Charging problems with leisure batteries

Firehorse

Guest
Hi
Im looking for some advice pls from someone with more electrical knowledge than me, mine is rudimentary. I have a Bedford cf280 shes 27 years old and so has many people customising her over the years. Last year I didnt get to hook up much but the two leisure batteries (1x85Ahr 1 year old & 1x75Ahr 2 yrs old) kept working all season enough for me to use internal lights and not much more, which was fine.
This year I have given them a few good charges and are flat very soon afterwards, at first i thought something was draining them as I could hear a motor running near the water tank at the back...but thats quiet now and still having no joy charging...last week I had her hooked up for 3-4 days and I checked after 3 days and the volt meter on the dash resgistering a reading of about 13v...but 24h after unhooking...nothing...
not even enough to power a light bulb!
can anyone help with info? I have a friendly mechanic who i could get to test the batteries to see if they are ok (but they are quite new) or is it likely to be a problem with the charging circuit, or something unidentified draining the juice?
when you are not hooked up is it essential to flick the switch on the circuit back to off? I didnt do this, but didnt think it mattered as long as it was on when you are trying to charge.
Thanks
bemused non-electrician :)
 
Got to keep em charged up all the time.

Sounds like they're bu**ered.

Get them tested at your battery warehouse but weigh them in at the scrap yard and put it towards at least one new one.

Batts should be the same size and age
 
charging leisure batteries from engine vs hook up

hi thanks for the help, guys reading these links gets me thinking...previously i thought all leisure batteries were charged from a hook up ie entirely separate circuit to the engine battery to avoid flattening engine battery or maybe depriving it of charge ( i dunno like i said my knowledge is basic) but it seems that many have charging from engine which sounds like a better option to me for my situ...if my batteries are shot i dont want to end up in the same situ next year which will happen if i dont make some changes to the charging circuit, or get someone who knows what they are doing to do it, obviously :) any thoughts re the pros and cons or charging via hook up only and/or engine. Thanks
 
Firehorse said:
Hi
Im looking for some advice pls from someone with more electrical knowledge than me, mine is rudimentary. I have a Bedford cf280 shes 27 years old and so has many people customising her over the years. Last year I didnt get to hook up much but the two leisure batteries (1x85Ahr 1 year old & 1x75Ahr 2 yrs old) kept working all season enough for me to use internal lights and not much more, which was fine.
This year I have given them a few good charges and are flat very soon afterwards, at first i thought something was draining them as I could hear a motor running near the water tank at the back...but thats quiet now and still having no joy charging...last week I had her hooked up for 3-4 days and I checked after 3 days and the volt meter on the dash resgistering a reading of about 13v...but 24h after unhooking...nothing...
not even enough to power a light bulb!
can anyone help with info? I have a friendly mechanic who i could get to test the batteries to see if they are ok (but they are quite new) or is it likely to be a problem with the charging circuit, or something unidentified draining the juice?
when you are not hooked up is it essential to flick the switch on the circuit back to off? I didnt do this, but didnt think it mattered as long as it was on when you are trying to charge.
Thanks
bemused non-electrician :)
Click to expand...

Lead acid batteries need maintainance on an annual basis. The contacts must be cleaned and the cells checked to see if they require topping up with distilled water. No battery will hold its charge if it is half empty.

My advice would be to remove them from your van and check them individualy for water then charge them using a conventional battery charger for 24 hrs. Check voltage one hour after, and then every 24 hrs afterwards for a couple of days if voltage drops back to less than 12v then batteries are finished and need replacing. Many advocate that batteries should be the same size, type and age others just get their batteries from scrap yards. I guess its down to how much money is available at the time.

You do not say what type of charger/control box has been fitted to your van. Chances are that it is a Zig unit, as your van is a self build/conversion. You can find zig manuals on line. Finally it is always a good idea to have the leisure battery/ies charging when the engine is running, and if you have a zig unit there will be a switch that has to be flicked in order for this to happen.
Regards,
Wanderer
 
I think G/W is about right, remove the batteries, charge each one for 24hrs with a cheapo Halfords charger (or what ever you've got/can borrow), leave for 24hrs for the surface charge to disapate, then check with a volt meter every few days.

After charging they should show well over 12v, then after the surface charge has gone, around 12.4v, they should still show 12v after a week or more - any battery that that doesn't show 12v after a week or more needs replacing!!!
 
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