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Topic: Leisure battery

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Rach215

07/7/2017 at 7:19pm
Location: None Entered
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How can I tell if my battery is charging. When hooked upto mains the volt dial goes up but when unhooked and left there is no charge in the battery.
What are we doing wrong?

James Watt

07/7/2017 at 8:03pm
Location: Costa Del West Sussex
Outfit: Tesco 4 Man Dome. Outwell Virginia 5

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Hello Rach.

Due to the (very) limited information you have provided, I would suspect the Leisure Battery has come to the end of its life?

The voltmeter has numbers on it, 13-14 or so is normal when a good battery is charged.

How old is the battery?, when did you last use it? that would be a guide.

Regards James

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In the beginning there was darkness.
Then I bought a tent.
I'm not destitute, I'm just poor.

Grampian91

07/7/2017 at 9:58pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Is the battery totally dead? If left in a discharged state the cells fur up and the capicty decreases the longer its left flat.

Once its below a certain point it wont recharge again. The usual sign is you plug a charger in and it shows charging but then very quickly shows its fully charged. Take it off charge and a tiny load will flatten it again.

You need a volt meter to test the battery and charger.

Do you have one?

Armleywhite

08/7/2017 at 10:59am
Location: Leeds
Outfit: Elddis Crusader Mistral

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Use a Ctek MXS 5.00 battery charger. Brilliant bit of kit. They can take a total flat battery and make it good again and even if it doesn't it tells you it can't rather than leaving you to guess like so many cheaper varieties of charger. Very surprising what it can re-charge / re-condition.

It even de-sulphates the plates.

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insiorc

11/7/2017 at 10:16pm
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It does sound like the battery is past it's best, depending how long you are leaving the 'charger'(?) on?

And to hopefully save any replacement battery from early death then unless your EHU 'charger' is a proper smart type charger then if this is all you use then you are killing the battery. It needs a proper charge with a good charger once back home (I too use Ctek chargers - aim for a charger with near to 10% of the battery Ah charge current to best prevent plate sulphation).
Most standard caravan 'charger' are not chargers but power supplies and do not give the correct voltage to properly charge a battery. If these are all that is used then you will very soon never get the correct battery capacity, it will be permanently damaged. It soon works out cheaper to but a good charger rather than multiple batteries.

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Paul_B

14/7/2017 at 7:11pm
Location: Yorkshire
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I would check all your leads/connections first, if this isn't the problem get the battery checked a local garage or Halfords etc

Colin21

14/7/2017 at 8:34pm
Location: East Herts
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Never rely on any instruments in the caravan. They are at best an indication. Check the battery with a proper multi-meter while it is on charge, then disconnect it once it is showing fully charged and check it again. Leave it disconnected then go back a couple of hours later and check it again. Any significant drop after 2 hours will probably mean that the battery is knackered.

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Colin

Grampian91

14/7/2017 at 8:57pm
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You should apply a load to check the voltage properly.

The voltage off load can be misleading. It may show 12.6 volts but as soon as a load is applied the voltage may plummet.

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