The leisure battery is a good quality 110 amp lead acid, the make escapes me at the moment. When I noticed the voltage indicated on the control panel was 12.4 I realised something was wrong so after checking and replacing the fuse and no apparent output from the onboard charger I used my car charger for a couple of hours and the battery did show an increase in voltage.
I removed the leisure battery, the connection to the motor mover and the battery charger and took it home. The battery was left on charge for about 24 hours and the Bayley charger unit was checked for any output voltage but nothing indicated. I checked with a company that refurbish these type of chargers and was informed the particular model I had could possibly be refurbished but depended on what had failed.
I have since purchased a replacement charger (not through Baily), happy with the leisure battery so have been back to site and replaced battery and charger. Everything has been in place for a couple of weeks now and all appears to be working fine. I have been at the caravan over the weekend and have just returned home. I have not reconnected the motor mover yet. I do not need it at the moment. When the motor mover was installed, prior to our ownership, it was wired directly to the LB with out any cut-out or inline fuse. I propose to fit cut-out and fuse later. Initially I will check the motor mover out with a separate battery in case this caused my initial problem.
However, having said that the original battery charger had been in use constantly for 2 or 3 years!
Glad to hear that things are returning to a state of normallity. Yes, parts fail when we least want them to and a good second hand is a cheaper fix.
On this note, the failure may have done you a favour, highlighting the fact that there was neither fuse nor isolator in the mover circuit. A 12v DC short circuit causes catastrophic damage to wiring etc due to the high current drawn.
I've just had to replace my van battery after 2 years, I had been using my C-tec unit to keep it topped up during winter and I got lazy and left the older on-board unit on permanently instead. I think it overcooked it as the acid level had dropped and the top of the plates must have sulfated. It showed only only 87% capacity when I refilled and charged it again. An expensive lesson learned I think.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Quote: Originally posted by Pickled Onion on 27/2/2023
Glad to hear that things are returning to a state of normallity. Yes, parts fail when we least want them to and a good second hand is a cheaper fix.
On this note, the failure may have done you a favour, highlighting the fact that there was neither fuse nor isolator in the mover circuit. A 12v DC short circuit causes catastrophic damage to wiring etc due to the high current drawn.
I've just had to replace my van battery after 2 years, I had been using my C-tec unit to keep it topped up during winter and I got lazy and left the older on-board unit on permanently instead. I think it overcooked it as the acid level had dropped and the top of the plates must have sulfated. It showed only only 87% capacity when I refilled and charged it again. An expensive lesson learned I think.
Dave.
Dave,
I always find your posts very informative, and a source of knowledge which folk like myself can learn from.
Interesting. Sometimes it's just a matter of accepting failures with certain devices and although I have no idea how Bailey, or other manufactures design their caravan systems, I suspect they are well designed as whole systems though there is nothing 'special' about the technology that they use to charge their batteries.
As mentioned, the amount of current that can be discharged from a leisure battery is alarming if something goes wrong so it's worth checking all of our fuses and making sure that we don't discharge our batteries below what is considered damaging to the batteries themselves which is easier to do with lead acid than more modern battery technologies. Glad you got it sorted though...
I always find your posts very informative, and a source of knowledge which folk like myself can learn from.
Well that's very kind of you to say Rich. I learned loads from reading about other people's experiences on this and other forums over the years, plus I've been involved in repairing, servicing and modifying stuff all my life so I enjoy it.
We all started out knowing very little about our chosen leisure adventures and soon hit problems that we needed advice on. So the free and often expert advice donated by others who had that knowledge was a godsend. Therefore is is so good to be able to pass it on, and that's good Karma too.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Battery charger Bayley Pageant Bordeaux
