8-1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
12V POWER SUPPLY
Battery Installation
Your motorhome will be fitted with a charging
and power distribution unit.
If you wish to install a leisure battery please
ensure that it is placed on the battery tray
supplied with your motorhome. Then place
the tray in the battery locker fitted to the side
of your motorhome. Connect the battery to
the clamp fittings connected to the
connection leads within the battery box.
Elddis recommends that you use sealed for
life leisure batteries of a minimum rating off
85 ampere-hours at 20 hours discharge rate.
Battery Maintenance
Storage
Ensure that the leisure battery is fully
charged before placing the vehicle into
storage.
Once in storage disconnect the battery
Check the battery state every 2 months, if the
terminal voltage drops below 12.07V then re-
charging is necessary.
Charging should be carried out in a cool, dry
well ventilated area.
Do not place the battery onto cold surfaces
such as concrete as this will affect the
battery’s ability to charge.
Points to remember
• Prolonged discharge causes harmful
sulfation and may damage a battery.
• For peak performance never let a battery
sit discharged for long periods of time.
• Over discharged batteries are
permanently damaged and need to be
replaced.
Note: Do not over discharge the battery. One
of the most common causes of battery failure
is when the battery is discharged below the
recommended level of approximately 12.2v -
ref table. Discharging a battery below this
figure will cause permanent damage.
Overheating and gassing will occur when re-
connected to the mains supply.
12 Volt Battery State of Charge
12.7V 100%
12.5V 90%
12.42V 80%
12.32V 70%
12.20V 60%
12.06V 50%
11.9V 40%
11.75V 30%
11.58V 20%
11.31V 10%
10.5V 0%
Good: the battery is in good condition and not in
need of charging
OK: nothing to worry about but put the battery on
charge as soon as you can
Warning: get the battery on charge as soon as you
can. Leave it and the battery will be damaged,
possibly beyond repair
Damaged: Replace battery
Generators / Charger
All electrical equipment fitted in your new
motorhome can be run from either a
controlled generator or charger whose output
is maintained between 11volts and 14volts.
At least once every 3 years, the motorhome
electrical installation should be inspected and
tested and a report on its condition obtained,
as prescribed in British Standard BS7671.
230v POWER SUPPLY
Mains Unit
The Mains Unit replaces the conventional
fuse box. Similar, but larger ones are often
fitted in new houses. The unit, normally
located on the front bed box, gives overloads
and earth leakage protection for the 230V
electrical supply in your motorhome.
For normal operation all switches on the unit
need to be in the ON position. The switches
on the left of the unit are known as MCB’s
(miniature circuit breakers). These take the
place of the conventional fuse but are more
convenient. In the event of a fault the MCB
‘trips’ i.e. automatically moves to the OFF
position. After elimination of the fault the
Good
OK
Warning
Damaged
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