TECHNICAL

Caravan & motorhome technical questions

Question

Hi I have a Elddis Vogue Shamal about 1999 model I believe. I have a mains power source to hand. I've just noticed if I turn off the mains power, and leave the switch to caravan battery I have no power. The battery is almost new and checked is holding a charge over 12 v. When I turn the mains on it doesn't register any increase, ie isn't charging. I have internal caravan lights only on mains. I have no fridge (12v), no TV ariel. The fuse at the battery end is good. We don't seem to have a 12v fuse box, it all seems to go into the breaker unit. There are no obvious loose connections, and the state of the wiring seems ok. I don't seem to be getting any 12 v power to the switches ie the caravan/car battery switch. I can only think that something has gone in the Zig charger, but we still get mains power through it. Any suggestions please.

Answer

There should be a battery fuse that is normally situated close to the battery. There should also be a fuse box for the 12 volt system. If all fuses are OK then it indicates a problem with the Zig charger.
Disconnect the battery terminals and with a mains supply to the caravan and the charger switched on, you should record at least 13.8 volts at the terminals.