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Old 10-31-2015, 12:26 PM   #1
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2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charging

My 2006 ford e250 SMB EB50 will charge the house battery from the AC line just fine, and all accessories work with or without the AC line connected. But the battery draws down and doesn't recharge at all when driving. Switched all breakers on and off but no difference.

I looked in the 2004 and 2006 SMB manuals, and it says to first check the "main fuse" that connects the vans electrical system to the SMB accessories. Problem is that I could not find a main fuse in either location mentioned in the 2004 and 2008 manuals. My EB50 is a bit unique in that all the electricals and accessories (inverter, star cool, suburban propane heater, water tank/pump, and generator electricals) are located under the rear platform bed. It was originally built for a handicapped person and there was no rear seat installed (see pic).

I'm hoping someone here has a similar layout or has ideas where the main fuse might be found.
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Old 10-31-2015, 01:25 PM   #2
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

Here is a simple drawing of a typical wiring system. Assuming that your van alternator is actually charging the starter batteries (check voltage with meter while van is running. should be 13.4 VDC or better), my next place to check would be the separator. Sometimes they stick in one position or another. Usually located near the house batteries.

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Old 10-31-2015, 07:50 PM   #3
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

If you have a surepower separator then there could be a strong possibility that it is going bad, I do not believe there is any fusing between the starting batteries and the House batteries from Sportsmobile. The 2004 manual does have some reference to a fuse but it was for a isolator.


some information here on the surepower http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/vie...p?f=14&t=15579


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Old 11-05-2015, 01:42 PM   #4
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

Greg is correct if it was a standard build. My 2006 has no fusing from the house battery system to the starting batteries. However mine is a diesel and the batteries are on the frame rail behind the side barn doors. Still I doubt they fused that circuit even in a gas version van unless the owner asked that it was to be fused. I'd be looking at the separator. The Surepower separators are know for failure issues. Easy to check with a voltmeter.
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Old 11-05-2015, 08:35 PM   #5
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

Also if your house batteries are going bad, or have low voltage from not charging, it's possible the sure power is disconnecting immediately. Basically when your fully charged starter battery is connected through the sure power the combination might be low enough to make the sure power disconnect.

Another option it the sure power doesn't have enough power to trip in the first place, because the unit is actually powered from the house side.

I'd plug into shore power and make sure your house batteries are charging and holding charge before swapping anything out (actually I wouldn't, but I'm not very smart). At the same time you can monitor if the sure power activates to charge the starter batteries at some point. With power on the house side via shore power you might get a better idea if it's the separator.
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Old 11-08-2015, 10:15 PM   #6
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

Thank you so much for the video on the sure power separator...that's the exact model I have. The van sat around a lot (2006 model with 12,000 miles!) so the original house battery was dead/bad when I bought it. Bought a brand new Everstart RV battery at Wal-Mart (say what you will but I've had great luck with them!) the day I picked the SMB up in Kansas City.

Will report back when she's fixed.
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Old 11-09-2015, 06:10 PM   #7
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

The 2004 Sportsmobile Manual says on page 33. Circuit breaker (12v) automatic reset 50 amp breaker protects wiring between isolator and extra battery. Should the breaker go bad, the alternator will not charge the extra battery when the vans engine is running. The picture shows it located near the under the hood battery.

Probably way to obvious, but just thought I'd put it out there.
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Old 11-09-2015, 06:23 PM   #8
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

My SMB had a "main fuse" (I put that in quotes because it was sort of on the wrong end of the wire...) in a somewhat odd place. The DC fuse block was a block (obviously) with a number of blade fuses, one for each circuit. The wire that fed the fuse block was long, but there was a "main" fuse that SMB had added by screwing it right onto the fuse block. The odd thing was that it was at the load end of the wire and the power source end was not fused at all Anyway, just something to potentially check.

Just remembered I had a photo of it in my gallery. It's the thing on the right with the two wires that have red crimps on them. All gone now and replaced by a Blue Sea unit (and the fusing is now at the power source end of the wire But this is how it looked "before."

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Old 11-09-2015, 07:34 PM   #9
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Re: 2006 SMB where is the main fuse? House battery not charg

You know, as I went back and read the first post, I don't see how the fuse I show could be a part of your problem. I read "main fuse," and figured, well, I could see SMB calling this fuse a main fuse. I'll leave the post/photo in case it might help someone else in future, but I don't see how it could be your problem. Sorry I didn't think more clearly before posting.
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