Banner AGM batteries charging advice please (1 Viewer)

[Evolution]

We are currently in Almeria and have some electrical gremlins. The Elektrobloc on our Hymer seems to have packed up and is not charging the two Banner AGM batteries. These are still being charged by the solar panel, but this is not sufficient to keep them fully charged.

We have a Halfords battery charger but the instructions say it is not suitable for AGM batteries. Does anyone know what sort of charger would be suitable? Would this be a medium term solution, i.e. until we get home in April?

During the course of our investigations, we have discovered that the Elektrobloc is set to gel. This strikes me as incorrect and could be the cause of this eventual failure. The van is two years old and we are the second owners, so we do not know if the batteries are original factory fitted or when the solar panel was fitted.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

 

[PhilandMena]

I would advise you to get your charger working asap but before you spend money on a repair or a replacement, establish the charger can charge all three type batteries and you know how to adjust the settings.
Broken Link Removed

 

[JeanLuc]

Which Elektrobloc do you have? Only the latest EBL 211 has a charging program for AGM batteries. Earlier models have to make do with the gel program and this is known to be sub-optimal. In fact, Banner AGMs have been reported as causing problems - look at posts by LennyHB.

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[Lenny HB]

Hopefully it is just the crap Banner batteries that have failed, if you got more than 18 months out of them you have done well.

The Gel setting the one that Elektroblock & Banner recommend and it f**ks the batteries and the wet setting will probably do the same.

Do your 12v electrics work with the batteries disconnected? Lights may flicker without batteries connect but if things work your Electroblock is probably OK.

Separate both batteries and try each one as only one may have failed.

 

[Dazzlin]

We have a Votronic solar regulator that has settings for AGM charging. It puts in 14.7/8 til full(ish) then it drops to 13.7 trickle.

It all depends on whether you mainly charge via solar or ehu. We rarely hook up so have just left the ebl 99 on gel and have run just on solar, full time, for over 3 years.

It also depends if you have enough solar/battery ratio to fully charge this time of year (in sunnier climes). There will be enough sun in Almeria most days.

 

[Evolution]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for all your very helpful replies. We have been out to buy a 240v fan heater so as to save using our Truma heating!

We have an Elektrobloc EBL 29 which has only two settings, gel or lead acid, and is currently set on gel, which from what you all tell me is the lesser of two evils. Maybe this is why it has all gone pear shaped. For the time being we are going to try to exist on solar charging until we can get home and get it all checked out. We will also bear in mind LennyHB's suggestion of separating the batteries to see if one has failed.

Once again, thank you all.

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[JeanLuc]

If, by chance, you are unlucky and the EBL needs to be repaired, I recommend sending it back to Schaudt in Germany. Their charges are reasonable and in my experience, less than UK repairs, even when the shipping charge is taken into account. If you need to arrange this, or for any technical advice, email Udo.Lang@schaudt-gmbh.de he speaks English.

 

[Evolution]

Hi JeanLuc,

Yes, thanks, I have already emailed Udo but he's out of the office until Monday. But in the meantime I'm making progress with the advice I'm getting on here. Thanks again.

 

[PhilandMena]

I don't know if this is of any value to you. I pulled it directly from Banner's website.

Always heed the safety warnings! q Before charging batteries, check the electrolyte level and if necessary top up with de-ionized or distilled water to the maximum acid level mark, or 15 mm above the upper edge of the plates at a maximum. q Banner recommends that standard flooded batteries be charged outside the vehicle with 16 V for 24 hours.
Warning! Many chargers have a type of resuscitation mode for deep discharged Ca/Ca batteries. However, these only maintain a charging voltage of 16 V for a short period.
Running Bull AGM/BackUp: Always recharge with a voltage-controlled charger (max. 14.8 V).
The use of a standard charger without voltage control destroys the battery due to overloading and cause the electrolyte to escape. Warning! Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s instructions when
disconnecting the terminals.
q Batteries may only be charged with direct current. Connect the positive (+) battery terminal to the positive (+) terminal of the charger, and the negative (-) battery terminal to the negative (-) terminal of the charger. q Do not switch on the charger until the battery has been connected. First switch off the charger when charging is completed.
BATTERY CHARGING.
46_BATTERY USE
Banner_Technischer_Ratgeber_GB.indd 46 09.10.13 15:10
q It is recommended that the charging current be equal to at least one tenth of the capacity (e.g. 44 Ah: 10 = 4.4 A charging current). q The temperature of the acid may not be higher than 55°C
during charging. If the temperature exceeds this level, the charging
process must be discontinued. q Charging is finished when the current drops to 0 or stops falling,
or if the automatic charger switches off. q Charging must be performed in a well-ventilated room. q The battery screws may not be opened. q Ensure that recharging amounts to 1.2 times the consumed capacity (e.g. Consumed capacity 30 Ah, recharge 36 Ah).
Warning! Highly explosive oxyhydrogen gas is formed during charging! Fires, sparks, open flames and smoking are strictly prohibited!
Recharging batteries inside the vehicle. As a rule, fully automatic chargers (max. charging voltage 14.8 V) are well suited to the charging of batteries installed in the vehicle. Should the charger have an automatic mode with > 15.9 V voltage, the battery must be separated from the vehicle electrical system or removed from the vehicle. Otherwise, in a worst-case scenario the installed control devices can be destroyed due to overvoltage with huge resultant damage. Please take careful note of the battery charger type. Useful tips regarding charging in the vehicle are often contained in the operating instructions of the vehicle manufacturer or those of the charger producer.

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