tracker flattening battery? (1 Viewer)

Welsh girl

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Nov 7, 2009
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We have a solar panel 90 watt on the roof and 2 x110 batteries and yet, even though we didnt have heating on and we have led lights and virtually no tv which is 12 volt only an hour each evening as we were out a lot, at the last show we were at the batteries went down to 10v ( in 3 days) which obviously meant no power, luckily they charged back up again on EHU.
Why did they discharge so soon?
We are thinking possibly the tracker and alarm having to be active will flatten the batttery with so little usage and the sun was plentiful that weekend also.
Any idea's please?
 

Geo

Trader - Funster
Jul 29, 2007
11,757
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Taking what you say as gospel I wouldn't have expected flat batteries even without a solar panel
So either the panel or control box has gone up the swannie or the drain is far bigger than you think
your going to need expert help:Doh:
 
Apr 27, 2008
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The tracker shouldn't use that much. The bloke who has a trailer caravan next to mine at the storage place has a tracker run from an 85Ah battery which he charges up every couple of months.
Are you sure your solar panel is actually charging?

We have a similar setup and usage and after 4 days at Peterborough our batteries were still fully charged (and we have an alarm, central locking etc.)
 

dave newell

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Oct 31, 2008
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The tracker and alarm should only be connected to the engine battery so should not flatten leisure batteries. Assuming you fully charged the leisures via EHU before you went away then I'd say your leisure batts are dying.

D.
 

rainbow chasers

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Oct 30, 2009
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I would check your leisures!

I was having similar problem with one of mine a couple of years ago - battery would last couple of days at most - even though the 'inspection indicator' said it was fine!

Leave a meter across it for a few minutes, and it dropped like a stone!

The tracker would use very little power, and should not cause a problem, biggest drain on motorhomes are after market stereos!

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eddie

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Oct 4, 2007
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Batteries last forever! My customers all think that:winky:

I agree with all here, get your batteries checked

Eddie
 
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Welsh girl

Welsh girl

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The batteries only a few months old, one was on the van when we got it (may 2010 brand new) and the other we purchased at POS. Solar panel is charging as indicated by the regulator and up to 14.2 when on EHU.
Drops to 12.7 when off EHU.
 

hilldweller

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We are thinking possibly the tracker and alarm having to be active will flatten the batttery

How long has this been fitted ?

If this flattening problem is new then to draw your conclusion the tracker must also be new.

>> up to 14.2 when on EHU.
>> Drops to 12.7 when off EHU.
Good numbers.

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eddie

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Oct 4, 2007
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The batteries only a few months old, one was on the van when we got it (may 2010 brand new) and the other we purchased at POS. Solar panel is charging as indicated by the regulator and up to 14.2 when on EHU.
Drops to 12.7 when off EHU.

Well! your either using the power, or you have one or possibly two dodgy batteries.

Age is no indicator or whether a battery is good or not.

Although the van was registered May 2010 so a year old, imagine the supply chain that is required to have a shiny new motorhome at the dealers for you to fall in love with! The tyres and the batteries are usually the oldest bits of the chassis!

Eddie
 
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Welsh girl

Welsh girl

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How long has this been fitted ?

If this flattening problem is new then to draw your conclusion the tracker must also be new.

We are afraid to go to a site with no electric because of this problem, It happened last year when we had the van for just a few months but would like to use sites without electric so would like to find an answer to this.
Especially the Aires over here!!
 
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Welsh girl

Welsh girl

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Well! your either using the power, or you have one or possibly two dodgy batteries.

Age is no indicator or whether a battery is good or not.

Although the van was registered May 2010 so a year old, imagine the supply chain that is required to have a shiny new motorhome at the dealers for you to fall in love with! The tyres and the batteries are usually the oldest bits of the chassis!

Eddie

We had a look at the tyres and they said 03.04.09 and the import documents (certificate of conformity?) said January 2010 so am assuming that the van was built in April 2009?
Is that old for a battery?
One was purchased when we picked up the van.

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Apr 27, 2008
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Talking of age of batteries. After a year or so our vehicle battery died, and on hoiking it out to replace it we found it was badged 'Fiat' (our van is Mercedes).

Dealers sometimes take the batteries out when displaying vehicles, presumably so they can keep them charged up, and then ,in this case, put in the first one they find that fits. The battery could thus be a lot older than the vehicle
 
Oct 15, 2007
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Five Roads Alyth
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Batteries, seperate from each other and the van, check if appropreate water levels and charge sperately. Leave them 24 hours then put a load on each individually, doing this myself I had a spare headlight bulb (55 watt/4.6 amps), and monitor every hour to see what voltage is present. A guess here, the origional van one was allowed to deeply discharge on the forecourt and has the issue and is dragging the new down. Quite probably (from others round here) it would respond to a disulphating type (4 stage?) charger being applied.
 

eddie

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Oct 4, 2007
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We had a look at the tyres and they said 03.04.09 and the import documents (certificate of conformity?) said January 2010 so am assuming that the van was built in April 2009?
Is that old for a battery?
One was purchased when we picked up the van.

April 09 was when the van possibly was built the components will be even older. Also you don't know that the battery was the original as it is not unusual for bits to be robbed from one van for another in an emergency!

Simple solution: Get the batteries tested and then you'll know

Eddie

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pablomc

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Additionally to the advice already given and if you haven't checked already, it maybe worth while checking nothing is drawing current when you believe nothing is on.

I assume you probably have a Sargent ECU which allows you to toggle through the vehicle battery voltage, leisure voltage and leisure current? With the solar panel disconnected and no EHU is it showing any current drawing? Also with the solar panel back on to make sure the regulator is not causing the issue.

This will at least give you some piece of mind if the battery is at fault and that nothing on the van is dragging it down.

Good luck with resolving. :thumb:
 
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Welsh girl

Welsh girl

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Additionally to the advice already given and if you haven't checked already, it maybe worth while checking nothing is drawing current when you believe nothing is on.

I assume you probably have a Sargent ECU which allows you to toggle through the vehicle battery voltage, leisure voltage and leisure current? With the solar panel disconnected and no EHU is it showing any current drawing? Also with the solar panel back on to make sure the regulator is not causing the issue.

This will at least give you some piece of mind if the battery is at fault and that nothing on the van is dragging it down.

Good luck with resolving. :thumb:

Thanks for that,yes it is a sargent ECU And we will try that.:thumb:
 

Terry

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Hi you can discount trackers :thumb:They have there own small power supply that can keep the tracker alive for a few day's/weeks :thumb: This is topped up from your vehicle battery hence the tracker can be hid just about anywhere in your van that has a electric supply to it.If it was not like that the would be tea-leaf would simply remove the battery/battery's and the tracker would simply die and be of no use:Eeek:More chance of it being your alarm or radio flattening your battery
terry

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