Adria Twin Supreme battery maintenance

[Secrethills]

Hi we are recent owners of an Adria Twin Supreme 640 SLB. The van is kept in a locked storage compound with no charging facilities when we are not using it. It has a solar panel that usually keeps the twin leisure batteries charged but doesn’t seem to charge the engine battery. Is this normal? The engine battery also doesn’t hold its charge as long as my car battery.

If I ring the motorvan home and plug a lead into to the EHU socket will this charge the engine battery as well as the leisure batteries? If not what kind of battery charger should I use - is there a specific type of charger recommended for motorvan engine and leisure battery maintenance? Sorry for these basic questions but I am unsure on the best way to maintain the batteries
Thanks
Bob

 

[GeoffnDee]

Have a look at the Vanbitz battery master , it is designed to be used to charge the engine battery from the leisure battery and is easy to fit,
The engine battery will loose its charge through the small but constant drain that the electronics of the van have on it when on standby when in storage for a few weeks.. (a Vanbitz battery master should overcome this problem )
When on EHU I would expect the built in battery charger to charge the batteries (when switched on ) depending on the type / model of the PSU you have.

 

[Secrethills]

Many thanks Geoff - the Vanbitz Master sounds worth getting

 

[Spriddler]

If I ring the motorvan home and plug a lead into to the EHU socket will this charge the engine battery as well as the leisure batteries?

Use a meter to check the starter battery voltage (no EHU). Switch on/connect the EHU and check the battery voltage reading again which should be greater than without EHU.

 

[Secrethills]

Thanks again. I gave the motorvan a 30 mile jaunt today and got the battery voltage up from 11.5 to 12volts on the van meter. Is this sufficient or should I be aiming to increase the voltage to 23.5 or higher. I don’t think I’ve ever needed to check the voltage on a car battery in over 40 years of driving so it’s all new territory to me

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[GeoffnDee]

11.5v is a very flat battery , was this your leisure battery reading on the vans control ? or was it the starter battery and if so , did you jump start it.to get it running? (12v is not charged it should be 12.6v or more )

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Battery voltages need to be measured after they have been resting for at least half an hour if not an hour from last charge / discharge. It takes a while for the internal reactions to calm down.

For a lead acid type battery 12.0V is just under 50% charge (and the voltage starts to plummet below that level). Full charge is around 12.6-12.7V. Lithium batteries do run at higher voltages, and don't drop off as quickly, typically above 13.0V.

A 30 mile drive on an empty battery may not actually do that much. The pants manufacturer charger in my van is capable of a maximum 12A current. Even with the equally pathetic lead-acid originally fitted (I've since had a lot or improvements made) of only 75Ah (Amp Hours) at 50% use the leisure battery would need some 3 hours of driving to recharge!

Solar can help topping up, but is typically on your habitation only, but read the manuals in case a small part of that can be diverted to the engine (cab) battery. If not solar may, just be enough over winter to keep the hab battery from being flattened but a Battery Master can trickle some of the hab to the cab, to reduce risks of that being completely flattened when not in use from the parasitic currents that still flow from EHU, alarm and such like systems.

 

[Spriddler]

...... should I be aiming to increase the voltage to 23.5 or higher.

You'll never do that; they are 12v batteries which when fully charged will only read 12.6 to 12.7 volts.
I realise you have two batteries but these will be connected in parallel not in series.

 

[royandsharont]

Secrethills I was under the impression that it was supposed to. The Sun Controller solar control shows images for both types of battery with the charging light & I’ve asked this question myself.

Whilst no one confirmed it definitely did a member with the same van suggested it must do as his veh battery didn’t drop like you’d expect.

It would be a poor show I think if it didn’t, given the cost etc and is one thing I intend to find out at delivery if not before.

You could ask Adria direct if yours is the factory fitted job.Any replies would be welcome.

 

[Kups]

Many thanks Geoff - the Vanbitz Master sounds worth getting

It certainly is and if you're not sure how to fit it, then you could drive down to Taunton and have it fitted by Van Bitz. You'll need to make an appointment as they're busy but they do have a campsite adjacent to the workshop so doable. You get a discount as a Funster.

Home - VanBitz

Van Bitz is the UK's leading motorhome security installation company with an envious reputation for providing first class services and cutting-edge security

www.vanbitz.com

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[Secrethills]

Thanks for all the comments and yes 23.5 volts was definitely a typo and it should have read 12.5. The 2 leisure batteries read 13.0v on the van controller probably because we have had plenty of sunshine in January. I have the van in at the dealer soon for a Fiat recall warranty issue regarding fuses so I will check with the technician if the engine battery gets any charge from the EHU and/or solar panel. I also spoke to Van Bitz today and had a very helpful response. Their Battery Master sounds ideal as it works just as Geoff said and for £130 fitted seems very good value so I think I will be heading their way soon.
Bob

 

[Kups]

Thanks for all the comments and yes 23.5 volts was definitely a typo and it should have read 12.5. The 2 leisure batteries read 13.0v on the van controller probably because we have had plenty of sunshine in January. I have the van in at the dealer soon for a Fiat recall warranty issue regarding fuses so I will check with the technician if the engine battery gets any charge from the EHU and/or solar panel. I also spoke to Van Bitz today and had a very helpful response. Their Battery Master sounds ideal as it works just as Geoff said and for £130 fitted seems very good value so I think I will be heading their way soon.
Bob

You might also just check that none of the fuses relating to the solar panel have blown. One of ours did this winter, still don't know why, and that cut the supply to the solar controller. Should have noticed that the controller LEDs were not flashing but it's under the seat and out of mind.