Is this acceptable?

[TheTwoOfUs]

Went to the van today to check it out and fortunately it started, just. Both battery gauges were showing nothing. I nipped back home and collected an 115W free standing solar panel and Schaudt LR1218 controller and connected them in. Before installing I checked the output from the panel which was 26/27V. After connecting, the output from the controller was 8.1V to the leisure batteries and 12.2V to the engine battery. Before the connections were made to the EBL101 the outputs from the LR1218 to the leisure and engine batteries were both 15.7V. The leisure batteries are Varta 95Ah and were new middle of last year. The engine battery is older. I will go back on Sunday and see what the situation is then.

 

[EX51SSS]

Acceptable for what?

 

[68c]

Suspect the starter battery is OK but the leisure batteries not so healthy. At 8.1volts they are seriously discharged, they may recover but are unlikely to have their original capacity. I would take the two leisure batteries home and put them on a mains charger, you may be lucky. In truth unless I was planning a long off grid trip in the near future I would refit them and hope for the best.

 

[Coolcats]

Went to the van today to check it out and fortunately it started, just. Both battery gauges were showing nothing. I nipped back home and collected an 115W free standing solar panel and Schaudt LR1218 controller and connected them in. Before installing I checked the output from the panel which was 26/27V. After connecting, the output from the controller was 8.1V to the leisure batteries and 12.2V to the engine battery. Before the connections were made to the EBL101 the outputs from the LR1218 to the leisure and engine batteries were both 15.7V. The leisure batteries are Varta 95Ah and were new middle of last year. The engine battery is older. I will go back on Sunday and see what the situation is then.

I had a battery that was discharged to around the 8v mark, I have a Halfords charger that has various settings one says repair. I used that setting I have no idea what it actually does but it did fully restore the battery up to 13 volts so all may not be lost if you have something similar.

 

[Lenny HB]

95a/h batteries with an Elektroblock I assume they are AGM batteries and sounds like they are totally shot.

All your voltage readings appear to be wrong, it sounds like your meter is on the blink.
The solar panels assuming they are what are known as 12v ones (not domestic ones) max open circuit voltage is normally 22.5v.
The batteries couldn't be at 15.7v with no charger connected.

With the regulator connected it looks like the leisure batteries have had it and are dragging the output from the regulator down.

The LR1218 is not really suitable for AGM batteries as it is a single stage charger really best suited to Gel batteries, as once up to 14.2v volts it stays at that voltage and does not drop to a float voltage.

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[TheTwoOfUs]

Not AGM batteries. The batteries aren't sat at 15.7V, that's what is showing at the output from the controller without the batteries connected. What I don't understand is what could be pulling the leisure batteries down. The 12V circuit is switched off, the only possible draw could be the auto dump valve which cannot be isolated.

 

[autorouter]

What I don't understand is what could be pulling the leisure batteries down. The 12V circuit is switched off, the only possible draw could be the auto dump valve which cannot be isolated.

Are you saying that you don't understand why the leisure battery has discharged to that level (8.1V) when parked up and not used? How long has it been standing? It's common for this to happen in four weeks or so.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

There are two 90Ah leisure batteries. My car has one battery which is supporting all the background functions such as alarm, radio etc and yet does not suffer the degradation I experience with the m/h despite being stood idle for as long. I'm just trying to understand why.

 

[Manic]

The batteries aren't sat at 15.7V, that's what is showing at the output from the controller without the batteries connected.

So you have the solar regulator working without batteries connected, if so that’s away of blowing the solar regulator.

 

[Glandwr]

What I don't understand is what could be pulling the leisure batteries down. The 12V circuit is switched off, the only possible draw could be the auto dump valve which cannot be isolated.

Alarms, radio memory, things on standy, boiler frost drain valve, central locking etc? Every little bit adds up over time

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[TheTwoOfUs]

Alarms, radio memory, things on standy, boiler frost drain valve, central locking etc? Every little bit adds up over time

Apart from drain valve surely everything else comes of the hab battery?

 

[Glandwr]

Apart from drain valve surely everything else comes of the hab battery?

Not on mine they don't, opps sorry just noticed its a coachbuilt they could well do. My mistake.