Charging the leisure battery (1 Viewer)

treasuredgiftsuk

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Hi, just been reading up a bit about leisure batteries but I am not really understanding all of it. Our recently purchased motorhome is parked outside the house while we sort out insurance etc. If I were to hook up would this automatically charge/or keep charged the leisure battery?:Doh:
 
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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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Hi treasure , it will do providing you switch the charger on. And there is a leisure battery present.
Mike

Hi Mike, yes I have a leisure battery fitted behind the driver seat, was told by the guy I bought it off that it is a new one, but not sure what you mean by switching the charger on.

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mikkidee

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There is usually a charging unit in one of the cupboards somewhere, ours is made by sargent,
hopefully someone with a van similar to yours will be along soon and let you know where to find it:Smile: Come on you lot
:whatthe:
Mike:Smile:
 
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jonandshell

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As a word of caution, do first identify the make and model of charger.
You can then look up the instructions and check that it is capable of delivering a maintenance charge.
If it doesn't do this, leaving the unit switched on might damage your battery.:Doh:
 
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pappajohn

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if you're unsure if you can leave your particular charger turned on indefinitely, then just plug the van in for a couple of hours each week.

if nothing is turned on that will maintain your battery ok.

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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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As a word of caution, do first identify the make and model of charger.
You can then look up the instructions and check that it is capable of delivering a maintenance charge.
If it doesn't do this, leaving the unit switched on might damage your battery.:Doh:

OK Will do thanks for the thumbs up. :thumb:
 
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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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There is usually a charging unit in one of the cupboards somewhere, ours is made by sargent,
hopefully someone with a van similar to yours will be along soon and let you know where to find it:Smile: Come on you lot
:whatthe:
Mike:Smile:

Thanks Mike will have a good hunt round to see if I can find it. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Want to make sure that I have a good working knowledge of things before setting off back to the UK:Eeek:
 
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mikkidee

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We were the same when we started out 4 years ago, a bit wet behind the ears, but you soon pick it up and having the added bonus of a forum like this helps, well when there awake:ROFLMAO:
Mike:Smile:

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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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We were the same when we started out 4 years ago, a bit wet behind the ears, but you soon pick it up and having the added bonus of a forum like this helps, well when there awake:ROFLMAO:
Mike:Smile:

I have found this forum very informative and have learnt a lot already. We don't leave until mid-March so hopefully by then I shall have everything under control.
 
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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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Thanks Mike will have a good hunt round to see if I can find it. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Want to make sure that I have a good working knowledge of things before setting off back to the UK:Eeek:

Hi Mike, firstly my battery is a Banner Engery Bull with the following specs:
Battery Order number 957 51 Set/Box D26 Rated 12V Capacity K5/75AH Capacity K20/100AH Capacity K100/110 AH Switching 0

Is this good and what does the switching mean.

I found a transformer Calira EVS12/07A automatic in the wardrobe. There is a white on off trip switch on front of a brown case next to it. I take it that I switch this to on to charge the leisure battery when on hook up. Can you let me know if I am wrong.

Thanks in advance.

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mikkidee

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Not sure about your leisure battery make, but I think you said in an earlier post that it was new so will be good. Sounds like the box you have found could be where the charger is stored. When you have put the switch to on see if there is any indication on the control panel that the battery is charging. If it is charging it should read somewhere near 13.5v.

We had a Swift Kon Tiki 645 and the charger was in the wardrobe at the back of the van.
Hope this helps
Mike:Smile:
 
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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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Not sure about your leisure battery make, but I think you said in an earlier post that it was new so will be good. Sounds like the box you have found could be where the charger is stored. When you have put the switch to on see if there is any indication on the control panel that the battery is charging. If it is charging it should read somewhere near 13.5v.

We had a Swift Kon Tiki 645 and the charger was in the wardrobe at the back of the van.
Hope this helps
Mike:Smile:

Hi Mike, not sure if there is a charging indicator on the panel to be honest, not sure what all the symbols are.
Pretty sure that box in the wardrobe is the transformer for the leisure battery. It says it is an automatic so hope I am right in assuming that when it needs charging the trip switch will be on, on and when it is fully charged it will change over to off.
 
