Battery damaged? Forums

Phil905

Hi Helen, the cigarette lighter is usually only connected to the engine battery. If you want to keep an eye on the leisure battery you need to either check it at the battery terminals or if this is inconvenient then check it at the 12v 2 pin socket which is often next to the 240v mains socket. If nothing is switched on then you would get an accurate reading at the 12v socket because there is no voltage drop if you are not drawing any current. If while connected to the socket you turn the battery charger on you should see the voltage rise to between 13.8v and 14.4v this will drop to 13.8 after a time depending how low the battery was in the first place. With the battery charger on, once the battery is charged the voltage normally stays at 13.8v, which is known as the 'maintenance' charge voltage. If you turn the charger off the battery voltage will slowly fall and after a few hours should settle at 12.6v or above. If it falls below this level when nothing is switched on it is worth trying another charge leaving the charger on for several days. If after doing this the voltage off charge falls below 12.6v then you may have some current leakage or your battery may be failing.
Hope this helps,
Phil.

CJSinn

I once managed to discharge my leisure battery by leaving the fridge open (to stop it going mouldy), not noticing that despite my turning the electrics off at the control panel the fridge light remained on.

Not good at all Mad

But the battery seems to have survived in one piece Razz

Phil905

Your lucky there CJS, but I always thought that the fridge only worked on 12v when the engine was running, Are you sure you haven't got a wiring fault somewhere? I can't see the point of connecting it to the Leisure Battery, it would flatten it quite quickly I would imagine.
Phil.

jabber

Don't panic no fault!
Phil you are quite right, the 12v cooling element only works via a relay when the motor is running. But the gas ignition system and interior light work from the habitation battery.

So no problem all is OK!

John Cool

jamiemilly

Colin thanks for the advice - I will follow your suggestions for checking the vehicle voltage.
[quote:524ba78db7]The radio may be connected to the leisure battery, but may still work with the leisure battery disconnected and the engine running, this is due to the charge relay supply from generator through the relay and to the leisure battery termimal, lights etc will also work,
[/quote:524ba78db7]
I need more help with the above please. When I disconnected the leisure battery neither the radio or the lights worked, on switching on the engine only the radio comes back on. So do you think the above still applies or does it look as if it is an intended feature for the radio to work in this way. Really it is a bit unfair to ask you I suppose - I will get in touch with the dealer - although I usually get better expert advise in this forum.

Keep it simple for me - I did get A level physics - but it was so long ago...........!

Stephen

elbino

Hi everybody,
Like Helenb I would love to know where to get a gizmo that plugs into the 12v socket and gives a readout of the battery condition. The C&C Club had one on offer a few months back but sold out by the time I got round to it. Or is it more efficient to use a multimeter?
paul

Phil905

Hi Paul, in my opinion a Digital Multimeter will be much better because it can be used for many other things as well as checking your batteries. Maplins sell quite a nice general purpose one for just under £10. Once you get used to it you'll be surprised at how useful it is.
Phil.

HelenB · Moderator

Can you do any damage with one ? Not that I want too, but am a bit reluctant to start sticking probes into sockets when I have no idea what I am doing Confused

Phil905

Hi Helen, if you are measuring mains voltage then you should be very very careful not to touch the metal part of the probe with your fingers, the plastic parts are well insulated and normally are safe up to at least 1000 volts.
I have made up a short lead with 2 plugs at one end of the type that will fit into the multimeter terminals, I think they are called banana plugs, ( again available in almost any electrical shop or Maplins of course ). At the other end I've fitted a 12v 2 pin plug to match the socket fitted in the van. When I want to check the battery voltage on or off charge I just plug it in.
If you don't have such a socket then you need to prod the terminals of whichever battery you want to measure with the supplied leads. Note that the multimeter must be switched to Volts DC on a range greater than 12v, usually 20v. On mains of course the meter needs to be set to AC Volts with the range set greater than 240v, usually 250v or 300v.
I hope this helps.
Phil.