Novice needs some help please

[Alan_C]

Hi everyone, I have just bought a 12v telly for "Betty" , plugged it in via the 12v socket tuned it in and started watching it. After about 40 minutes the tv died on me and also my gas blower heater also stopped. So i am thinking the batteries (2) have died. Now betty is 30 years old but i dont know how old the batteries are, is there a date on leisure batteries, and do you think i should replace them, also i have a solar panel that i haven't really used so should i keep that switched on at all times. thanks for any assistance.

 

[Grummyb]

It does sound like the batteries have gone flat but before you rush out and buy new ones id make sure they are being charged when the engine is running and when your on hook up but I can't help with that new fangled solar trickery you talk about

 

[Alan_C]

It does sound like the batteries have gone flat but before you rush out and buy new ones id make sure they are being charged when the engine is running and when your on hook up but I can't help with that new fangled solar trickery you talk about

Yes i ran the engine for 5 minutes or so and things came back on but only lasted about 10 mins then went dead again

 

[Swifter]

Sounds like the batteries are flat or need replacing . Do you have a volt meter ?

 

[Alan_C]

Sounds like the batteries are flat or need replacing . Do you have a volt meter ?

no ..dont have a volt meter but know a man who does

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[jimairi]

Yes sounds like batteries have discharged below operational level, are you on hook up? If not how long have you been operating off hook up without moving van? I don't know much about the solar part but assume that during daylight it should be switched on. Don't replace batteries before getting all above checked against your usage off hook up or recharge by moving location. Hope this helps.

 

[Alan_C]

Yes sounds like batteries have discharged below operational level, are you on hook up? If not how long have you been operating off hook up without moving van? I don't know much about the solar part but assume that during daylight it should be switched on. Don't replace batteries before getting all above checked against your usage off hook up or recharge by moving location. Hope this helps.

I only bought this MH last month and as of yet only done day trips with her, but planning to overnight this weekend but hoping to wild camp so no need for hookup . I could use hookup at home before travelling if that would help

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

You need to keep the solar on,I really don't know how you can switch it off,but that's what you seem to be advising.
Usually ,when the battery power starts to fall below 12 v, the sound will start to fade ,then the picture. Seems like you need new leisure batteries,or at least give them a good charge up to determine if they are useable.

 

[Figaro]

I only bought this MH last month and as of yet only done day trips with her, but planning to overnight this weekend but hoping to wild camp so no need for hookup . I could use hookup at home before travelling if that would help

Give your leisure batteries an overnight charge before you go away, but as others have said it sounds like the leisure batteries are goosed.
It's worth getting a multimeter and learning it's basic functions, there are so many things on a motorhome they are useful for.

 

[Itsmcb]

There's no way of knowing how much charge was in the batteries when you bought your van, they could have been low already. Driving around won't put a lot back into the batteries unless you do a LOT on miles. Hook up at home and let them charge up for a decent time, at least overnight. The solar panel can be left on all the time as long as it's connected via a solar controller, this will help to keep your batteries charged when the sun is shining.

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[Itsmcb]

Yes i ran the engine for 5 minutes or so and things came back on but only lasted about 10 mins then went dead again

Running the engine for 5 mins will only put a tiny amount of charge back in to the battery

 

[Swifter]

Good news is this won’t be expensive to resolve . Get some charge in via the mains and see how they perform

 

[Alan_C]

Thanks for the help. I will hook up at home and give the batteries a good charge and see how things develop from there. Also my solar panel does have an on/off switch at the controller so will keep that on aswell...will update when all is done. thanks again

 

[jimairi]

Hope it is just as simple as needing full charge, sounds like it might be.

 

[Itsmcb]

Thanks for the help. I will hook up at home and give the batteries a good charge and see how things develop from there. Also my solar panel does have an on/off switch at the controller so will keep that on aswell...will update when all is done. thanks again

For future reference, the solar controller should always be connected to the battery before it's connected to the solar panel. Having a switch between the panel and the controller makes it easier to achieve this if you need to disconnect the battery for any reason.

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[DavidG58]

Although you might well need new batteries , you could find that only one has failed, one bad will drag all of them to same level, been there twice myself and found in both Instances only one had failed

you do need either a multimeter or someone with one You also need to disconnect all batteries from each other and turn off any charger before checking

hopefully though with a good charge they will see you through for now

 

[Bruchel]

Your best investment will be a multimeter (rather than a basic voltmeter). Don't make the mistake that I made, which was to connect to EHU on the driveway and blindly assume that the leisure battery is charging. It turned out that my onboard charger was the thing that was goosed, not my leisure battery!!
After much head scratching, and then lots of research, I have now entered an expensive rabbit hole of upgrading the electrics on our 19 yo MoHo! I've upgraded to a Victron mains charger that can also charge the vehicle battery, and just bought a B2B charger, which will charge the leisure battery much better than the basic split charge relay fitted as standard.
Next stop, solar.....
Then Lithium....

Good luck!

 

[autorouter]

What make/model is your solar controller? Perhaps you could post a pic of it. I don't know of any controllers with a switch on the input/output, but many controllers have 'Load' terminals that switch on and off. Load terminals are not used in a motorhome. The solar controller output is connected to the leisure battery, and all the loads are connected to the leisure battery.