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Hi Mike, not sure if there is a charging indicator on the panel to be honest, not sure what all the symbols are.
Pretty sure that box in the wardrobe is the transformer for the leisure battery. It says it is an automatic so hope I am right in assuming that when it needs charging the trip switch will be on, on and when it is fully charged it will change over to off.
you can check this if you use a volt metre accross the + pos &-NEG terminals on the batt
13v full charge and about 14.5v when in charge

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jonandshell

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Banner are an excellent manufacturer of batteries. We buy their products in at work as replacement starter batteries for forklifts.

As some Funsters will testify, I am a stickler for quality batteries. We run industrial 'traction' type batteries in our MH. Most 'leisure' types out there are total rubbish. Most are re-labeled starter type batteries.

In a recent test in MMM magazine, only Banner and Varta batteries, out of several makes tested, actually achieved their stated Ah performance.

So top marks to the previous owner for buying a good battery!:thumb:

As for your charger, I haven't a clue!!::bigsmile:
 
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pappajohn

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Hi Mike, not sure if there is a charging indicator on the panel to be honest, not sure what all the symbols are.
Pretty sure that box in the wardrobe is the transformer for the leisure battery. It says it is an automatic so hope I am right in assuming that when it needs charging the trip switch will be on, on and when it is fully charged it will change over to off.

most older chargers are just that.....an unregulated 12v power supply.

it will supply power to all 12v stuff AND charge the battery constantly.
many will power 12v equipment without a battery being connected at all.
 
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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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most older chargers are just that.....an unregulated 12v power supply.

it will supply power to all 12v stuff AND charge the battery constantly.
many will power 12v equipment without a battery being connected at all.

Oh god you are going to think me so thick as I do not understand what you mean. Which charger are you referring to as I was talking about the transformer in my wardrobe. Does this have nothing to do with charging my leisure battery? My mh is connected to the mains at present so do you mean that the leisure battery will be on constant charge and if so how long before I disconnect from the mains.

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pappajohn

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Oh god you are going to think me so thick as I do not understand what you mean. Which charger are you referring to as I was talking about the transformer in my wardrobe. Does this have nothing to do with charging my leisure battery? My mh is connected to the mains at present so do you mean that the leisure battery will be on constant charge and if so how long before I disconnect from the mains.
Yes....the 'transformer' in the wardrobe will be a power supply AND charger all in one unit.
many modern units look like nothing more than a tin box with no cosmetic features whatsoever other than an on/off switch and maybe an indicator light

it should have an on/off switch either on the unit or in the vans fuse box or simply unplug the hookup when not in use.

if it is the type i mean (very good chance) it will eventually damage the battery by overcharging if left turned on indefinitely.

modern chargers/power supplies sense the actual battery voltage and reduce the charge to next to nothing (maintenance charge) when fully charged and can be left turned on indefinitely.

this is my American power supply/charger and is less than one year old.
still looks like a tin box though.

 

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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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Yes....the 'transformer' in the wardrobe will be a power supply AND charger all in one unit.
many modern units look like nothing more than a tin box with no cosmetic features whatsoever other than an on/off switch and maybe an indicator light

it should have an on/off switch either on the unit or in the vans fuse box or simply unplug the hookup when not in use.

if it is the type i mean (very good chance) it will eventually damage the battery by overcharging if left turned on indefinitely.

modern chargers/power supplies sense the actual battery voltage and reduce the charge to next to nothing (maintenance charge) when fully charged and can be left turned on indefinitely.

this is my American power supply/charger and is less than one year old.
still looks like a tin box though.


Thank you for that. How long would you say it is safe to leave it on, whilst hooked up, without damaging the battery. I was worried about the battery charge getting too low that is why I hooked up but I am just as worried about overcharging it too. I believe you mentioned this in another post but can't find it.

Does this also mean that when we are traveling around a lot that the leisure battery is getting charged fully from the start battery so this power supply/charger should be in the off position and should only be turned on when the leisure battery low charge warning light on the control panel is reading red.

