Leisure battery low voltage

[DaveHobson]

Our leisure battery is down to 9.7 volts, after several weeks of not being used. We have a solar panel on the roof, and (as far as I know) nothing using the battery. Is this normal? Should I take it out and charge it? Or just leave until we next hook up?

 

[gus-lopez]

At that voltage it is quite lto be dead. Remove and charge fist to see whether it can be saved but you then need to find out what is causing the discharge and why the panel isn t keeping it charged

 

[SandraL]

We have had a lot of grey days recently. If only a small panel it may not have kept up with just a small discharge. But you will need to make sure it all works.
We initially had a 150 watt panel but found this was insufficient to keep battery in winter with alarm and tracker connected.

 

[GeoffnDee]

I think your Bailey may be fitted with a duel charging solar system with a solar controller that can be adjusted to set the amount of solar charge sent to either the leisure and starter battery , when you get the battery charged, or if needed replaced, it would be worth checking that the solar controller is set to charge both sets of batteries as it should.(if not set correctly the solar may only be charging the starter battery) It would also be worth checking that nothing has been left on that may have caused the power loss in the first place.

 

[Lenny HB]

As GeoffnDee says those Sargent controllers are not normal and if setup incorrectly the solar will not charge the batteries.

Letting the battery drop to 9.7v even if it still works and appears to recover its capacity will have been considerably reduced so it will need replacing.

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[Andacami]

The Sargent system needs to be On for the smart charge system to work. I made the mistake of physically turning the unit off to save power and suffered dead batteries. Whilst on, it will divert the solar charge to the battery that needs it most (hab or cab) but of course, take a little bit of power in of itself; in this weather, this is likely to be reflected in flat batteries as it is cold and dark.

If you have limited options for getting out for a good long drive (and you should) or EHU, then as suggested, take the batteries out and trickle charge them at home. I've found the Ring Charge and Diagnose Smart Charger - 12A to be good at recovering and maintaining my leisure and vehicle batteries over winter.

I wonder if the attached user guide is helpful...

 

[GeoffnDee]

I believe that Bailey motorhomes, which I think DaveHobson may have , use a Bailey PDU (BCA system ?) with a Truma duel solar controller that can be set to send a % of solar power to either battery, 0% to 100%.

 

[DaveHobson]

Thanks, everyone, for these helpful replies. I’ll check everything suggested, but it sounds like I have a dead battery on my hands.

 

[DaveHobson]

Update. Well, the battery was beyond charging. It would appear to charge, but never got to the end of the charging cycle (‘float’) on the smart charger, then wouldn’t then hold the charge. So I now have a replacement, which I’m determined to look after. My mistake was thinking that the (small) solar panel would keep it topped up, even on the short, gloomy days of winter. The panel controller has no adjustment to balance between vehicle and leisure batteries - it’s preset to prioritise the cab battery until fully charged, then switching to leisure for anything left over. Might it be worth changing the unit for something more flexible? Anyway, the new battery is now in the house, where it’ll stay until we use the van more in the spring.

 

[Lenny HB]

The panel controller has no adjustment to balance between vehicle and leisure batteries - it’s preset to prioritise the cab battery until fully charged, then switching to leisure for anything left over.

That's very odd most controllers give prioty to the leisure battery.

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[GeoffnDee]

Is your Bailey Motorhome not fitted with a Truma solar controller that can be set to send your chosen % of solar charge to both the starter and leisure batteries at the same time ? or maybe it has had a replacement fitted.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

You really need to have the controller set to charge your leisure battery and best to fit a battery master that will top up the van battery once the leisure battery is charged.they are relatively inexpensive and easy to fit.
This will ensure both batteries are up to par.
Also make sure your solar panel is clean and not in any shadows,even small shadows can reduce its efficiency ,very significantly.

 

[DaveHobson]

That's very odd most controllers give prioty to the leisure battery.

Hmm, well I found the data sheet for the controller online, and this is what it says:

Ideal if twin batteries are used in a caravan or boat or to charge the leisure and vehicle battery in an RV. The dual charge function only occurs when a second battery is connected. In this configuration the controller will still focus its power delivery on the battery connected to the No 1 terminals until that battery is 70% fully charged. Once this is reached power will be delivered to both batteries equally until both are 100% charged.

Given that the cab battery is currently connected as Battery 1, should I swap the connections over, ie making the leisure battery number 1? Or should I perhaps get a different controller, which I can control myself?

 

[Lenny HB]

Yes swap them over for now then see how it goes.

 

[cyberyacht]

Depending on your definition of "small", a solar panel of minimum 150W would be needed, IMHO, during the winter months to keep batteries ticking over. I've got double that and a grey day in December produces next to nothing.