Some of you may have read my recent, lengthy, post regarding problems with my battery and caravan charger.
I have now replaced the charger/PSU with a new unit and that's working fine.
I have now, therefore, turned to checking out whether my battery has "died", as it was previously unclear if it was the battery and/or the PSU.
Last Friday I removed the 110AH battery from the caravan and put it on charge on my "Halfords" automatic battery charger.
I charged the battery for approx 48 hours after which time the charger indicator light was showing the battery as "charged" and being "maintained" by the charger. The battery gave a multimeter reading of 13.43 volts.
As I know that one does not get an accurate multimeter reading immediately after charging the battey I then left the battery OFF the charger for a further 29 hours. The battery then gave a multimeter reading of 13.09 volts.
What do folks think? Is the battery okay or does the fact that the charge has dropped indicate that it is not working fully?
I'd be grateful for comments before I decide if I need to replace the battery. I rely on the battery to power our Powrtouch mover to get the 'van up our steep drive - it's, also, parked "nose" in so the mover is essential to get the 'van out.
It may hold the voltage fine until you put some load on it and then plummet. I have found that a battery that has fully discharged often benefits from a boost rather than a trickle charge. It is certainly worth trying. I always carry a spare battery in case I get caught out, so I would invest in a new one if you are mover dependent. Batteries often fail without warning.
Like legs down says try putting it under load. Leave a couple of lights on in the van and see how it performs over the course of the day. I know you have only had the battery a little over a year since you got the mover so you shouldn't be having probs yet.
Have you left it in the van over winter?
I always leave mine in the house since loosing a new one last year and i also invested in a cteck charger. I give it a boost every 2 weeks.
Hope its ok for you. If not i found Advanced Batteries in stockport good value, they post too.
A battery is made up of several lead plates that are distanced apart. When the plates start to break down a sediment forms inside and when the fine particles finally touch the battery starts to fail to hold a perfect charge due to a short circuit from the internal plates. When this happens the battery becomes sulphated and you can purchase a hydrometer to check the acid content to check how bad the battery has sulphated or you can take it to an auto electrical company to undertake the check for you. If the battery is badly sulphated it will refuse to hold a constant charge of 12.7 volts or more so it sounds to me that your battery is fine. It sounds to me like your battery is fine but for peace of mind I would take it to have it checked anyway professionally. I took mine two weeks ago for a £2 fee to leave it, have it charged then checked. I was told that although my battery was slightly sulphated it was operating roughly on a capacity of 97%. This means that although my battery may last me this year I know for certain that it will have to be replaced next year or purchase a reserve battery just in case. The only problem with buying a reserve battery now is that half of the 2 year warranty will have expired before I come to use it on full capacity. Have the battery checked professionally then you will receive the accurate answer you need.
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Topic: Does my battery sound okay or not?