The previous owner drove the mh from the UK to Portugal, hooking up on the way with the power supply/charger in the on position. But he also did not seem to have a clue about the control panel either. Hope he has not damaged the battery.

Thank you in advance and sorry to be a nuisance. Just want to do everything right from the start so we can start our journey with confidence.
 
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pappajohn

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Thank you for that. How long would you say it is safe to leave it on, whilst hooked up, without damaging the battery. I was worried about the battery charge getting too low that is why I hooked up but I am just as worried about overcharging it too. I believe you mentioned this in another post but can't find it.

Does this also mean that when we are traveling around a lot that the leisure battery is getting charged fully from the start battery so this power supply/charger should be in the off position and should only be turned on when the leisure battery low charge warning light on the control panel is reading red.

The previous owner drove the mh from the UK to Portugal, hooking up on the way with the power supply/charger in the on position. But he also did not seem to have a clue about the control panel either. Hope he has not damaged the battery.

Thank you in advance and sorry to be a nuisance. Just want to do everything right from the start so we can start our journey with confidence.
dont worry about the engine charging the battery when driving...the actual charge to the leisure battery is so low it will never fully charge your battery anyway, just think of your engine battery if you drive for 10 hours a day, every day. it doesnt overcharge because of the regulator in the charging system.
the leisure battery isnt charged by the mains charger (transformer) when driving.....its charged by the engines alternator just like the engine battery....so you can leave the charger turned on when driving.

as for how long to leave your charger on......

when you are camping, be it a day or a week or two, you use the battery power most of the time so it wont get too much charge and can be leaft on all the time.....
on the other hand, if you just hookup at home and you arent using any power it will overcharge eventually.
as a guide, unless you actually need mains power in the van, hoovering etc, when at home i would leave it (the van) mainly unplugged and only hookup for a couple of hours each week or so to top up the battery.

dont worry about asking too many questions, we all knew nothing at first and had to ask....or learn the hard, and sometimes expensive, way.

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stcyr

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Hi. Have a look at www.calira.de and scroll down till you get to 'evs 12/07 automatic' - pdf, wiring diagram of the charger. :thumb::thumb:
 
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pappajohn

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stcyr

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Ah, I see where it went wrong - the link I put up takes you to their main site. You need to just type 'calira evs 12/07 automatic' in the Google box then click on the 1st one on the list: 'Calira Electronic gmbh' (first line starts with 'BC723 - EVS 38/20 ... etc. Then just scroll down the list. :thumb:
 
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Hi,
The Banner battery you quoted is top of the Range, I have just bought one via a contact and got a good deal for £170, the new batteries are AVG and the cell walls are reinforced with fibre glass. Personally I would be looking to instal a solar panel I fitted one many years ago, along with a decent invertor and it suits all our needs. Never need to go on Hook Up.
Best Regards, Mac

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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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Hi,
The Banner battery you quoted is top of the Range, I have just bought one via a contact and got a good deal for £170, the new batteries are AVG and the cell walls are reinforced with fibre glass. Personally I would be looking to instal a solar panel I fitted one many years ago, along with a decent invertor and it suits all our needs. Never need to go on Hook Up.
Best Regards, Mac

Hi Mac, Thanks for that. I have 2 internal solar panels that came with the m/h. They are ones that only need daylight so I have one connected to the m/h started battery all the time whilst is is parked outside the house I have it layed on the dash. Do you think it would be a good idea to connect the other to the leisure battery?
 
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treasuredgiftsuk

treasuredgiftsuk

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Ah, I see where it went wrong - the link I put up takes you to their main site. You need to just type 'calira evs 12/07 automatic' in the Google box then click on the 1st one on the list: 'Calira Electronic gmbh' (first line starts with 'BC723 - EVS 38/20 ... etc. Then just scroll down the list. :thumb:

Hi, thanks for the reply. I just had a look at this and whilst I do not have a clue regard electrics am I correct in saying that this shows that when on hook it automatically charges both the leisure and the starter batter? Is there something else I should understand about this? Thanks.
 
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