Cobhorse Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 Hi, I have 2001 coachman Amara. Im not sure if the battery is being charged. I disconnected the battery terminals hooked up the 240 and put a voltmeter on the terminals and only got a reading of 12volts. I should mention it's a new 110amp battery. I am led to believe it should read around 13.8v. Everything works ok but I'm concerned I will drain the battery. Can I fit another charger to keep the battery topped up without disconnecting the charger in the power centre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost in the wilderness Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 Try taking volt measurements at the battery when it’s connected to the van, but with EHU off. Then turn EHU on and see what the voltage is. Your on board charger may need to “see” the battery to start charging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAC Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) My Coachman Pastiche 2007 had a charger that only output 12v. This is insufficient to charge a battery. For information see HERE At the moment I have a caravan with a charger which only pumps out 12v, so I have a C-Tek charger permanently connected to the battery from the mains. THAT keeps the battery charged and I have a reading of 13.7v Edited July 3, 2020 by BOAC Added info Quote See the CT Quick Find Index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobhorse Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi I tried that with ehu off then on and the voltage was 12.7v Can I fit a ctek without disconnecting the charger in the power centre. Other option I thought about was a solar charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAC Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Cobhorse said: Hi I tried that with ehu off then on and the voltage was 12.7v Can I fit a ctek without disconnecting the charger in the power centre. Other option I thought about was a solar charger. Yep. I did exactly that. I left everything as it was and then put in the C-Tek plugged into a mains socket that I spurred off from the back of another socket a few feet away. Then I connected the output side of the C-Tek directly onto the battery. It works well. The only snag is that if you have LED lights rated at 12v rather than LED units rated at 12v - 30v, the 12v units get hot and can start to smoke. I wrote about that years ago. You can find the link in the quick find index and the link to that is at the bottom of this post. Look under ELECTRICAL - Converting to LED Hope that helps Edited July 4, 2020 by BOAC Link added Quote See the CT Quick Find Index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobhorse Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 That sounds the easiest solution as the power centre is behind the gas fire under the work surface. I will order up a ctek and do as you suggest. I carry a small battery charger for emergencies but your idea sounds much better. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAC Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 There is another way to do this. Underneath the lift up work surface behind the fire there are many plugs and sockets. One of them runs directly to the battery from the charger. When you find out which one it is you can connect the output side of the C-Tek to the battery feed. I changed the plugs which is a faff, however, once done it is then a simple case of plugging in the mains side of the C-Tek. Mine was fitted with a nearby 13 amp socket behind the fire. The C-Tek was held in place on the carpet over the wheel arch with two squares of industrial velcro. If I remember correctly, I think the mains red neon has to be alight for it to work. Bear this in mind. Good luck. Quote See the CT Quick Find Index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobhorse Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi thanks all excellent advice. I have wired in a trickle charger I had for now it all works great I'm getting 13.7v at the battery now. The trickle only puts out about two Amps but it it'll do till I get the ctek. I had a spare socket in a place it wasn't of any use and just ran the wire from there. Be easy to take it out and replace with a better charger. Thanks you've been very helpful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 22 hours ago, BOAC said: Yep. I did exactly that. I left everything as it was and then put in the C-Tek plugged into a mains socket that I spurred off from the back of another socket a few feet away. Then I connected the output side of the C-Tek directly onto the battery. It works well. The only snag is that if you have LED lights rated at 12v rather than LED units rated at 12v - 30v, the 12v units get hot and can start to smoke. I wrote about that years ago. You can find the link in the quick find index and the link to that is at the bottom of this post. Look under ELECTRICAL - Converting to LED Hope that helps There are multiple types of LED's and for use in a caravan(or car or boat) you should make sure they are "charging voltage" rated, not just 12V (i.e. 15Vfor safety). Cheap 12V LED's from auction sites can be at fault here, I use this outfit: Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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