Rapid discharge

[wildax_woody]

Morning all

I need to tap the groups collective expertise. We have a 2021 Wildax Europa with 2 100Ah leisure batteries and a 150w solar. Yesterday we drove around 100 miles and it was sunny until late in the evening so we can reasonably assume that the batteries were fully charged. We are on a site with no EHU and having run the LED lights for a couple of hours, drawn a small amount of water, and left 2 phones and an iPad charging overnight this morning we have woken up to the panel telling us the leisure battery system is flat. It shows 9.7v.

The van is less than 18 months old and batteries therefore should not yet be cream crackered!

Does anyone have any ideas what may be the problem or where to start diagnosis?

 

[Richard n Ann]

Knackered battery. Have you had the van from new? Has the battery been flat?

 

[DBK]

Being run down to 9.7 volts will almost certainly have damaged the batteries. If they have been allowed to sit discharged to this extent in the past they are probably permanently damaged which explains why they are dead after only 18 months.

Do you have solar to top them up when it's not being used?

 

[wildax_woody]

Knackered battery. Have you had the van from new? Has the battery been flat?

Yes. We had the van from new. This has happened once before when we left it for about 6 weeks during winter. It seems odd - this is not a regular event. We returned from 4 weeks touring recently and had no problems during that trip. Then we come away for a couple of nights and suddenly this happens!

 

[Jev88]

Duff battery..... Or..... Fuses/connection broken and you aren't actually recharging the battery.
Measure direct at battery posts for accurate charge measure. Also measure charge From solar the same way. You can do this at the solar controller .

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[GeoffnDee]

Are the batteries actually flat or is the 9.7v a reading from the control display

 

[wildax_woody]

Are the batteries actually flat or is the 9.7v a reading from the control display

That is a reading from the display. But nothing is working. Now the sun is up they are charging but the display has gone from 0 to full in 45 minutes which can’t be right. So there is something wrong with the charging system somewhere.

 

[wildax_woody]

Being run down to 9.7 volts will almost certainly have damaged the batteries. If they have been allowed to sit discharged to this extent in the past they are probably permanently damaged which explains why they are dead after only 18 months.

Do you have solar to top them up when it's not being used?

Yes - 120 solar which seems to now be charging them.

 

[Spriddler]

..... the display has gone from 0 to full in 45 minutes which can’t be right.

I suspect that the batteries are knackered and have a high internal resistance which fools the charging system into thinking that they are fully charged.

 

[autorouter]

You need to get a multimeter and take a reading from the actual battery terminals. If there was for example a blown main battery fuse or bad connection you would get the same symptoms on the display, and the solar would bring up the voltage when the sun rises, which is basically what you describe.

If you are on a site maybe you could borrow a meter to check. Any cheap multimeter from a DIY store would do. Are you OK with using a meter?

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[DBK]

Yes - 120 solar which seems to now be charging them.

Thanks, if it wasn't stored under cover then the solar should have ensured they were fully charged before you left. If this was the case and they went flat so quickly suggests the batteries have had it. Showing full after a short charge also suggests this and may be because they won't accept much of a charging current due to internal resistance so they read a high voltage almost immediately.

I would get them tested by a garage or battery shop when you get back for confirmation.

I would also check for any drain on them when it is not being used.

 

[GeoffnDee]

What make and model PSU and charger is fitted ?

 

[wildax_woody]

You need to get a multimeter and take a reading from the actual battery terminals. If there was for example a blown main battery fuse or bad connection you would get the same symptoms on the display, and the solar would bring up the voltage when the sun rises, which is basically what you describe.

If you are on a site maybe you could borrow a meter to check. Any cheap multimeter from a DIY store would do. Are you OK with using a meter?

I can use a meter! Have one at home so will start checking when I get back Monday.

 

[wildax_woody]

Thanks, if it wasn't stored under cover then the solar should have ensured they were fully charged before you left. If this was the case and they went flat so quickly suggests the batteries have had it. Showing full after a short charge also suggests this and may be because they won't accept much of a charging current due to internal resistance so they read a high voltage almost immediately.

I would get them tested by a garage or battery shop when you get back for confirmation.

I would also check for any drain on them when it is not being used.

Thanks DBK - I got on to our dealership this morning. It’s under warranty so have booked it in.

 

[PP Bear]

Could it be that while the van was new, the batteries weren’t

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[autorouter]

Worth checking the leisure battery connections and fuse, could be something simple.

 

[Stealaway]

Do you have a compressor fridge?
They seem to take a lot of power from your batteries