Locked-down no hookup or Batterymaster - Starter battery life until toast??

[Burgo]

We cant get to our m/h due to the travel restrictions here. Luckily we took out all the perishables before the lock down here 10 days ago. Not overly worried about the hab batteries as the solar should keep them topped up and everything is turned off on the 12v circuits, but I was still saving up for a battery master from Vanbitz and on our storage site there is no hook up. As a result, I'm starting to wonder how long it will be for the starter battery to be toast. Normally we're off very 2 weeks even if only for a night away somewhere so we've never really had that worry before as the engine battery gets a good charge then.

Only the dashboard, radio, immobiliser & alarm are hopefully drawing anything. The radio manual doesn't give a standby current draw so have assumed 30 mA. According to the manual the alarm and immobiliser are < 20mA. I don't have the Ducato manual (2018 150HP manual gearbox) here at home (and can't obviously, get to it to check with a meter) but there must be an allowance for the vehicle immobiliser / dashboard settings memory to add in as well. Equally I don't know exactly what capacity the starter battery is (hangs head in shame) as the manual is in the van. It's pretty cool here at the moment with an average temp around 17 in the day and a low of 12 . Anyone got any ideas / input please??

 

[Jev88]

If you can't get to the vehicle then without telekinetic super hero ability you can't do anything.
If you can get to it for one visit there are things we could suggest;

Disconnect it.
Stick a cheap solar panel on dashboard for engine battery.
Pull the radio fuse.

 

[bobandjanie]

You could just run a cable from your leisure batteries positive to your starter battery positive but put a fuse in line, just in case you forget and try and start it. ? Bob.

There you go, I remember Clive Mott doing this, ? when we took a walk on the dark side. ?

Clive`s

 

[Burgo]

You could just run a cable from your leisure batteries positive to your starter battery positive but put a fuse in line, just in case you forget and try and start it

Clive`s

A good idea, but we can't get to it. I recall seeing a write up on this wheeze which in loved fitting some kind of small breaker / switch in the footwell which either broke the link or routed it through the fuse.

 

[bobandjanie]

Nothing you can do then, it can only mean a new battery, but maybe you will be lucky. ? Bob.

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[Jimbohorlicks]

A bit late for you but you can get a battery mastercoff e Bay for £15 to 20 and they are easy to fit. You just need a cable to reach your positive starter battery terminal from near your hab battery.