I have a Swift Challenger 565. I'm disappointed that the batteries only seem to last just over 2 years. I leave the battery on the caravan all the time (it's stored on my drive) Should i take it off through the winter?
If the van is not being used i would charge the battery at least once a month.'
I have had the same battery for the last 9 years and was on the second hand caravan when we bought it.
I remove the battery in October and top the charge up with a smart charger every month. Put the battery back in the van in on the Spring time before our next outing and leave it on the van as we usually get away at least once a month.
The van charger outs out a constant 13.8 volts which is too much once the battery is charged. A smart charger will reduce the voltage when charged and will increase battery life from 2 years for van charger to 9 years or so.
Batteries do not fail due to over use, they fail due to not being used, allowing sulphate to build up on the plates. If the battery is not used regularly you should put it on a trickle charge regularly to keep it in working order.
Quote: Originally posted by baileyman on 05/2/2023
Thanks for your thoughts, I think i will do that. We do use the van a lot, were away about 16 weeks last year
If the caravan has an alarm you may have an issue with insurance. Can we assume that you do not have a solar panel fitted as that would resolve this issue?
Batteries die for a number of different reasons, being left empty is one, being constantly full can be another, being overcharged, or being charged at too high a voltage.
My solar charger killed my last battery - it was charging at over 15v, which basically "gassed" away the electrolyte. Even checking it and refilling every 4 months was not enough. I replaced the solar controller for a smarter device with a variable float charge level, and went lithium for the battery.
When the battery is left on the caravan in situ and charging via the mains electricity through the onboard charger, the battery will only charge to around 80% capacity. This causes the battery to sulphate over time which is the sediment that falls to the bottom which eventually short circuits the battery's internal lead plates prematurely. Basically, to put it into context, it's like putting sugar in a cup of tea and then not stirring it. To avoid this, the advice is to remove the battery and connect it up to a smart charger which can be left on 24/7 which the battery is charged in stages reducing the impact of the charge and eventually come to rest on a constant float charge. This reduces the sulphation process dramatically and should get the full natural life of the battery. When I first started as a novice back in 2005 I was using a standard trickle charger to charge the leisure battery which I was only getting between 2 to 3 years use before the battery died. I was advised by a local auto electrician to buy a smart charger which I did which was less than half the price of a new battery. My last Lucas 100 ah. battery lasted 9 years before it eventually malfunctioned so the smart charger was definitely a good investment.
However, if you do a Google search for leisure battery maintenance and how it functions as a deep cycle battery it's amazing just how much knowledge you can gain.
a good battery should not self discharge that rapidly.. i have a spare battery in my shed.. it holds its charge for months and gets topped up maybe twice a year.. its fine..
alarms are probably the biggest lead acid battery killer.. short of removing the battery it can be disconnectedly at one of the terminals..
i currently have solar and a couple of lithium batteries in my van.. but when not in use i switch the solar off.. lithium batteries do not self discharge to any great extent and dont suffer from sulphation.. in the long run they work out cheaper..
the initial cost is higher but once fitted you can forget about them..
My battery comes in after our final outing of the season, so usually in October. It stays in a warm place from then until the risk of frost is absolutely minimal, and I top it up regularly using my smart charger. The caravan is on my drive, fully winterised. The battery I have now is over 4 years old and is perfectly good to go back on the caravan this spring.
Thanks for all of the replies, some useful information there. New battery arriving today. I will remove the new one after our last trip in November and trickle charge it during the winter.
Have you tried to revive your old battery ? mine went flat last year after being parked up for 4 months, i took it to work and put it on a smart charger for the day, this put enough in it for my aldi smart charger to take over. Normally when they discharge they are finished but mines been fine
Quote: Originally posted by baileyman on 08/2/2023
Yes i left on the van with charger on, after a couple of hours there was a terrible smell like eggs, so i think its had its day
We had that with our old battery, a 6 year old Halfords. The smell means it is sulphating and needs to be shut down and disposed at an appropriate place.
My caravan is ok through the summer with solar panels on the roof, through the winter its coupled up to the mains, this keeps the battery charged and helps the solar to fully charge it.
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Topic: Battery failed again
via mobile 05/2/2023 at 7:09pm
