Removal of leisure battery

[U.Toadifact]

When I finally lay up my PVC for winter, I wish to remove the leisure battery for storage in a more hospitable environment and regular charging. Is there anything I should bear in mind or can I just disconnect it and reconnect it next year. Are there any sensitive electronics I should be aware of? E.g. solar panel and controller. TIA

 

[Lenny HB]

Not a good idea to leave a van sitting around all winter when not using the van you should take it out for a 15 - 20 mile drive every few weeks so might as well leave the battery in place.

 

[U.Toadifact]

Thanks Lenny but as a confirmed tightwad I tax my van for only six months of the year.

 

[Lenny HB]

Crazy best way to wreck a van.

 

[pappajohn]

Thanks Lenny but as a confirmed tightwad I tax my van for only six months of the year.

I agree with Lenny but if you must leave it chock the wheels, leave in 1st gear and release the handbrake.
Make sure both the engine and leisure batteries are regularly charged.
Just starting the engine occasionally won't provide enough charge.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[deleted79651]

Thanks Lenny but as a confirmed tightwad I tax my van for only six months of the year.

But if you have the dreaded ECU Fault or similar problems occur because of lack of use, won't the cost of repairs [plus Supply Chain aggro/delays] wipe out the savings from 6 months VED?

Steve

 

[Clivefog]

Why just the leisure battery if removal is your plan?

We often have a day out watching the tide / tornado / hurricane / tsunami roll in, no looking for a loo that is not locked up and coffee to my taste, enjoy!

 

[U.Toadifact]

I only wanted advice on disconnecting a leisure battery but if it helps, I have a medical condition which makes motorhoming in winter an impossiblity. Could someone please answer my question without beating me up about using my van in winter or is a medical certificate required?

 

[Eggs]

I only wanted advice on disconnecting a leisure battery but if it helps, I have a medical condition which makes motorhoming in winter an impossiblity. Could someone please answer my question without beating me up about using my van in winter or is a medical certificate required?

Well said, if you have solar it should keep your leisure battery topped up unless you store indoors. There should be a fuse between your leisure battery and your solar controller, if so pull it out before you remove the battery.

 

[St3v3]

You should disconnect the solar panels from the controller before removing the battery. Be sure to insulate the wire if it's a bare end rather than pulling a plug or fuse.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Clivefog]

If you don't have a solar panel yes just disconnect. A solar panel will need to be isolated before removing the battery, however if you have solar leave it in it will trickle charge over winter.

 

[Eggs]

You should disconnect the solar panels from the controller before removing the battery. Be sure to insulate the wire if it's a bare end rather than pulling a plug or fuse.

Can you explain why you would disconnect the solar rather than remove a fuse?

 

[St3v3]

Can you explain why you would disconnect the solar rather than remove a fuse?

If there is a fuse in the line from solar panels to controller then yes, pull that out. More likely though that the fuse is in line from controller to battery.

Leaving a solar panel feed to the controller without a connected battery can cause damage.

 

[pappajohn]

Just a thought.... Do you remove your car battery in winter when it's not in use?
If you keep the van at home simply keep it on charge in-situ.
Easy to make a UK 3pin to blue socket lead for your hookup cable.

 

[movan]

Well said, if you have solar it should keep your leisure battery topped up unless you store indoors. There should be a fuse between your leisure battery and your solar controller, if so pull it out before you remove the battery.

You should disconnect the solar panels from the controller before removing the battery. Be sure to insulate the wire if it's a bare end rather than pulling a plug or fuse.

Since I didn't know a thing about batteries and solar, I agree by experience, you must do as these gentleman say or it costs a lot of money.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Eggs]

Since I didn't know a thing about batteries and solar, I agree by experience, you must do as these gentleman say or it costs a lot of money.

Gentleman, I have gone up in the world

 

[GeoffnDee]

When you replace the leisure battery it is important that if you have removed the solar controller battery leads you re- connect the battery leads (or replace the fuse) to the solar controller before the solar panel is reconnected to its controller.
The starter battery will also need to be kept charged or it may go flat in a few weeks, without use, due to constant drain from the van electronics, (ECU etc)

 

[U.Toadifact]

Many thanks for all the replies. I will have to hunt down the leads to the solar controller and check for a fuse or plug.

 

[VXman]

On mine if you switch the battery off on the controller ( in my case the EBL 119) effectivly the battery is disconnected.

 

[Spriddler]

Crazy best way to wreck a van.

Couldn't agree more.
Hence the many posts on here about problems when using the m/h for the first time after storage.....airbag warning light, battery charging, water heater, fridge, lights.............

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[U.Toadifact]

Have you not read my post above regarding not being able to use my van in winter? What do you expect me to do? Hire it out? Sell it? Give it away?

I envy those who can use their vans all year round, how I wish I could too. However I have to accept that it will be stored over winter and I ask a simple question which some folk have answered without issues. Some, on the other hand seem to want to berate me for something over which I have no control. Please can you not accept that we are all different and have different needs?

