Campervan issues - 12v system not working when hooked-up to 240v

[Neal Andrews]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Hi there. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I own a 1985 VW T25 Autosleeper and am based in Manchester.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
The 12v system works perfectly, with a new 90ah leisure battery and split charging system recently fitted.

[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]My problem is that when I hookup on 240v some of the 12v appliances stop working, but [/FONT]the internal plug sockets still work.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]For example, if the lights (or water pump) are on and operating via 12v, they immediately turn off when hookup is plugged in.

Also, the red hookup indicator on the control panel no longer lights up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Therefore, I'm assuming that the leisure battery is not being charged on hookup, but I don't know how to test this.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
One last thing, the Propex Blown Air Heater DOES still work when hooked-up.

[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Am I right in thinking that this could be a transformer issue?[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]If so, can I don't really understand why plugging in 240v stops the 12v lights and pump working if they work OK before hooking-up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Any help would be greatly appreciated. The leisure engineer I got to look into it was not familiar with the setup and not interested in fixing it beyond the standard service.

Feel free to contact me if you can fix it!
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Cheers[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Neal[/FONT]

 

[Robotstar5]

Has it ever worked correctly or only since the new split charging system was fitted?

 

[R G]

Do you have a control panel and what is the make / model , it should be on the front panel , , with the split charging system you will find a relay under the bonnet which should allow the charging of the leisure batteries to be charged and usually a fridge to have a 12v supply from the vehicle battery and alternator , guesses are the panel that the charging relay in the control panel has been incorrectly wired / altered, I think the new feed from the split charging system to the control panel has been connected wrongly

Just had another thought , you may not have a system that connects the 12V system from the vehicle to the 12 v system fed via the 230v supply and transformer , in effect 2 separate systems , hence why some of the 12v systems are not working via the hook up ..

 

[Neal Andrews]

No - it wasn't working prior to the split charging system being replaced.

 

[PEG]

Hi,the problem with remote diagnosis on your vehicle,is that there are lots of different ways of configuring the separate systems involved,and,consequently,how they interact,if at all,with each other. For example,is your split charge worked via a voltage sensitive relay? if so,that's a 30 years old way of doing it,and not one i would use. Is there an inverter or DC power supply? The problem is as extra systems are added,you either have to KNOW they are separate,or build features in to safeguard operation. You ask if anyone can assist,well you do not qualify to gain access to my elite customer list :frown2: BUT,if you are not far from myself,i would gladly inspect and advise a solution,free of charge. For my sins i am not far from the Trafford Centre (ask your missus) PM if yer stuck.Regards.

 

[Neal Andrews]

Hi PEG

That would be fantastic! I'm completely out of my depth with all this, so many thanks.

I'm just in Withington so Trafford Centre area is no problem.

What's the best day/time for you?

I work from home so can come over any time, really.

Cheers again

Neal

 

[PEG]

No probs,Neal,have PM'd you contact details.Regards,peg.

 

[N6rul]

Good man

People like you Peg makes the world a better place.... Good man....

 

[telectrix]

be nice to hear if a solution was found.

 

[PEG]

Yes,Tel,etiquette requires an update...did one last night and the site crashed,lost the lot,so here goes again...Yes,i rectified the problems. Took a flyer on Neal being genuine,and he is. Camper had a variety of original and additional devices/circuits. Not all of them were "getting on" with each other. Also,a connection to an interlock relay,which separated the site hook-up feed,was severed under the flooring. Got everything working in time for his trip to Glastonbury. In addition,Neal had mentioned fuel disappearing (£90's worth at a time),and i found someone had placed an inline filter between a cut section of fuel pipe near the tank. This,i am guessing,allowed a quick means of filling two 5 gallon drums laid underneath,as he kept the camper topped off,and ready to go. Have had a run of mobile equipment issues lately,one was a high end 18 tonne horsebox,with a problem on its' auto-start generator. Generator would start and run for 5 seconds,then shut down. Company who service vehicle said it required replacing. When removed,and researched,this little item (2.9Kw) turned out to be £4000's worth of auto-start,variable speed,paralleling wizardry,and only needed a minor repair to its' quite standard Honda engine. But,a run of "easy fixes" only means life is readying me for the job that straight leg kicks you in the gonads...which will probably be today...:bow: