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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 20:03:22 GMT
Dear all, would be very greatful for any thoughts on a couple of issues 1) Dodgy leisure battery connection - has been to autoelectrician twice, and still not right. He changes a fuse or welds up a spade connector but nothing has got to bottom of it. Seems to be an intermittant fault. I collected van on thurs before driving up to Shap, he showed me lights working inside, and they went brighter when i started engine. Drove over 100 miles to Shap, lights very dim. By night time had gone altogether so no electrics all weekend. So thought battery not charging ...but just as setting off for home they suddenly came on, full power and really bright! Still the same now - sometimes nothing, sometomes dim, sometimes bright... what on earth is going on? Could it be the connections on the actual battery? Someone said bad earth? Battery is held in place by bungee cord, (which garge put on) could it be that? Cant understand why it goes from dim to bright though? Can it get reduced power if connection dodgy? 2) MASSIVE draft around fridge -big gap all around it, is there anything people usually use as draft excuder? 3) MIke showed us some sort of collapsible poles that you can put across the inside of cupboards to stop things falling out when u open the door. BIt like a shower rail, you can put them in place and then expand them to fit snuggly. he got them on ebay but i cant find them and dont know what to search for , any ideas? Thankyou
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 20:32:57 GMT
Thanks Sparks, that's exactly what I was trying to describe, have u tried them? All my eye level cupboards are sloping in from top to bottom so even with things in baskets you are likely to get an expected bop on the head!
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Post by Firefox on Dec 18, 2013 20:34:23 GMT
Dear all, would be very greatful for any thoughts on a couple of issues Still the same now - sometimes nothing, sometomes dim, sometimes bright... what on earth is going on? Could it be the connections on the actual battery? Someone said bad earth? Battery is held in place by bungee cord, (which garge put on) could it be that? Cant understand why it goes from dim to bright though? Can it get reduced power if connection dodgy? 2) MASSIVE draft around fridge -big gap all around it, is there anything people usually use as draft excuder? I think a bad earth is the favourite. You can get reduced power through a bad connection. What happens is varying resistance across the connection causes a voltage drop, so some voltage is wasted across your dodgy connection leading to a dim lights and all kinds of other intermittent faults. A bad earth will also mean your battery may not charge properly off the alternator as the charging circuit is not completed. Your earth should be a substantial strap or cable, held onto your battery terminal by a proper clip and bolt. At the other end it should go onto a substantial bolt on the chassis. Loose terminals, corroded terminals/ends, Rusty bolts, self tapping screws, rusty washers, and thin skinny cables are all warning signs. Failing that, faulty internal battery connection, or faulty battery +ve connection. Number 2 - try stuffing with old tea towels as a temp fix, depending on gap size! Could also use builder's expanding foam (crazy foam)
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Post by robmac on Dec 18, 2013 20:37:34 GMT
Bungey cord Anne!! Get it replaced with a proper strap, if the battery has been rocking around I wouldn't be surprised if something has come loose or even the copper wire parting inside it's plastic casing. I hope they're not charging you each time they fail to fix it?
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Post by gaz on Dec 18, 2013 20:47:53 GMT
for the money these would be a good fix www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-battery-hold-down-clamp-/131058559533?hash=item1e83b2ea2dsorry first link wouldnt work seen them for just a couple of quid in halfords ...shouldnt be too hard to rig up keeps ya battery nice n secure rob n vern i think are both on the right lines check yer earth n secure the battery good luck hope you get fixed up try them vent covers hippy sourced on another thread im gonna buy some anyway
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 20:49:48 GMT
Thanks Vern and Rob, very useful, will have to take it back , just hope that i can get it sorted before Ribblehead, as its not just lights but water pump which is also a pain. He didn't charge me second time Rob, said i had been very patient, think it is genuinely confusing as intermittent, so he thinks he solved it!
I will try old tea towels Vern, good idea, I hung some blankets over at Shap and that worked, but didnt think about stuffing something into gaps. I was thinking i could get some sort of draft excluder strip?
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Post by n brown on Dec 18, 2013 20:50:37 GMT
decorators filler round the fridge,it can be cut away if you need to
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 20:55:21 GMT
Thanks Gaz, that looks good and good price, am going to order one now for collecting, maybe that will resolve it. Flippin auto-electician, he was rubbish on my last van too, ended up with it wired back to front so electrics worked in travel position and not in on-site position.. and that was also after several attempts! hmm is there a lesson in there ?!
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Post by gaz on Dec 18, 2013 20:59:29 GMT
soory edited my last post didnt think that link worked??? yeah men eh tsk
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 21:02:40 GMT
soory edited my last post didnt think that link worked??? yeah men eh tsk Yeah it didn't work from the post Gaz, but I pasted it directly into the URL bar and that worked perfectly, weird eh!
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Post by gaz on Dec 18, 2013 21:12:21 GMT
soory edited my last post didnt think that link worked??? yeah men eh tsk Yeah it didn't work from the post Gaz, but I pasted it directly into the URL bar and that worked perfectly, weird eh! well get you ...i need lessons will trade for washing yer van...... clothes on but maybe in vivid lycra ??
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 21:20:39 GMT
Oo now your talking, purple is my fave colour - and may be with some peepholes??!!
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Post by gaz on Dec 18, 2013 21:24:00 GMT
that is spooky i was gonna say purple but then i swayed toward vivid it seemed to paint a better picture pmsl
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 18, 2013 21:36:19 GMT
decorators filler round the fridge,it can be cut away if you need to Nigel I like this idea but just wondering how it would hold up in strong wind? It was pretty extreme in Shap, but i had 2 thick blankets draped over fridge and without bottom weighted down they were still billowing out. Would it cracka dn dislodge do you think?
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Post by brewkit on Dec 19, 2013 3:55:00 GMT
probly not, I'd use whatever sealant I had got floating around the garage. electrics I'd say dodgy earth connection somewhere, have a good look at terminal connections in light clusters as well. cupboard how about net curtain wire, or even knicker elastic
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Post by robmac on Dec 19, 2013 5:36:27 GMT
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Post by n brown on Dec 19, 2013 14:01:23 GMT
decorators filler wont blow out,and goes off firm but flexible and much neater than some messy old foam stuffed in willy nilly,all right for some i suppose ,but some of us have standards ! ,
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Post by robmac on Dec 19, 2013 14:10:33 GMT
decorators filler wont blow out,and goes off firm but flexible and much neater than some messy old foam stuffed in willy nilly,all right for some i suppose ,but some of us have standards ! , Oi! Just cos your swannin off in the sun, don't forget where you're from Hyacinth!
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Post by Oldish Hippy on Dec 19, 2013 21:05:35 GMT
decorators filler wont blow out,and goes off firm but flexible and much neater than some messy old foam stuffed in willy nilly,all right for some i suppose ,but some of us have standards ! , thanks for reminder must do mine had to remove it when the fridge was serviced at the fixit meet and have got a slight draught and fixed it with gaffer tape at the wale cheese place meet as got draught in the wrong place one morning when washing and was stood there in the all together wondering wether ihad wind or what was the cold draft
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2013 14:25:28 GMT
I had some intermittent battery problems last year, it turned out that the positive terminal fitting on my vehicle battery was loose (not obvious by looking) - easily solved by wedging a nail into it to tighten the fit on to the terminal post on the battery.
Curtain wire to keep the stuff on the shelves - cheap and easy and can be removed when static. All the stuff on my shelves in my van is held in place with curtain wire. It also doubles up as a drying line for tea towels, dog towels and other wet kit etc when driving. Cut the wire about 2 cm shorter so that it's taut when hooked up, there's a bit of stretch in it.
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 20, 2013 17:57:23 GMT
Thanks WVW, finished work today so going to take battery out tomorrow and clean everything. I think there must be a loose connection cos have plugged into the mains, and the charger light for 12v system is coming on, then there is a click from direction of engine and it then goes off again, keeps on doing that, so something not right! I like the curtain wire idea, the cheaper the better right now as VERY skint!
