Battery Separator Question

[Tom 98072]

2018 PW Lexor TS
Surepower 1314-200

I am having some strange electrical problems and my chassis battery keeps dying if not running or on shore power. I recently had a Kenwood radio and a Brandmotion mirror installed. The strange electrical problems began shortly afterwards so I took the van back to Cartoys thinking something might’ve been hooked up wrong.

The tech checked things out and adjusted settings to lower the drain on the battery. Took about 20 minutes. He said besides the radio being set to run for 20 minutes after the key is turned off he saw no other reason for the battery dying but mirror does have problems. Probably time for a new battery he thought. When I tried to leave-wouldn’t start.

Voltage said 13.2. Ohm meter across the separator said .4ohms therefore the contacts were closed. Reading the literature that came with it, I think this should be right until my house batteries got down to 12.8 then it should open.

So I got a new battery (old one failed test at auto parts store) then parked for 7 hours w/o shore power. Van started fine. Moved into garage and hooked up shore power drawing 20amps. I checked after 30 minutes and house voltage is 14.2 and drawing 1 amp.

2 hours later 14.8 volts at separator and 0 ohms.

Separator is hot to touch.

Any ideas that I should try to make certain the separator is working and it was the battery?

Thanks for any ideas.

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by Tom 98072

2018 PW Lexor TS
Surepower 1314-200

I am having some strange electrical problems and my chassis battery keeps dying if not running or on shore power. I recently had a Kenwood radio and a Brandmotion mirror installed. The strange electrical problems began shortly afterwards so I took the van back to Cartoys thinking something might’ve been hooked up wrong.

The tech checked things out and adjusted settings to lower the drain on the battery. Took about 20 minutes. He said besides the radio being set to run for 20 minutes after the key is turned off he saw no other reason for the battery dying but mirror does have problems. Probably time for a new battery he thought. When I tried to leave-wouldn’t start.

Voltage said 13.2. Ohm meter across the separator said .4ohms therefore the contacts were closed. Reading the literature that came with it, I think this should be right until my house batteries got down to 12.8 then it should open.

So I got a new battery (old one failed test at auto parts store) then parked for 7 hours w/o shore power. Van started fine. Moved into garage and hooked up shore power drawing 20amps. I checked after 30 minutes and house voltage is 14.2 and drawing 1 amp.

2 hours later 14.8 volts at separator and 0 ohms.

Separator is hot to touch.

Any ideas that I should try to make certain the separator is working and it was the battery?

Thanks for any ideas.

Hi: I have a 2016 PW lexor TS. There is a ground wire to the battery separator. You can disconnect it. It is maybe 18 or 20 gauge ground wire. This deactivates the separator. If your separator feels hot to the touch. This means it is malfunctioning(circuit staying closed).

I replaced my separator. Installed a marine switch for the ground wire. When I go into storage. I turn switch off. This is just insurance since I do not have full confidence in these devices. I have Victron BMS 712. I then check the Victron via blue tooth. Make sure there is no parasitic draw. I had issues of the chassis battery drawing down the house batteries. Now house batteries stay fully charged for months without issue.

[Tom 98072]

Reading the cut sheet PW sent with van and Surepower website imply it should be closed unless house batteries drop to 12.8. Am I reading them wrong?

[booster]

Originally Posted by Tom 98072

Reading the cut sheet PW sent with van and Surepower website imply it should be closed unless house batteries drop to 12.8. Am I reading them wrong?

You must have the lithium batteries in PW so this is a known issue with separator. Pleasureway knows about it and has changed the system IIRC, so you may want to contact them for what they recommend. Lithium runs at too high a voltage to use the auto connect separator, so some type of manual relay is probably necessary, perhaps with control to only close it when the engine is running.



Why the starting battery failed is probably not much related to the issue as the problem usually shows up as near dead coach batteries.


As others have mentioned, disengage the separator by removing the grounds and then check the parasitic again on the engine side, which should be isolated then. You will then have a much better chance of finding and fixing any parasitic drains you have on that side.

[Tom 98072]

Thank you. I’ll contact PW Monday.

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by booster

You must have the lithium batteries in PW so this is a known issue with separator. Pleasureway knows about it and has changed the system IIRC, so you may want to contact them for what they recommend. Lithium runs at too high a voltage to use the auto connect separator, so some type of manual relay is probably necessary, perhaps with control to only close it when the engine is running.



Why the starting battery failed is probably not much related to the issue as the problem usually shows up as near dead coach batteries.


As others have mentioned, disengage the separator by removing the grounds and then check the parasitic again on the engine side, which should be isolated then. You will then have a much better chance of finding and fixing any parasitic drains you have on that side.

Agreed! This is correct. Coach batteries will be dead since higher voltage goes to lower voltage batteries. Something is happening if your chassis battery is dead. If separator has failed and chassis with house battery are in balance. Eventually both banks will be gone. I suspect you have a parasitic draw in the chassis.