using a smartcharger for engine battery

[Poodlepower]

My new-to-me 2008 Compass Avantgarde engine battery goes dead after a week in the winter when I don't go away much because of the powerful alarm. So I have bought a smartcharger and connected it as best I could as instructions were pretty non existent. When I turned it on it showed 12.1V but by the next day was 14.8v. Day 3 is today and it is now 14.6v.

Could you tell me if this is how it should be as it seems very high to me?

I am coming to the Chester Rally next week and I need to be able to start my vehicle so am panicking a bit.

 

[andy63]

Hi.. it sounds like your engine battery is getting low on capacity... it may well see you through the summer months but by next winter you will be faced with same problem.. it should last more than a week ...
Its either that or you have a large drain on the battery which needs sorting...
After 3 days on charge your battery should be as full as can be and i would have expected a float charge of around 13.4 or so volts from a good smart charger......
Andy

 

[Gaston aires]

This is normal when using a smart charger. It regulates itself, hence, smart charger.
Connect + to +. - to - Plug in to mains and hey presto it works.
Phil

 

[Poodlepower]

This is normal when using a smart charger. It regulates itself, hence, smart charger.
Connect + to +. - to - Plug in to mains and hey presto it works.
Phil

It told me to connect the negative to the bodywork which I have done. Have never heard of that before.

I had a VW Autosleeper Gatcombe before and I only needed to take that out once a month in winter. My garage say this one has a lot of electronics which are draining the battery.

 

[Poodlepower]

Hi.. it sounds like your engine battery is getting low on capacity... it may well see you through the summer months but by next winter you will be faced with same problem.. it should last more than a week ...
Its either that or you have a large drain on the battery which needs sorting...
After 3 days on charge your battery should be as full as can be and i would have expected a float charge of around 13.4 or so volts from a good smart charger......
Andy

That is what I would have thought too, Andy. My leisure battery is 13.5 when on hookup and I thought the engine battery would be the same. Am worried that it is 14.6.

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[Gaston aires]

You c

It told me to connect the negative to the bodywork which I have done. Have never heard of that before.

I had a VW Autosleeper Gatcombe before and I only needed to take that out once a month in winter. My garage say this one has a lot of electronics which are draining the battery.

You can also connect to the bodywork but it’s a better connection direct to the negative terminal.

 

[TerryL]

14.6v is what I would expect to see whilst the battery is charging, thereafter around 13.4v whilst in a "resting" state. If it's still reading 14.6v after three days you've got a problem somewhere, my guess your battery is on the way out, even with a supposedly "big" discharge on electronics which IMO should never be more than 1 amp. If you're handy with a multimeter I'm told it's relatively easy to find out what the electronics discharge is. I'm sure one of our electrics gurus can tell you how - I'm just a numpty with electrics.

 

[Poodlepower]

14.6v is what I would expect to see whilst the battery is charging, thereafter around 13.4v whilst in a "resting" state. If it's still reading 14.6v after three days you've got a problem somewhere, my guess your battery is on the way out, even with a supposedly "big" discharge on electronics which IMO should never be more than 1 amp. If you're handy with a multimeter I'm told it's relatively easy to find out what the electronics discharge is. I'm sure one of our electrics gurus can tell you how - I'm just a numpty with electrics.

Thank you so much, Terry, this answers my question. I connected the charger around 7pm on Saturday. Have just been out and it is still on 14.6 so I'll see what it is tomorrow. At least I must have connected it properly as it was not obvious which was the positive terminal. I am very used to leisure batteries but not engine batteries.