture shows two wires going to the +ve terminal, but the wiring diagram further on shows only one.
When you get a chance, can you confirm that you have a 5-wire harness and where the five wires go on in the battery area including the colours of the wires?

Why should we care? The USB port on the drifter is limited to only 0.9A. Considering the length of the harness and the tiny wires, there would be a significant voltage drop across the harness and this is probably what you are seeing when you plug in your phone.

However, something is still not quite right. The reason for having multiple wires is to have the three sensing wires (2 for the current shunt and one for measuring the voltage) separate from the + and - wires to power up the drifter panel and the USB charger.
If wired correctly, with good batteries, and not overloading the USB port, you should not see a significant voltage drop when using the USB port.
Until that is sorted, I would avoid using the drifter port and charge your phone via a USB charger that plugs into a 12V outlet in the van if you have one.

cheers
Mike

 

[mikerezny]

Hi @mikerezny , thanks for your info on Drifter electrical control/distribution system. What you said would probably be correct. I remember seeing on this forum something about "complete Drifter hookup" some time ago. It also provided wiring diagrams too. You and I would probably be able to follow it (even @Drover could too, although he likes to play down his knowledge a fair bit!!). Although of no significance to me and my Penguin, I might see if I can follow it up and pass it on.

It is interesting that you have prioritized battery checking first. I had taken that the batteries are beyond recovery based on reports from @aspiremr and therefore concentrated on the charging side of the problem starting with the simple hookup in batteries whether they be good or bad! Then the simple check on solar charging capability, then 240 volt charging and then load. Even if batteries do not rate well, if the charging system is put in place correctly, the state of the batteries is irrelevant!! Just my own idea of tackling this problem from afar.
Poor @aspiremr , I hope we have not provided you with TOO MUCH information and made it too complicated. All info provided is great. It is just where you want to start. @mikerezny made the good point and I would recommend the part about providing more precise information about WHERE EACH wire goes and what it is connected to. Saves a lot of hassles later and helps us trying to help YOU. Don't be put off. We are ALL here to help and want to see you succeed. Stick with it and you will win!!

Hi @Boots in Action,
I am a tight arse when it comes to spending money (mine or anyone else's for that matter) and I wouldn't replace the batteries before getting them away from the van and all its bits, charging them individually, and doing a discharge load test on each of them. It could well be that they are still ok (50% or more) or that one is significantly better than the other.
Better to go through this cycle on these suspect batteries, then buying new ones and going through it anyway but with expensive new batteries if it still is not working correctly.

But since the van is 30mins away from the house, it would make sense to suggest bringing the batteries home and spending the week playing with them. After that, it should be quite obvious whether to replace one or both batteries. At the least, if @aspiremr keeps the batteries, he will know what can be expected of them in the future. He can then move on to testing out the Setec charger and solar setup.

I would love to live just around the corner from him. It would make it so much easier to assist, especially when it comes the beer drinking part.

best wishes
Mike

 

[Boots in Action]

Hi @Boots in Action,
I am a tight arse when it comes to spending money (mine or anyone else's for that matter) and I wouldn't replace the batteries before getting them away from the van and all its bits, charging them individually, and doing a discharge load test on each of them. It could well be that they are still ok (50% or more) or that one is significantly better than the other.
Better to go through this cycle on these suspect batteries, then buying new ones and going through it again with expensive new batteries if it still is not working correctly.

But since the van is 30mins away from the house, it would make sense to suggest bringing the batteries home and spending the week playing with them. After that, it should be quite obvious whether to replace one or both batteries. At the least, if @aspiremr keeps the batteries, he will know what can be expected of them in the future. He can then move on to testing out the Setec charger and solar setup.

I would love to live just around the corner from him. It would make it so much easier to assist, especially when it comes the beer drinking part.

best wishes
Mike

Hi @mikerezny , I am with you on the last paragraph. But no drinking until work is finished and working correctly. If I bring the drinks, will you provide the ice?? We must have a long distance drink when all this is tidied up!!! Cheers

 

[Drover]

It just sounds like the typical Jayco wiring stuff up, things will work but only just, .

 

[mikerezny]

Re testing solar input and such.....which controller / regulator do you have fitted?

If it's one that gives amps volts etc etc just use that....check it carefully as most give multiple read outs.....but, if not, you might be able to hook up a simple voltmetre

Maybe a photo of the regulator, with any details would also help.

