Flat battery solution please (1 Viewer)

[irnbru]

Mum is getting really disheartened with MH. When we leave it for 2 weeks unused the starter battery goes dead. Easy solution would be to disconnect it but the battery is under the seat.
I had read about B2B chargers on the forum but didn't realise we would need 240v power to make that work. Apart from a new battery, which it seems we don't need as the AA claims there is nothing wrong with our battery and its getting a drain while MH is sitting for 2 weeks what can you recommend? Is there some sort of work around to stop the drain which must be from immobiliser as nothing left on.
HELP please.

 

[Wildman]

2 weeks is a very short time for it to go flat, remove the radio front, but I suspect an alarm or something else is causing a problem. you need a sparks to sort it pdq or you will ruin the battery. A B2B charger only does the job when the engine is running or on EHU, maybe you need a solar panel but the self discharge level of the battery may even outstrip that at the rate it is discharging. Maybe it is a lead acid battery that needs topping up rather than a sealed battery, if it is difficult to remove from under the seat the garage may just have charged it in situ and not checked.
Mice damage causing a short is also a possibility you need to get it checked.

 

[Badknee]

I would try another battery on it, one you know is good. How old is the one that's on?

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[WAG2CRU]

I would question the validity of the AA opinion. I would suspect the the battery has a duff cell and is on its way out. The immobiliser should be passive and take no current, the alarm should be a negligible drain. You could take out the fuses in turn to see which circuit is causing a drain but, if this is a recent problem, I would suspect the battery.

 

[DavidG58]

out of interest how do you start it when flat?

we have just invested in jump leads so we can start off our habitation batteries if the cab battery fails

if restarting is not difficult it maybe is not too big a problem

just a nuisance

 

[funflair]

Ours will also go flat in two weeks and it is a new battery, I was going to put a battery isolator switch in just to disconnect it when stored inside, at the moment it is OK as we have the EFOY that keeps it charged but I will admit it is an expensive way of keeping a battey charged. If you can't get to the battery every time you could put an isolator switch in somewhere accessible.

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[Neckender]

If you've got a newish motorhome with alarm fitted the battery will discharge within 3 weeks, either connect to electric hook up at home winter time, and fit a solar panel for summer time.

John

 

[jollyrodger]

Just standing the alternator will drain the battery (battery sensed) after approx 2 weeks and cold weather will do the rest even to a good one ,a cheap battery isolator on Ebay roughly £5 will do the trick easy fit neg pole

 

[irnbru]

remove the radio front

It doesn't come off, and on that subject we have no working radio either now and no code to reprogram it

or you will ruin the battery

Not to mention mums faith in the MH now.

I would try another battery on it, one you know is good. How old is the one that's on?

At a guess since the MH was new which is nearly 5 yrs and 15000 mile.

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[irnbru]

out of interest how do you start it when flat?

we have just invested in jump leads so we can start off our habitation batteries if the cab battery fails

if restarting is not difficult it maybe is not too big a problem

just a nuisance

We tried a jump but even after 10 min the MH was having none of it, think maybe a car wasn't the ideal jumper

 

[Gromett]

My battery dies in around 10 days or less during the winter, no alarm, no radio etc etc. I ended up fitting one of these


Whenever I am on hookup it tops it up nicely.

After a battery has been flattened for any period of time there is a chance that it becomes damaged. Further instances of this happening increases the risk.

If you can't get it on hookup when not in use then one of these may ease the situation.

 

[irnbru]

Ours will also go flat in two weeks and it is a new battery, I was going to put a battery isolator switch in just to disconnect it when stored inside, at the moment it is OK as we have the EFOY that keeps it charged but I will admit it is an expensive way of keeping a battey charged. If you can't get to the battery every time you could put an isolator switch in somewhere accessible.

Please can you explain about this switch and how much at a guess is an acceptable cost figure to have work done ?

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[irnbru]

If you've got a newish motorhome with alarm fitted the battery will discharge within 3 weeks, either connect to electric hook up at home winter time, and fit a solar panel for summer time.

John

EHU on its own does not keep battery charged.

 

[irnbru]

Just standing the alternator will drain the battery (battery sensed) after approx 2 weeks and cold weather will do the rest even to a good one ,a cheap battery isolator on Ebay roughly £5 will do the trick easy fit neg pole

Will google this, hopefully be the answer.

 

[K9Brian]

EHU on its own does not keep battery charged.

