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Topic: Battery Charger/ motor mover

Message posted by pullup on 04/3/2012 at 3:26pm

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pullup

Platinum Member

Outfit: Swift challenger 570

Location: In a field somewhere
Joined: 21/7/2004
Posts:   520
Site Reviews:   15
Gallery Images:   3

We have a Swift Challenger 2010 model,with a truma motor mover, which was serviced last November and has sat on the drive ever since.

When we came to use it on Friday it wouldn't move, we changed the batteries in the handset (as advised by dealer) but still nothing. So we asume it must be the caravan battery but the van has been hooked up to the mains with the green charger light under bed on all winter so wouldn't it be charging?

Our neighbour who is a mecanic tested the battery and said it

has a 13.5 charge but is low on water so we top it up with distilled water and put the whole thing on a car battery charger. Which seemed to do the trick, we managed to get away.

On reaching the site we were staying at we took the battery out of the caravan and put it onto the car battery charger for a few hours. That was on Friday, this morning when we tried to leave the site and use the motor mover again we had nothing.

However to get the caravan back on the drive another kind neighbour lent us his battery and it worked, so definately the caravan battery is the problem but do you think the internal charger on the caravan isn't working or is the battery likely to be dud after 2 years and 4 months?

-------------
2013
March: Ferry Meadows
April: North Morte, North Devon
May: Lyndon Top, Rutland
May: Top Lodge.
June:
July:
August: West Beeston,

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Message posted by Eddie12 on 04/3/2012 at 3:30pm View Profile Quote Tell a friend
Eddie12 Platinum Member Outfit: Swift Challenger 570 & Santa Fe Location: Joined: 28/3/2006 Posts: 725 Site Reviews: 0 Gallery Images: 0	Sounds as though your battery is duff, even though it's only a couple of years old. If both chargers weren't able to charge it, I think it's time for a replacement.

Message posted by pullup on 04/3/2012 at 3:42pm View Profile Quote Tell a friend
pullup Platinum Member Outfit: Swift challenger 570 Location: In a field somewhere Joined: 21/7/2004 Posts: 520 Site Reviews: 15 Gallery Images: 3	Thanks, I did think it would have lasted longer, could the fact that it has been connected to the mains perminately have damaged it do you think? ------------- 2013 March: Ferry Meadows April: North Morte, North Devon May: Lyndon Top, Rutland May: Top Lodge. June: July: August: West Beeston,

Message posted by Eddie12 on 04/3/2012 at 4:07pm View Profile Quote Tell a friend
Eddie12 Platinum Member Outfit: Swift Challenger 570 & Santa Fe Location: Joined: 28/3/2006 Posts: 725 Site Reviews: 0 Gallery Images: 0	No, it shouldn't have, providing the charger was operating normally. Battery plates can give bother at any stage, and when they do, they're caput.

Message posted by michael on 04/3/2012 at 5:45pm View Profile Quote Tell a friend
michael Diamond Member Outfit: BAILEY RANGER 5005 hyundai santa fe2.7 Location: LANCASHIRE ENGLAND Joined: 30/6/2002 Posts: 22873 Site Reviews: 1 Gallery Images: 3	at 13.5 the battery is ok and must be charging to be at this level.i use an EHU for charging 4 hours a day at home without a problem.if you were on site it would be on charge full time anyway.try another battery in the hand set. ------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.

Message posted by DaveCoaches on 04/3/2012 at 7:38pm View Profile Quote Tell a friend
DaveCoaches Platinum Member Outfit: Coachman Pastiche Location: Joined: 30/7/2011 Posts: 1082 Site Reviews: 0 Gallery Images: 1	It could be the connections that are the problem. I always used to carry two leisure batteries and the one would never power the mover very well unless I cleaned the terminals with hot water before fitting. Why it only affected the one battery, I'll never understand.

Message posted by Francophile1947 on 04/3/2012 at 9:43pm

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Francophile1947

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Outfit: Citroen Relay Campervan

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Quote: Originally posted by michael on 04/3/2012
at 13.5 the battery is ok and must be charging to be at this level.i use an EHU for charging 4 hours a day at home without a problem.if you were on site it would be on charge full time anyway.try another battery in the hand set.

Depends how quickly it was tested after being charged - immediately after may well give a good reading, whereas, left for an hour, it could well be flat.

-------------
Cheers
John

Wissett Plough 14-15 May
Lickhill Manor 18-21 June
Brandon 19-21 July
Malden 14-19 August

Message posted by pullup on 05/3/2012 at 6:35pm

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pullup

Platinum Member

Outfit: Swift challenger 570

Location: In a field somewhere
Joined: 21/7/2004
Posts:   520
Site Reviews:   15
Gallery Images:   3

Quote: Originally posted by Francophile1947 on 04/3/2012

Quote: Originally posted by michael on 04/3/2012at 13.5 the battery is ok and must be charging to be at this level.i use an EHU for charging 4 hours a day at home without a problem.if you were on site it would be on charge full time anyway.try another battery in the hand set.
[/QUOTE]Depends how quickly it was tested after being charged - immediately after may well give a good reading, whereas, left for an hour, it could well be flat.

It was tested when we first removed it from the caravan before we put it on the car charger but it had very little water in it.

-------------
2013
March: Ferry Meadows
April: North Morte, North Devon
May: Lyndon Top, Rutland
May: Top Lodge.
June:
July:
August: West Beeston,

Message posted by powerjohn on 05/3/2012 at 7:07pm View Profile Quote Tell a friend
powerjohn Standard Member Outfit: Bailey Valencia & S-Max Titanium Location: West Midlands Joined: 11/10/2004 Posts: 63 Site Reviews: 0 Gallery Images: 0	If it had very little "water" (dilute acid really) for some time, that would definitely have reduced its effectiveness, as the innards (lead plates etc.) get pretty crummy as they dry out. Once you've done that recharging won't bring it back into condition. I'd say go for a replacement battery and care for it well. ------------- John

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