Hi @Dobbie,

The van has 2 150watt solar panels, standard Jayco solar regulator (TPS-555 PWM), and 2 Bosch Gel 95 aH batteries.

cheers
Mike

 

[Drover]

I see in the media section some pics of batteries posted by the Op of this thread, if they are the batteries which have died then therein lies the problem the wiring is a stuff up or I'm not seeing things properly.................Okay as I see it, the batteries connections are totally stuffed up, the easiest way @aspiremr is to just disconnect all the cables...we will call the left battery "A" and the right battery "B", to start get some 8 B&S or at least 13mm cable and run a Red coloured lead from "A" pos to "B" pos, then run a black lead from "A"neg to "B" neg, then run the RED lead from your charging and/plus solar to the "A" pos there should be a fuse on this cable, leave the fuse out ATM, then that shunt ( metal bar with black leads hanging off it) connect that to the "B" neg terminal by the single black lead hanging off it, now if there are any stray red cables left, which looks like there could be, connect them to the "A"pos terminal, now you should be able to put the fuse back in the holder.
So it should look like this ; "A" pos should have a cable to " B" pos and red cables going to van/charger etc, "A" neg should just have a black going to "B" neg, "B" pos should just have the red from "A" pos nothing else., "B" neg should have the shunt connected and all other black connected to the other end of shunt.


If you use a decent charger you possibly should be able to get both those batteries to charge up, at the moment the wiring here is total BS, the wires connecting both batteries is lucky it hasn't melted it just too small...................Hook up and head up to Fraser Island and we will have this fixed in no time....................................I'm really very annoyed Gentlemen, this should not happen.

Oh, before you attack this mess, 240 OFF, 12v switch OFF, pull any fuses and clean all that crap away from the batteries.

 

[Boots in Action]

I see in the media section some pics of batteries posted by the Op of this thread, if they are the batteries which have died then therein lies the problem the wiring is a stuff up or I'm not seeing things properly.................Okay as I see it, the batteries connections are totally stuffed up, the easiest way @aspiremr is to just disconnect all the cables...we will call the left battery "A" and the right battery "B", to start get some 8 B&S or at least 13mm cable and run a Red coloured lead from "A" pos to "B" pos, then run a black lead from "A"neg to "B" neg, then run the RED lead from your charging and/plus solar to the "A" pos there should be a fuse on this cable, leave the fuse out ATM, then that shunt ( metal bar with black leads hanging off it) connect that to the "B" neg terminal by the single black lead hanging off it, now if there are any stray red cables left, which looks like there could be, connect them to the "A"pos terminal, now you should be able to put the fuse back in the holder.

If you use a decent charger you possibly should be able to get both those batteries to charge up, at the moment the wiring here is total BS, that is jus crap the wires connecting both batteries is lucky it hasn't melted...................Hook up and head up to fraser Island and we will have this fixed in no time....................................I'm really very annoyed Gentlemen, this should not happen.

Oh, before you attack this mess, 240 OFF, 12v switch OFF, pull any fuses and clean all that crap away from the batteries.

View attachment 56233

Well, well @Drover , it took you a while, but now you are exploding with a good "rant"!! Great to see that you still have it in you too. @mikerezny and I have taken a more civilized approach as you can see, but all the threads from a lot of involved members have been trying to help @aspiremr from afar. Your "rant" is strictly to the point as usual !!. And we all agree!

 

[Drover]

Yeah, poor QC just gets me going, I've tidied up the post a bit now so it reads better.

 

[aspiremr]

Good evening Gents,

Thanks so much for all the info in reply to my pics.

A lot of this for me is absolutely a learning exercise. The simple solution would be to pay an auto electrician big bucks, and just move on. But i really would like to understand a little more what is happening and why, and I figure given it is not time critical the best way to learn is by trying and trying again, wiht a whole heap of advice and guidance along the way. I also hope that by persisting and trying to learn, then if I have issues again in the future with this van or any other, I will not be so helpless.

THere are a lot of suggestions and info above, so I will start this weekend working through them all.

Clearly from your posts and some other conversations I've had, the wire thickness connecting the batteries is inconsistent and way too small. And the fundamental way the batteries are connected may even be wrong.

This weekend I will take some photos that are much clearer of the battery wiring, and try and trace where some of the wires go, which I don't think should be too difficult.

I'll also pull the batteries out, bring them home on the external battery charger, charge individually and then load test.

I already have a multi meter. When you say to put a small load on them to test the voltage drop under load, is there an easy way to do this? Or do I just take them to a battery specialist for a test?