 

[Odd-no-more]

With a 30 year old van the battery charger will not be "smart" at home I switch off the onboard charger and connect modern smart one, this will not "cook" the battery or let the voltage drop too low

 

[Itsmcb]

What make/model is your solar controller? Perhaps you could post a pic of it. I don't know of any controllers with a switch on the input/output, but many controllers have 'Load' terminals that switch on and off. Load terminals are not used in a motorhome. The solar controller output is connected to the leisure battery, and all the loads are connected to the leisure battery.

It would be interesting to see what they have. I fitted one of these as recommended on here to the input side of my controller purely to use as a switch.

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[BobandLoulou]

How are the batteries this morning? Nice sunny day here in Bognor Regis, hope good for you too.

 

[robert groves]

I only bought this MH last month and as of yet only done day trips with her, but planning to overnight this weekend but hoping to wild camp so no need for hookup . I could use hookup at home before travelling if that would help

I think you will need more tha 2 Batteries, ESPECIALY if you are using an ampmunching TV...Keep the solar switched on All the time,..invest in a cheap voltmeter (Lidaldi have them for £5) And learn how to use it... Boffins on the internet say that a 'wet' type battery should be 13,2 Volts when fully charged, and is getting a bit on the 'low' side when showing 12.4 Volts (other tinternet Boffins may disagree with the volt range )

 

[Nanniemate]

ditch the telly get a kindle, books or just sit and enjoy Been off grid for up to week no solar panels and telly off. Nothing on the thing that I had missed. Use the radio for news, or not as the case maybe.
Hope you get it sorted and enjoy your first adventure

 

[IRHP]

ditch the telly get a kindle, books or just sit and enjoy Been off grid for up to week no solar panels and telly off. Nothing on the thing that I had missed. Use the radio for news, or not as the case maybe.
Hope you get it sorted and enjoy your first adventure

I always find it odd when people who don’t have or don’t watch tv tell others they should do the same but it never happens the other way round.

 

[gwyntaxi]

Hi everyone, I have just bought a 12v telly for "Betty" , plugged it in via the 12v socket tuned it in and started watching it. After about 40 minutes the tv died on me and also my gas blower heater also stopped. So i am thinking the batteries (2) have died. Now betty is 30 years old but i dont know how old the batteries are, is there a date on leisure batteries, and do you think i should replace them, also i have a solar panel that i haven't really used so should i keep that switched on at all times. thanks for any assistance.

Hi everyone, I have just bought a 12v telly for "Betty" , plugged it in via the 12v socket tuned it in and started watching it. After about 40 minutes the tv died on me and also my gas blower heater also stopped. So i am thinking the batteries (2) have died. Now betty is 30 years old but i dont know how old the batteries are, is there a date on leisure batteries, and do you think i should replace them, also i have a solar panel that i haven't really used so should i keep that switched on at all times. thanks for any assistance.

Hi there and welcome,
Your batteries have not necessarily died they may just be flat and in need of a full charge, I would connect to EHU and when fully charged you should monitor them to ensure they are taking and holding the charge for a reasonable time before you rush out and buy new, there isn’t any recognisable date on a leisure battery that you will recognise but I find that if carefully used and never discharged below 50% they will last 4-5years possibly longer, I am somewhat puzzled by your description of a solar panel that you haven’t really used, if it is fitted to the roof of your van then it should be topping your leisure batteries up constantly on bright sunny days, if this is the case then maybe they may well have died, but you don’t normally “switch it on” so to speak, it is permanently on and topping up your batteries.

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[BillyKontiki]

You can always get your programs on catch-up when you return from your venture
i would be more concerned about my blow heating.

 

[autorouter]

Two good 100Ah leisure batteries should last the weekend as a minimum, with that kind of usage, even without solar. With solar in the summer they would probably last indefinitely, because the solar would recharge them enough every day.

Batteries commonly fail by gradually losing capacity, so your 200Ah or so of leisure battery might behave like a single 50Ah battery if they are very old. They will charge up to the same voltage, but won't last as long under load. It's difficult to tell the difference between old degraded batteries and good batteries that are not charged. That's why we are saying, first make sure the batteries are definitely fully charged. If they then still fail after a few minutes, it's time for new batteries.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

ditch the telly get a kindle, books or just sit and enjoy Been off grid for up to week no solar panels and telly off. Nothing on the thing that I had missed. Use the radio for news, or not as the case maybe.

But that means you aren't watching Line of Duty

 

[delta juliet]

ditch the telly get a kindle, books or just sit and enjoy Been off grid for up to week no solar panels and telly off. Nothing on the thing that I had missed. Use the radio for news, or not as the case maybe.
Hope you get it sorted and enjoy your first adventure

It’s been more than twenty years since I owned a TV, I much prefer to be getting on with my life rather than watching other people pretending to get on with theirs...

 

[Alan_C]

Hi, thanks for all comments and advice from everyone. I had batteries on an overnight charge for approx 11hours, tried again running telly and heater off batteries but alas only got about 50 minutes use from them so no doubt they are done. I have ordered 2 new 110AH batter ies which will arrive on friday so hopefully that will sort me out for the weekend.
As for the solar panel, the previous owner of the van has installed a panel into the van with 3 switches. top switch is for the solar panel when on it shows digital screen with well im not sure if it is amps or volts but usually shows between 12.0 and 15.0,but this can be switched off, second switch isloates batteries and 3rd switch is on/off switch for blow heater. Dont know if this makes any sense.