My rant is over.

 

[cyberyacht]

Assuming you have a readily accessible mains supply, it is far less hassle ensuring a periodic charge of both batteries than disconnecting/removing. If you have a batterymaster and a solar setup, just leave the van to its own devices.

 

[U.Toadifact]

Thanks for the reply. Given I cannot find the connector from the solar to the controller, I reckon charging via the hook up is the way to go. I do believe however that I've read somewhere that the on board charging system can charge only to around 80%.

 

[TheCaller]

If you are storing outside, just leave the solar to do its thing. Even in winter, you should get enough power to compensate from the normal self-discharge of the batteries.

It is true that on some vans where the EHU runs a power supply, rather than a proper multi-stage charger, it may only get the batteries to 80%. If your solar controller is smarter, it is more likely to fully charge the batteries fully before dropping back to float voltage. You can leave both solar & EHU connected.

We would need to know the make & model of both the solar controller & the mains charger/control system to give specific advice. There are lots of different systems & they all behave differently.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Thanks for the reply. Given I cannot find the connector from the solar to the controller, I reckon charging via the hook up is the way to go. I do believe however that I've read somewhere that the on board charging system can charge only to around 80%.

I have found with my PVC, that the solar takes care of the batteries even in the winter. However, I have found it beneficial to leave a small heater on frost setting inside the van to prevent condensation. Mine is a small fan heater. So I put mine on EHU in the drive.
Cue those who will say ventilation is the key, but I have found that keeping inside just above zero works for the Ducato conversion that I have.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[autorouter]

If you have easy access to a mains supply, keeping the batteries charged from the mains is a good option. Since you are not using the MH, the starter battery and leisure batteries will only need a trickle charge to keep them fully charged. So a powerful charger is not necessary.

I use a CTEK MXS5.0 multistage intelligent charger, maximum 5 amps. I use this for example when I go away for several weeks, to keep the battery of the car on the drive fully charged. It starts first time every time I return.

The charger comes with insulated clips to attach to the battery terminals. There is a 2-pin connector midway in the output wire, so the clips can be detached and other items connected. For example you can get a wire with ring terminals, that can be fixed permanently to the battery.To connect the charger, just plug in the 2-pin connector. There's lots of connection options, including a cigarette-lighter plug that goes in a cigarette-lighter socket (must be live, of course).

You can get a similar charger that only puts out 0.7 Amps. CTEK, Optimate, Victron and others do them. That is quite adequate for keeping either battery topped up. They can be left connected for months. If you're not sure about how well the existing EHU charger or solar controller treats the batteries, these will do the job.

 

[pappajohn]

Many thanks for all the replies. I will have to hunt down the leads to the solar controller and check for a fuse or plug.

It's unlikely it will have a fuse or switch between panel and controller.
If you have relatively easy access to the controller simply remove one wire from the controller.
It will state which wires do what usually with a pictagram.
Pic of panel, remove Neg wire.

 

[U.Toadifact]

If you have easy access to a mains supply, keeping the batteries charged from the mains is a good option. Since you are not using the MH, the starter battery and leisure batteries will only need a trickle charge to keep them fully charged. So a powerful charger is not necessary.

I use a CTEK MXS5.0 multistage intelligent charger, maximum 5 amps. I use this for example when I go away for several weeks, to keep the battery of the car on the drive fully charged. It starts first time every time I return.

The charger comes with insulated clips to attach to the battery terminals. There is a 2-pin connector midway in the output wire, so the clips can be detached and other items connected. For example you can get a wire with ring terminals, that can be fixed permanently to the battery.To connect the charger, just plug in the 2-pin connector. There's lots of connection options, including a cigarette-lighter plug that goes in a cigarette-lighter socket (must be live, of course).

You can get a similar charger that only puts out 0.7 Amps. CTEK, Optimate, Victron and others do them. That is quite adequate for keeping either battery topped up. They can be left connected for months. If you're not sure about how well the existing EHU charger or solar controller treats the batteries, these will do the job.

Many thanks to all who have replied.

I already have an MXS 5.0 and I assume I can just connect it to the jump start terminals on my Ducato PVC. How about the leisure battery? Do I just connect it or must I isolate the pane and/or controller?

 

[autorouter]

How about the leisure battery? Do I just connect it or must I isolate the pane and/or controller?

No need to isolate anything, just connect the MXS5.0. If you attach the ring terminal wire with the 2-pin connector to the leisure battery, it's easy to connect up the charger. If the leisure battery is a bit inaccessible, it's makes life easier.

All the leisure battery circuits are quite OK with the MXS5.0 voltages - they are much the same as the EHU charger and alternator voltages.

 

[U.Toadifact]

Thank you for your reply. I will leave the battery in situ and charge with the MSX5.0.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}