Problems with leisure battery

[magsnjim]

I took off my leisure battery to charge but have noticed after charging it has run to weak charge it is a Banner heavy duty can I use the same kind of battery I use for engine start? Not looking forward to buying another battery any help please . When on van it is connected to solar panels.

 

[Jev88]

Hi, what voltage is the leisure battery showing? Below 12volts (i think) and some chargers won't kick in and start charging it.

 

[DaveandJen]

Unfortunately you will probably need to buy a new battery. Leisure batteries are not made to start Motorhome engines and the batteries made to start the engines of Motorhomes don’t make good leisure batteries.

When batteries are continually allowed to run down to low voltage over time they don’t normally last very long.

 

[pappajohn]

and those batteries made to start the engines don’t make good leisure batteries.

Unfortunately many budget leisure batteries are nothing more than a re-labelled starter battery.
A quality leisure battery will be heavier and have thicker plates.

 

[PhilandMena]

I would advise you improve your knowledge on leisure batteries as the amount of information you have supplied is limited. Can you provide more information on the age, make and size of your leisure battery, the type (I assume Lead Acid), why you need to take it off to charge it ? What its current voltage reading is ?
Also, the size (W) of your solar panels.
Although some leisure batteries are being sold as duel purpose batteries, lead Acid leisure batteries should be built with thicker lead plates as they are required to provide a charge over a long period, whilst a started battery provide a very high charge for a very short period.
Lead Acid, leisure battery life will be determined by the number of cycles at a given discharge rate, something like 200 Cycles @50% D.O.D. This means the battery can be discharged 50 % of its capacity (measured in Amp Hours) and then fully charged again (This is one cycle). After 200 cycles its dead. That in simple terms is how Leisure batteries work. Although there are other types of leisure batteries and I wont bore you with any more details.

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[magsnjim]

Thank you all now a lot wiser will look for a new leisure battery happy Moho to you all stay safe

 

[mitzimad]

weve been happy with our vartas so far 3 years old now

 

[44658]

Have made a big mistake, don't do as I have.
I have a dethleffs alko based van and the 2 batteries are under the drivers seat, which weigh about 25/26 kilo. After fitting the batteries thought that was the job done. This winter in France and Spain, batteries wouldn't hold the charge above a couple of hours.
Have tried twice to do long charges with batteries in situ. No joy. So yesterday, took the seat out and the batteries. To find they both needed topping up with the ionised water. So now recharging.
My mistake was in thinking as they were under the seat, inaccessible for anything, would be sealed for life, wrong. So everyone, who has a battery that you cannot see the water levels on, should immediately check, and then check again every spring and autumn as I will now do as £240 every couple of years is way too much. A real drag as the seat takes about 20 minutes, very heavy and not like just picking up a bag of sand as it's so unwieldy.
It never crossed my mind that batteries under seats would need so much attention. Have not picked up on this in any threads or other MoHo owners in the last 4 years or even the 2 suppliers of these batteries.

 

[PhilandMena]

Banner Lead Acid batteries are notorious for using a lot of liquid and requiring frequent topping up. Other's less so, perhaps a check every 6 months and a top up once per year, at most. I would have a look at your charger to be on the safe side as gassing starts above 14.1 V. and extending charging above this voltage could lead to some fluid loss. The alternative, if it's really a pain to remove the seats is to change to maintenance free leisure batteries such as Gel's but these can be expensive and require a different charging process than lead acid batteries.

 

[44658]

Thanks Phil and Mena. Have taken some advice, and basically the 2 companies in contact with say, stay with the same as regulators and the extra layout, really don't justify the cost. We are casual users, and tend to stick hook-up sites except when attending the shows and travelling back and to.

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[PhilandMena]

Thanks Phil and Mena. Have taken some advice, and basically the 2 companies in contact with say, stay with the same as regulators and the extra layout, really don't justify the cost. We are casual users, and tend to stick hook-up sites except when attending the shows and travelling back and to.

Yes, That makes total sense. If your going to be on Hook Up most of the time, Lead Acid is the right way to go.