battery Charging

[stuartmac]

Hi

Ive had issues with my battery going flat over time, so Ive started leaving it connected to a smart charger when the car is not in use, this seems to be working.

However, I noticed today that when the smart charger is connected the bodywork appears to be "live" - resting my hands on the front wing beading makes them tingle! - disconnect the charger and the tingling stops.

Is this related to the battery discharging - and whats causing it - assuming its not normal

Thanks

Stuart

 

[Lebro]

Sounds like your charger is at fault, it must be leaking a certain amount of mains voltage onto the DC charging cables. Is it earthed, or just a two wire mains connection ?

I would advise getting it "PAT" tested i.e. safety tested before using again.

 

Bob.

[stuartmac]

Hi Bob

Can't be sure because its a moulded plug - but it looks like a twin core and earth cable

So its some sort of fault with the charger itself and not a car electrics problem?

Thanks

Stuart

Edited April 14, 2017 by stuartmac

[Lebro]

Yep. Unless you have a problem with your electric supply, i.e. maybe the socket you are plugging into has not got a proper earth connection. Are you using an extension lead, if so be worth check that you have continuity of the earth connection through it.

 

The charger should not put out any voltage high enough to feel.

 

 

Bob.

[stuartmac]

thanks for the help bob - looks like its the socket at fault - ill get it checked out - thankyou

[RobH]

This effect is often caused by the filter capacitors in modern equipment even when there is no actual fault. The capacitive impedance passes a small current to the output side, which can be felt as a tingle under the wrong circumstances. If you measure the connected metalwork with a high impedance meter it can often show an alarming voltage level to earth - around 100 or even more - but of course that voltage collapses if the load is significant such as when you touch it. Its rather poor design of the equipment but very common - particularly with cheap plug-in power modules.

 

By all means have the mains socket checked out just in case, but as Bob said you really should also have the charger tested by someone competent before using it again - and its safest to have an RCD -protected mains supply to it. If your house wiring isn't RCD protected in the consumer unit, then you should use a separate plug-in type at the outlet.

[Spit_2.5PI]

It seems particularly common in equipment intended for anywhere in the world, because some countries like Germany have plugs which can be connected either way round - you don't know which pin will be neutral. If it's double insulated - i.e. no earth - then they put a small capacitor from both mains pins to the DC ground. These equal value capacitors superimpose half the mains voltage onto your equipment, but the voltage collapses as soon as there's some sort of load. None the less, you might feel the tiny current, particularly if your skin resistance is low.

 

Cheers, Richard