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Post by brewkit on Dec 20, 2013 18:45:36 GMT
don't forget, before you put battery back, give the terminals and clamps a rub with emery or sandpaper to clean em up, then apply copper grease if you got it or Vaseline. the negative should also have a connection (braided strap or thick wire) that bolts to the metalwork close by, be an idea to undo that and clean up.
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Post by lotusanne on Dec 21, 2013 14:19:13 GMT
Well - terminals all cleaned up.sanded down etc and battery bolted in... and still no joy. Got more clues though! Battery is only reading 2.1 volts. It was new in the summer so hope its not fu**ed!
Lights not working off battery alone but hardly surprising on that reading.
When plug into the mains lights come on and the charger light comes on on Zig panel. BUt they very quickly go off again . There is a ZIG fuse panel by passenger door, and this makes a clicking noise and lights go off, then a bit later it clicks again and they come back on but it is off more than on. So looks like battery bot getting charged from mains, and also not when driving
I don't know if the autoelectrician will be open now until after Christmas, hopefully before new year as its a real pain without 12v as can't charge phone or more importantly electric cig, and cant pump water etc and just generally a pain relying on candles and torchlight
There is a trip switch tester on fuse panel and this works, all the fuses look OK, should i replace themanyway? Whatever is causing the circuit to keep cutting out... could it do any damage? Have left van plugged into mains hoping it will at least get a but of a charge, but wondering if it could be bad for it?
And maybe nothing to do with it, but there is an on off switch on Zig unit that lights up when on, But when I put it off the 240 volt in van still works - the 240 light come on, the plug socets works and fan heater come on... I would have expected nothing to work if switch off? Hope tgis all makes sense, has anyone got any dieas about it all?
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Post by robmac on Dec 21, 2013 14:40:59 GMT
Anne, is it possible that the batteries polarity has changed? (I think I posted this on WC), this is possible if a battery has been charged the 'wrong way round'. I'm not suggesting that you switch it around as it may not be the case, but you really need it checked by an autoelectrician, unless Vernon can sort it at Shap or Ribblehead?
Could it have been charged the wrong way round at some point do you think?
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Post by robmac on Dec 21, 2013 14:54:30 GMT
Tried ringing you Anne. Give me 2 rings when you can talk and I'll ring you back. (I've got loads of free minutes on my phone at the moment).
Very confused about the 240v bit but easier to talk on the phone!
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Post by gaz on Dec 21, 2013 15:10:10 GMT
lotusanne if vernons gonna have a look at shap i can fetch a fully charged battery along for you to try ....then yous can figure out whats what ..gis a shout all ive to do is put it in the van an bring it along
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Post by robmac on Dec 21, 2013 15:24:34 GMT
Got to go out soon Anne, but if that is the reading I would suggest that the battery is F****d! Should be on guarantee though if only fitted in Summer. Was it you who told me that the battery was fitted the wrong way round originally, or was that Sue?
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Post by stonedaddy on Dec 21, 2013 22:32:11 GMT
Ann is that 2.1 reading with the battery fully disconnected and free standing or with it connected up. .... Tom ....
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Post by robmac on Dec 22, 2013 1:56:08 GMT
Thanks WVW, finished work today so going to take battery out tomorrow and clean everything. I think there must be a loose connection cos have plugged into the mains, and the charger light for 12v system is coming on, then there is a click from direction of engine and it then goes off again, keeps on doing that, so something not right! I like the curtain wire idea, the cheaper the better right now as VERY skint! The click from direction of engine must surely be the split charge relay? I would check all connections and test the relay.
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Post by Firefox on Dec 22, 2013 14:49:30 GMT
Down at that level battery is dead, could be damaged. It may be possible to revive it with a boost charge. I doubt it will charge off the alternator from down there. Would also be interested to know the answer to Tom's Q. But don't worry, we can have a look at it at Shap Bothy
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