2018 Corinium Duo

We have a 2018 Corinium Duo on a Peugeot Boxer Chassis. Does anyone else have a problem with the vehicle battery going flat if not run for 2-3 weeks. Our previous Chausson on a Fiat Boxer chassis could be left for over 3 months & still started. We have spoken to a Peugeot dealer who says this is normal on newer engines.

I switched the smart charge in the control panel to vehicle to keep the starter battery topped up via the solar panel .. however the leisure cells would then discharge to unacceptable levels. The std fit 80w panel is pretty useless at this time of year.

Can you plug into mains and put a timer on to charge a couple of hours per day or 8 hours once a week? Or you could press red button on ignition switch before removing key, this isolates battery but means your alarm (if fitted) won't work and not will central locking, you'd have to lock by key.

Mine is exactly the same if not used for 2/3 weeks leisure and vehicle batteries totally useless.  Had to boost mine this morning to move it from storage.  Now I get a issue with vehicle battery says 0.1 v on control panel..... when it is 12.9 and starts engine ok - calling Sargent I the morning!

Alwaysurfing wrote:Now I get a issue with vehicle battery says 0.1 v on control panel.

Have you started the engine with either the leisure or engine battery in a poor state of charge, while the other one is good?

Before you phone Sargent, please check the main fuse between the vehicle battery and the Sargent controller, as this is a typical symptom of that fuse having blown.

Jon wrote:We have a 2018 Corinium Duo on a Peugeot Boxer Chassis. Does anyone else have a problem with the vehicle battery going flat if not run for 2-3 weeks. Our previous Chausson on a Fiat Boxer chassis could be left for over 3 months & still started. We have spoken to a Peugeot dealer who says this is normal on newer engines.

Hi Jon
Welcome to the forum from a chilly Bridlington.   
Boaby

Alwaysurfing wrote:Mine is exactly the same if not used for 2/3 weeks leisure and vehicle batteries totally useless.  Had to boost mine this morning to move it from storage.  Now I get a issue with vehicle battery says 0.1 v on control panel..... when it is 12.9 and starts engine ok - calling Sargent I the morning!

Hi Alwaysurfing
Welcome to the forum from a chilly Bridlington.
Boaby.    

The 20 amp fuse in the EM40 had blown - that's the vehicle battery fuse.  I believe putting the booster on the vehicle battery to get it started did this - (as mentioned above thanks Roopert). All the battery levels reporting as normal now.....

Have had the van plugged into mains since yesterday lunchtime, but not keen to unplug in the cold weather as expect everything to go flat again :(

Not sure how this van is supposed to be left in storage for any length of time.....

You have several options ... some have already been mentioned. I chose to increase the solar to 400w connected via a separate MPPT controller ( had to do this as the EC500 can only handle up to 120w )     
I now have no issues,  plus I can wild camp pretty much permanently for most of the year.

there are many, many threads on this forum regarding flat cab batteries and this cold snap will have them coming back in droves...

one of the main issues is that, if using 'Smart' charging (logical you'd think) the Sargent ECU is very hungry and cant pass on much of the limited sunshine/power from the solar panel...less than it requires to work its 'magic' and any immobiliser use...ergo, flat battery.
my 100w panel has a separate charge conroller which manages both the twin leisure batteries and the cab battery, which doesnt involve any ECU involement to carry put this task ....

as the above post, a simple set up that works well...too simple it would seem?

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  I will look into the extra solar panel option.  I have tried pressing the red button on the ignition but this switches the tracker off. Another thought is whether I swop the battery for a heavier duty one.  Has anyone tried this?

I’ve had a few ‘uncomplicated’ leisure vehicles over the years and simply plugging the EHU in for 24hrs once a month has always kept things tip top.
My Symbol however has been a big learning curve over the first year of ownership.
Basically the summer months are great and I don’t need to give the battery a second thought (and we do plenty of 2-3 day trips off grid).
Winter months are a different matter, the 80w panel is just not up to the job. I’ve read all the many threads regarding this but personally have given up worrying and now just leave the van on permanent hook up. The smart meter hasn’t indicated any great increase in consumption.

Spending money on solutions is absolutely fine but we all have different requirements so you have to work out what will work for you.

This would be great but unfortunately there is no hook up where we store it.

Ah, sorry!! Hope you find a solution Jon.

Thanks

Jon wrote:This would be great but unfortunately there is no hook up where we store it.

Hi, same situation as you, storage with no book up. Lost two vehicle batteries in the past due to 80w panel unable to cater for demand of smart charging during the gloom of the winter months. For us, problem solved by the AA battery solar charger (part No SOLPAN24). We press off the shutdown switch on the PSU and plug the SP into the EOBD socket. Suction pads hold SP against windscreen in the direction of available sunlight that will provide a trickle charge to the vehicle battery. This setup therefore ensures any charging from 80w SP is dedicated solely to the habitation battery that usually holds charge of 12.9v. Amazon approx £30.

Sorry, eobd socket is ok to accept a solar charger?

Alwaysurfing wrote:Sorry, eobd socket is ok to accept a solar charger?

Some manufacturers (e.g. VW) explicitly say that you must not.

However, people do, and they seem to get away with it. If you do cause damage it will likely be expensive (typically either the main body control module or the dash panel) but I've never heard of anyone saying that they have!

If you're going to do it, a 2.4W panel like the one linked to is probably safe enough, as the max power it can put out is 200mA. We have a similar panel permanently attached to the dash in our Yaris, and it seems to do a good job, though it is directly wired back to the battery in our case.

Hi Alwaysurfing, apologies for my post was done in haste. The small AA trickle charge solar panel has the 16 pin connection plug that slots in EOBD (European On Board Diagnostics) for continual starter battery connection. I forgot to mention that by switching off the PSU, it effectively isolates the battery so any alarm will be disabled along with key fob operation of doors/step. Our storage facility is very secure so no worries about no operating alarm. Appreciate your storage security may not be the same as ours. As you know, automotive batteries naturally discharge when not in use and  this AA SP will maintain a minimum 12.4v. with peak power output of 2.4 watt. We also take the van for short trips just to give an extra boost to the battery.