 

[Drover]

No doubt the wiring is totally wrong and the ause of the problem...
If you can get a charge in the batteries so they sit around 12.6v, 30 min after the charger is disconnected then running something off them for awhile like a fan, then see where they sit 30 min after that, shouldn't be a great change as they should come back up, but it could take a couple of cycles for them to come good, then again they might be stuffed.
Others will give you a technical test regime but the old give it a kick still works.

 

[mikerezny]

I already have a multi meter. When you say to put a small load on them to test the voltage drop under load, is there an easy way to do this? Or do I just take them to a battery specialist for a test?

Hi @aspiremr,
I think you are heading in the right direction.

It might be easier to find a good auto electrician to sort it all out for you. But, that won't help in the long run when things go wrong in the future and you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, on a weekend, with a problem. Any experience you gain in this exercise can only be of help.

it would be useful to get a few photos of where all the wires on top of the battery. Excluding the tiny wires that connect the batteries, from what I can see in your previous photos, the other wiring is probably ok. All the black wires going to the shunt and all the red wires going to the +ve terminal via inline fuses. The main step is to try and identify where all the wires are going and label them. This will be essential for putting it back together and make it much easier in the future.

Now find a load that will draw about 5A, a 60W headlight lamp would be ideal.
Connect a voltmeter across the battery and then connect the headlamp. Find a few beers and take a reading of the battery every hour or so until they are discharged to about 10V. If you can find two headlamps, you can load test both batteries at the same time. But that will take less time and you won't get to drink as many beers.

A 5A load (60W) would be ideal. Your batteries are rated at 95Ah. This rating is measured over a 20 hour discharge. So 95Ah / 20 hours is near enough to 5A. If you discharge at a greater rate you would typically get less and if you discharge at a lesser rate you will expect to get more.

I should have stated in the original post that, if your batteries were as good as new, the test will take 20 hours. But I expect the batteries have aged and the test will take less than 20 hours.

Don't forget to get them back on charge asap after they have been discharged.

In my opinion, the PWM solar regulator fitted is not suitable for your installation. It is only a 2-stage charger and has the potential to substantially overcharge your batteries given that you have up to 300W of solar to pump into them. No hurry, but eventually you should consider getting a better regulator, possibly MPPT, but definitely at least a 3-stage charger.

cheers
Mike

cheers
Mike

 

[Boots in Action]

Good evening Gents,

Thanks so much for all the info in reply to my pics.

A lot of this for me is absolutely a learning exercise. The simple solution would be to pay an auto electrician big bucks, and just move on. But i really would like to understand a little more what is happening and why, and I figure given it is not time critical the best way to learn is by trying and trying again, wiht a whole heap of advice and guidance along the way. I also hope that by persisting and trying to learn, then if I have issues again in the future with this van or any other, I will not be so helpless.

THere are a lot of suggestions and info above, so I will start this weekend working through them all.

Clearly from your posts and some other conversations I've had, the wire thickness connecting the batteries is inconsistent and way too small. And the fundamental way the batteries are connected may even be wrong.

This weekend I will take some photos that are much clearer of the battery wiring, and try and trace where some of the wires go, which I don't think should be too difficult.

I'll also pull the batteries out, bring them home on the external battery charger, charge individually and then load test.

I already have a multi meter. When you say to put a small load on them to test the voltage drop under load, is there an easy way to do this? Or do I just take them to a battery specialist for a test?

Hi @aspiremr , I would suggest that you follow the instructions given by @mikerezny as he is the technical guru. It may be longer, but the results will be clearer to you. @Drover , he is an experienced campaigner, and able to take a lot of short cuts and know what to do most times through his "hands on" past experiences. Unfortunately, you are a "babe in the woods" in this area (no offence intended!) and we need to mollycoddle you along carefully so you learn and don't get into trouble. If in doubt, just shout! We are here to help. And you will WIN in the long run by listening to others and save a lot of money, besides learning new skills.

 

[Drover]

First up would be to see if the batteries will take a charge and then see whats what............

 

[Bellbirdweb]

@aspiremr where are you located ?

 

[Boots in Action]

First up would be to see if the batteries will take a charge and then see whats what............

Hi @ drover and @mikerezny , even if batteries fail under test, you can still do charging tests and fix any faults there BEFORE buying NEW replacement batteries. No use installing new batteries unless we find out WHY they failed in such a short time.

 

[Drover]

If you look at the pics you can see why they failed to charge and discharge properly, one battery is tacked onto the other so will never get charged fully nor supply much to the system.......