leisure battery going flat

wildandwelsh

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my leisure battery doesn't seem to hold its charge when it is not in use although it is actually charging up ok. It is a real pain. Has anyone else ever experienced this and discovered where the charge could be leaking to? I am new to this game and because I have nnot any technical expertise (although I am trying to learn!) these little things worry me. Every time I want to go anywhere the leisure battery is flat! thanks. Penny
 
Hi,Penny, Try disconnecting your leisure battery when not in use to see if this makes a difference. Most auto spares shops will do a battery check up for free.
 
It will be something really easy to fix or..............

Try all the simple things first - all lights off, fridge switched over to the 240V position, water heater off, etc. Try disconnecting the battery and listen for a "click" of a solenoid opening (power off), its possible to have a solenoid in the power on position and taking power all the time, someone may have fitted the wrong solenoid.

If you cant isolate the problem from the usual culprits above, then my guess would be the dual battery charging circuit is playing up. There is a little "black box" which controls the charging of the vehicle battery and the leisure battery (vehicle battery reaches full cahrge then the leisure battery charges), when that fails it allows charge from the leisure battery to either flow back to the vehicle battery or to some other power consumer on the vehicle circuit (rather than the camper circuit). Time for a visit to an auto electrician.
 
Thanks Roger, I will scribble down what you have said and pay a visit to the battery today. I am taking it on a long run up to Santa Pod on Friday so that should ensure the batteries are fully charged.

I know that nothing in the van is switched on but I need to understand more fully how both batteries work together. Hope it doesn't come to an auto-electriciian though! cheers. Penny
 
lenny said:
Hi,Penny, Try disconnecting your leisure battery when not in use to see if this makes a difference. Most auto spares shops will do a battery check up for free.
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Thanks Lenny, I will try that next time I know it is fully charged. It is flat again at the moment! happy travelling! Penny
 
If it has been dead flat in the past and allowed to stay dead flat for more than a few hours, the battery may be so damaged it is unable to hold a charge.

As a first test, disconnect the battery and charge it by using a decent three-stage charger running through a full bulk and absorption cycle. Disconnect the charger and let the battery sit for at least 10 hours. Then measure the voltage with a digital voltmeter. More than 12.5V indicates that the battery has absorbed a reasonable charge. Leave it sitting for another day and measure again. The voltage should not have dropped significantly. Less than 12.4V indicates a faulty battery

Connect a load drawing around 5 amps - a low beam headlight is good.

Measure the voltage (with the load still connected) after 5 minutes and then every 30 minutes after that. Stop the test once the voltage gets to say 11.8V.

Let us know the results and there will be some bright spark who can interpret the results for you.

Of course there are many ways to test the system, but often the real problem is the battery gets seriously damaged by incorrect charging and over-discharging, freezing of discharged batteries, overcharging by using faulty or poorly-designed chargers or even lack of maintenance by not keeping electrolyte levels up enough, or by overfilling. The obvious cure is to go to a battery dealer who will be more than happy to pronounce the old one beyond help and will happilu sell you a replacement. You will be happy and the dealer will be happy - and he will be even happier when you return in 2 years for another because the original problem is still there.
 
wildandwelsh said:
my leisure battery doesn't seem to hold its charge when it is not in use although it is actually charging up ok. It is a real pain. Has anyone else ever experienced this and discovered where the charge could be leaking to? I am new to this game and because I have nnot any technical expertise (although I am trying to learn!) these little things worry me. Every time I want to go anywhere the leisure battery is flat! thanks. Penny
Click to expand...
Hi wildandwelsh,
You do not give any indication of the age of the battery which can be very significant if it is used on a "deep cycle" routine
If there is nothing actually draining the battery it may be that your battery has simply come to the end of it's life, just as all batteries must do sooner or later.
If it is only sulphation of the plates due to being drained to a low state of charge for a time, in an otherwise sound battery, I can recomend Halfords "Battery Pills" which remove this. I have used them myself many times over the years with success.Even the so called "sealed maintainance free" ones can usually be opened up by removing a sticker across the top of the battery to expose the individual cell plugs.When these are removed you can insert the pills (you may have to break them up to get them in) and check the fluid levels at the same time. If however there is some mechanical damage such as loose, buckled, or touching, plates, the battery must be considered "duff" and will have to be replaced.
I hope that this may be of some help.
Wilbury
 
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