Fridge issues

[roadtripper]

So the EC155 is an all in one 12v and 240v supply. It has the 240v incoming socket connected to it, the RCD and the circuit breakers to feed the 240v sockets in your van.

It also has a 12v distribution board and fuses. Those are the relays that are being controlled by your control panel when you press the buttons.

Also in the EC155 there is a "charger" but that's just a basic 240v to 12v power supply - it's main job is to support the battery it's not actually a very good charger. Depending on your install if you have a separate charger it may have been disabled.

The Everett MPPT tracer is your solar charger, it will be charging your LB from the solar panel.

The Victron Orion TR Smart is your DC-DC charger, that's really your most critical one as it's what charges you LB from the van when you are driving. With modern engines basic split charge relays don't work well so DC-DC chargers are required. Think of it as a smart charger powered by the vans 12v.

The Victron Smart Charger is likely one of the IP22 range, possibly IP67, this is a good quality 240v to 12v smart charger and will be running off your EHU.

Blue Smart IP22 Charger - Victron Energy

The Blue Smart IP22 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.

www.victronenergy.com

Blue Smart IP65 Charger (120V and 230V) - Victron Energy

The Blue Smart IP65 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.

www.victronenergy.com

Given you have a Victron mains charger you will want to have any built in charger off in the EC155 - the Victron will do a much much better job.

 

[roadtripper]

That sounds like a pretty respectable setup - the Victron chargers make up for the common shortcomings of the "all in one" systems in modern vans.

The only surprise is if the 240v and 12v powered chargers are Victron I'm surprised they didn't fit a Victron MPPT controller.

That might be a consideration for the future as then you can see what all your chargers are doing in the same app.

It also means you're well placed for an upgrade to lithium batteries in the future.

 

[Paul Sussex]

Great, thank you roadtripper - very helpful.

 

[roadtripper]

I'm always surprised how little handover/documentation seems to happen around camper electrics.

They're not rocket science but there is a lot of choice and a little knowledge can make or break the camping experience.

I wrote an 8 page manual for our narrowboat electrical systems. Other folks that use the boat laughed about it at the start but have mostly mentioned it's been very useful since. We've certainly stopped going through batteries about as quickly as diesel now they are looked after properly.

 

[Paul Sussex]

Hi, I have loads of manuals that came with the van but no handover explanation so can’t say I really understood it all.

Good idea about writing one for the van especially as my wife wants me to lend it to our kids as they can’t afford one (one of them was saving but now expecting twins - so change of plan for them).

So I just leave it all alone, when on EHU and put the big red switch on