Check your leisure battery!

[PeteH]

I don’t think a lot of motorhome users remove their batteries. Why would they if they’re sealed, unless temperatures drop very low. Modern chargers are incredibly clever. Mine has 6 phases, and in the last stage, the charger only cuts in once every 12 days for an 80 min bulk phase charge.

Yes I agree, the modern charge units are extremely sophisticated and "intelligent". I had one of the first generation on an R-V, which could deliver 40amps IF asked, but could maintain charge from Solar, mains and on board generator too ( American AND expensive!). But you have to bear in mind that there are a lot of older units out there that use the first generation chargers which where only designed to maintain a charged battery, and lacked any sort of sophistication, plus there are still many who use the Flooded "leisure battery". Before I had Motorhomes we caravanned and the battery was expected to be removed and charged elsewhere IF stored / not used for long periods etc. I don`t know what age your unit is but obviously it is in the range where the manufacturers are taking note of the demands on battery use and trying to keep pace, as well as deploying the latest tech;. Hence the lack of NEED to remove batteries except in exceptional circumstances. In Fact My Current unit is similar, came with 2 Gel`s and is set up for them. beyond occasionally monitoring the charge Volts, they are virtually "no Maintenance"

 

[Makingtrax]

Yes I agree, the modern charge units are extremely sophisticated and "intelligent". I had one of the first generation on an R-V, which could deliver 40amps IF asked, but could maintain charge from Solar, mains and on board generator too ( American AND expensive!). But you have to bear in mind that there are a lot of older units out there that use the first generation chargers which where only designed to maintain a charged battery, and lacked any sort of sophistication, plus there are still many who use the Flooded "leisure battery". Before I had Motorhomes we caravanned and the battery was expected to be removed and charged elsewhere IF stored / not used for long periods etc. I don`t know what age your unit is but obviously it is in the range where the manufacturers are taking note of the demands on battery use and trying to keep pace, as well as deploying the latest tech;. Hence the lack of NEED to remove batteries except in exceptional circumstances. In Fact My Current unit is similar, came with 2 Gel`s and is set up for them. beyond occasionally monitoring the charge Volts, they are virtually "no Maintenance"

I wonder how many motorhome manufacturers set up the charger for the specific leisure battery installed, like yours is. Not many I suspect.

 

[HandyAndy]

My solar always runs at 14.2 , is this wrong , it's been like that for acouple of years now.

Depends if it is always in bulk / absorption charge mode or not...
If the batteries are fully charged then the charger should recognise this and drop down to 13.5v float charge for maintenance.

 

[Makingtrax]

Our battery did the same in June. I noticed the battery was still taking 7 amps or so we'll into the afternoon. Then suddenly it went to zero amps. The Votronic solar controller had stopped charging due to high battery temperature. It must have been about 50°c ?
Might be an idea to put a cheap LCD thermometer on the battery with high alarm.

Just got one of these off amazon. Will stick it on the front of the battery. Our battery is in the services compartment next to the water filler, hook up connector and grey water handle . . so I’ll see it most days when we’re away. Will just keep my eye on it. 40C should be high enough to see a problem.

Think you ought to put your suggestion in the Tips and Tricks section. Could save someone a nasty explosion.

 

[chaser]

Depends if it is always in bulk charge mode or not...
If the batteries are fully charged then the charger should recognise this and drop down to 13.5v float charge for maintenance.

It's only when the sun is shining, as soon as it goes in it drops to 13

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[Bart]

Why does my engine battery voltage read 15 volts sometimes on solar charging?

Surely something must be wrong here 15v is to much.

 

[HandyAndy]

Surely something must be wrong here 15v is to much.

Depends...
It could be allowing for voltage drop through the system, it may have a sensor on the battery itself to sense the voltage at the battery terminals, but the readout may be from the charger output.
Or it could be compensating for temperature...
Check with a multimeter at the battery terminals exactly whats reaching the battery and compare that with the vans readout, could be just a terrible calibration of the onboard hardware

 

[PeteH]

My understanding is that the ONLY true way to measure the battery by the "voltage measurement" is then to disconnect it and wait at least 1/2hr before checking with a instrument of known accuracy?. The "resting" voltage should be within known parameters for your battery type. With Flooded batteries I still regard the use of the individual cell check with an hydrometer as the most accurate.

 

[Vic. Parsons.]

Wasn’t there some controversy about Banner batteries several years ago?
I seem to remember talking to Andy Harris of RoadPro at an NEC show where they had a couple of batteries cut in half to demonstrate that they weren’t all they were cracked up to be.
We had had a pair of Banners on our Autotrail that didn’t last very long.

Richard

Our first pair of Banners lasted 3 years and then died a death, one got really hot (almost too hot to touch) when charging so i had to disconnect it.
On examination, the cells were almost completely dry. Topping them up at this stage seemed pointless as the plates would most likely be badly warped.
A friend brought 2 new ones over to Portugal for us, also Banner energy bull and they're doing fine so far and I check electrolyte levels much more regularly now. At one year of use (and they get a lot of use) they've needed about 150 ml between them.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Just got one of these off amazon. Will stick it on the front of the battery. Our battery is in the services compartment next to the water filler, hook up connector and grey water handle . . so I’ll see it most days when we’re away. Will just keep my eye on it. 40C should be high enough to see a problem.

Think you ought to put your suggestion in the Tips and Tricks section. Could save someone a nasty explosion.
View attachment 325160

We've got one of these in the fridge.



The alarm is easy to set and works spot on, it takes a standard aaa battery. Would make a good battery thermometer.

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[SteveJulesMontycame2]

We’re running on two AGMs which are two years old now and I’m waiting for them to fail any time soon. I suspect the solar is prolonging their lives, time will tell! I shall replace them with the enhanced flooded type as discussed on http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/ who service and repair chargers. They have done a lot of independent research over the years on the various battery types and problems whilst they investigated charger faults. Well worth a read. There’s a lot more to batteries than meets the eye.