New Vs Old Leisure battery

Jev88

Jev88

Joined
Apr 6, 2019
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Eye, Peterborough, UK
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RV
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FourWinds Windsport 6.8L V10
Hi.
Old Leisure battery (90ah) at least three years old.
24 hour charged shows 12.85 after resting at least 12 hours.

New Yuasa/Halfords unit (100ah) shows only 12.5 after same procedure.

Is this grounds for me to politely dump the Halfords battery back on their doorstep as not performing correctly for a new battery and request replacement?

Thanks.
 
Why did you buy a new battery?
I am not trying to change the subject but wonder also if 90ah fills up quicker than 100ah.
The quality of the battery goes beyond just the ah size. I am not an expert but just wanted to throw my thoughts in.
 
rosalan said:
Why did you buy a new battery?
I am not trying to change the subject but wonder also if 90ah fills up quicker than 100ah.
The quality of the battery goes beyond just the ah size. I am not an expert but just wanted to throw my thoughts in.
Click to expand...


I knew someone would ask....... Bought MH that had been unused for around two years whilst owner was overseas. Had no record of how old battery was and how long left at low charge etc..... Also had some issues with Fanmaster fan behaving like it wasn't getting enough juice and decided wise to buy new and supposedly not worry about age and life of leisure battery.
 
If the van was stood for a couple of years the battery will be shot.
I'm surprised it even took a charge.
The battery can show a full charge but once it gets a load put on it it can flatten rapidly.

If you have an old headlamp bulb or similar it's easy enough to test.
Anything will do so long as you know the wattage.
Watts divided by volts equals amps

A 12v 60watt bulb will draw 5 amps/hour so connect the bulb and see how long it lasts.
If it lasts 10 hours and still glows bright that's about 55% discharged so SHOULD be ok.
That should read around 12.3v

As for the new one, put it back on charge for 24 hours and check the voltage again
Immediately off charge should be around 13.6v and after an hour just stood, around 12.7v.
Any less, take it back.
 
Last edited:
@pappajohn Thanks. That's exactly the kind of info I wanted.
I like to think I am pretty technically minded and capable but simple solutions like trying an old headlight bulb and knowing how long it should run is perfect.

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A question about your Halfords battery. Is it a leisure battery or one of their calcium car batteries? Also what are you using to charge it? Many modern batteries require higher charging voltages to achieve a full charge than standard lead acid ones. Old kit may not suit new battery.
 
Pausim said:
A question about your Halfords battery. Is it a leisure battery or one of their calcium car batteries? Also what are you using to charge it? Many modern batteries require higher charging voltages to achieve a full charge than standard lead acid ones. Old kit may not suit new battery.
Click to expand...

Halfords / Yuasa leisure battery category B.
I was assuming onboard system would charge it whilst engine on it in hook up?
Now have both batteries in garage and will charge both up for 12 hours plus and see what resting state charge is later today. When in hookup leisure battery usually shows 13.6 volts so i assume charger circuit is okay.
 
13.6v sounds like a maintenance voltage, your new battery may need something nearer to 14.4v to charge fully. It claims to have EFB technology which is new to me.
 
EFB is apparently not the same as AGM but according to some manufacturers needs similar charging. Best check online for yourself but I think you may need an AGM setting on your charger.
 
Pausim said:
EFB is apparently not the same as AGM but according to some manufacturers needs similar charging. Best check online for yourself but I think you may need an AGM setting on your charger.
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So how would I go about adding a modern charger to my onboard electrical system?
The PMS5 controller I have in my Autocruise is long out of production but
Screenshot_20190425-120354.png
otherwise appears to work correctly.

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Hopefully someone will be along soon who knows a bit more about Autocruise systems. I would start by looking for the existing charger which is likely to be hiding in a cupboard or under a seat. Before spending out on new one it might be worth checking whether the old one has any adjustable settings or whether it kicks in initially at a higher voltage.
 
Pausim said:
Hopefully someone will be along soon who knows a bit more about Autocruise systems. I would start by looking for the existing charger which is likely to be hiding in a cupboard or under a seat. Before spending out on new one it might be worth checking whether the old one has any adjustable settings or whether it kicks in initially at a higher voltage.
Click to expand...

I believe the charger is behind that panel along with a pile of spaghetti going to the various fuses.
 
New battery resting at 13.14v now after being left over night.
So perhaps my on board charger / supply box can't completely charge it?

Who is the go to person to discuss this with?
 
I would expect your charger to have a Pos and Neg output terminal and a mains lead so a simple like for like swap for a higher rated charger.
Remove any wires from Pos terminal and connect to Pos on new charger.
Ditto with Neg terminal.
Ditto with mains lead (after ensuring hookup disconnected)
 
If it's a relatively low current charger and the new battery was quite flat, it might take quite a lot longer than a day to fill up.

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pappajohn said:
I would expect your charger to have a Pos and Neg output terminal and a mains lead so a simple like for like swap for a higher rated charger.
Remove any wires from Pos terminal and connect to Pos on new charger.
Ditto with Neg terminal.
Ditto with mains lead (after ensuring hookup disconnected)
Click to expand...

Hi. My unit appears to be an all in one distribution point and charger. All hidden behind this face plate.......

Screenshot_20190425-120354.png
 
Perhaps @Techno can help. The control panel you've shown is the same as Andy had in his Starspirit (many moons ago).
 
I expect it is just a constant voltage like they used to fit in caravans and will only output 13.6 volts which will drastically shorten the life of the battery. Also with the charger mounted behind the controller it will be a very low power charger probably 4 - 6 amps.
Modern chargers tend to be 18 to 20 amps and normally mounted close to the batteries.
 
No reason why you can't fit a second, modern charger direct to the battery.
It's no different than fitting a solar panel and won't be affected by, or affect, your present charger.

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pappajohn said:
No reason why you can't fit a second, modern charger direct to the battery.
It's no different than fitting a solar panel and won't be affected by, or affect, your present charger.
Click to expand...

Just need to get my head around adding another charger.
So if I give a new charger 240V supply from my distribution controller it will kick into life when on hook up and charge battery whilst my distribution box carries on delivering that power to the 240V sockets.
When engine running I can't see how I can easily get juice to the leisure battery other than via the existing circuit at the lower voltage. Am I correct?

I can see Sargent? make modern chargers and and also combined charger/power supply units for around £250.
 
pappajohn said:
No reason why you can't fit a second, modern charger direct to the battery.
It's no different than fitting a solar panel and won't be affected by, or affect, your present charger.
Click to expand...

You are right about slow trickle to Leisure battery when engine running. Sat and watched meter... Over 5 minutes leisure battery showed 12.79, . 12.80, . 12.81, . 12.82.... etc... I took the slight change as normal fluctuations but now I have lowered my expectations of how fast onboard charger controller works I can see proof of it is working. An engineer tells me later model PMS5 Plugin Systems used a three step charger so all good news I think
 
You can use any 230v supply for the new charger providing that circuits breaker is rated high enough.
An unused socket would be suitable or an extra socket wired from an existing one.
It doesn't have to be wired to the distribution center.
Of course, if you were to fit an inverter in the future the supply would need altering so the inverter didn't run the charger.
No such thing as perpetual motion
 
My mains charger seems to be just a float charger, up to 13.6v, however charging is mainly through solar which is a multistage mppt controller giving a periodical charge at 14.5v.

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