If you have EHU available you may be able to switch charging from hab battery to engine battery via control panel options

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[irnbru]

If you have EHU available you may be able to switch charging from hab battery to engine battery via control panel options

I want a solution without EHU please

 

[Kool Kroozer]

Your not alone irnbru with this problem, we had these issues when we first had our MH and it had 120w solar panel with battery split charger fitted, and our engine battery kept going flat - eventually Peugeot admitted battery was knackered and replaced it with a new one - had no problems with it after that ! right up until this cold weather hit us, van was left for 3 weeks after its last outing and not enough juice in it now to turn the engine over - and this is a brand new battery (a couple of months old) ! Have ended up taking it off and now have it on a Ctek charger until we have an outing - a pain i know but i am keen to know if anything else could be done but i very much doubt it .....

 

[tonyidle]

It's worth remembering that all MHs are based on a vehicle that is intended for daily use. No modern car or van will stand for long without the starter battery becoming discharged. It is likely that the design considers 5 days or less as an acceptable period for a vehicle to be unused so much more than that will cause problems. In other words it is not unreasonable that you will have to make provision for battery charging if the vehicle is unused for a couple of weeks or more.

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[Terry]

Hi as already said get a battery isolator switch Broken Link Removed
Any garage/ handy person will be able to fit it easy so it should not cost much fitted to the side /seat base --Other than that it's try a solar panel which are getting cheaper all the time (100w kit around £150 ) I have never needed solar but now they are so cheap it's hardly worth not having one -A couple of amps into the battery over a day should keep your battery topped up even in winter- You could of course run the van for 30 mins every weekend - my mate has a garage and every sat morning starts all the cars and lets them run while he has a coffee.
terry

 

[jollyrodger]

Try this in ebay search sorry can't copy link
(Universal Car Heavy Duty Battery Disconnect Switch Isolator Cut off Switch )
No cutting wires easy fit direct on battery

 

[Printermick]

We have a rear view camera that will flatten the battery in about that time, the camera part is always live if I forget to isolate it.

I also have a solar trickle charger which has so far kept the battery well charged.

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[Terry]

Try this in ebay search sorry can't copy link
(Universal Car Heavy Duty Battery Disconnect Switch Isolator Cut off Switch )
No cutting wires easy fit direct on battery

Broken Link Removed
if this is the one you mean Sandra says the battery is under the seat

 

[Don Quixote]

I want a solution without EHU please

Morning IrnBru, without EHU you are limited to solar panel ( on UK you are stuffed, however a 120watt panel will give you 1 to 3 amps during daylight hours and keep some charge in battery ) or running vehicle up every few days and take for a run. The best option for you is battery Disconnect Switch or Isolator Cut off Switch, which many above this post have recommended and are easy to fit. As for the AA man stating " there is nothing wrong with your battery" he may well be correct, however unless he did a full check of the state of your battery including a drop test I doubt he could state that........ Once a battery is discharged many times ( sounds the case here ) it cannot recover and needs replaced. Have the battery tested correctly before buying a new one.

 

[jollyrodger]

That's the type Terry seller I was thinking of was 'zoomaroo' just because he/she has a few photos showing fitting .
But sorry missed the bit about being under seat I've fitted one under bonnet and to desperate 3 habitation batteries

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[Terry]

That's the type Terry seller I was thinking of was 'zoomaroo' just because he/she has a few photos showing fitting .
But sorry missed the bit about being under seat I've fitted one under bonnet and to desperate 3 habitation batteries

here you go
Broken Link Removed

 

[Gizmouk]

I would take what an AA mechanic says with a pinch of salt.

Best place to start is to measure the current draw on the battery while it's at rest - you'll need someone with a Clamp Meter.
Then, while you're at it - start the vehicle and make sure that charge is going back into the battery (from the alternator).
From that, you'll be able to deduce whether you have:
- A knackered battery
- Something loading the battery, and thus discharging it
- An alternator / connection fault.

Any decent auto-electrician or sparks will have a Clamp Meter. If you're in Essex you could have borrowed mine

 

[Rob and Val]

A cheap method for keeping the battery topped up, which we use, is one of these: -
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/solar-powered-12v-15w-battery-auto-trickle-charger-l58bf

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[Don Quixote]

A cheap method for keeping the battery topped up, which we use, is one of these: -
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/solar-powered-12v-15w-battery-auto-trickle-charger-l58bf

Don't bother with this as it will not supply enough to light a bulb up......... waste of money.

 

[Gizmouk]

With all due respect - adding solar panels and chargers isn't going to help at this stage. Fact is a vehicle battery shouldn't go flat in 2 weeks.
Find the fault - engineer the solution

 

[funflair]

Broken Link Removed
if this is the one you mean Sandra says the battery is under the seat

This one says it disconnects with a 1/4 turn so could possibly be rigged to work on a lever or something.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007C7CJT4/?tag=mhf04-21

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