reverse polarity

[mutantspy]

is it going to cause any problems if i hook up the afferiy 2400 battery power pack to charge the leisure battery and to use the 240 volt plugs inside the camper. i have plugged it in to the ehu everything seems to work ok it's charging the leisure battery and i can use the 240 plug sockets in the camper the fridge works ok. also does anyone know if i can use the solar panels for the affery while still hooked up to the ehu and charging the leisure battery.
the only issue that i can see is that the reverse polarity light comes on
hope this is clear any help would be appreiciated
cheers paul

 

[Dellmassive]

This battery pack?

It shows 2400w inverter, so should be good running the EHU on the van, and charge via the vans charger ok.

But what reversed polarity light comes on?

The PV on the battery pack?... Is so then the panels are wired into the battery box reversed?

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[mutantspy]

its the red light on the sargent ec106 consumer unit inside the van

 

[mutantspy]

the red light for reverse polarity is on the sargent ec106 consumer unit in the campervan

 

[mutantspy]

This battery pack?

It shows 2400w inverter, so should be good running the EHU on the van, and charge via the vans charger ok.

But what reversed polarity light comes on?

The PV on the battery pack?... Is so then the panels are wired into the battery box reversed?

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View attachment 239158

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the reverse polarity light is on the sargent ec106 consumer unit in the camper

 

[Dellmassive]

Oh right.

That may be the socket on your portable power pack live and natural wire reversed.

I've heard of this before.

Because it's AC it works either way round.

But because in the UK we fuse the LIVE wire in the plug it means with reverse polarity the wire is still live even when the fuse is blown.

Maybe contact the battery manufacturer and see what they say.?

 

[Dellmassive]

Your might be able to rewire the ppp socket, but that means opening it up.... Ie warranty void etc.

 

[roadtripper]

Your might be able to rewire the ppp socket, but that means opening it up.... Ie warranty void etc.

While it's not ideal you could also have a dedicated hook up converter that swapped the line and neutral conductors - but have a really big label or marking on it so you know what it is and don't use it for "normal" use.

There is a risk plugging power packs into the EHU socket. They normally have entirely floating 240v output that isn't referenced to ground, like small generators. That's inherently safe as with no reference to ground the only way you will get a shock is if you held both conductors. However your EHU system will be grounded to the van body and depending on how the power pack is wired and your EHU setup that may result in a situation where the 240v is referenced to ground (so now you can get a shock between faulty wiring and the van body) in such a way that the RCD will not protect you.

It's generally safer to use the power packs as intended directly powering equipment rather than plugging them into EHU systems that are setup to be plugged into properly grounded mains supplies from the grid.

You can still use a small maintenance charger to top up the leisure battery from the power pack as hoc as needed and that arrangement lets you put the power pack and solar panels put on the optimum position for solar charging during the day. The maintenance charger is also likely to be useful to keep your starter battery topped up too.