Batteries

[Gutt100]

Hi,

 

I have recently had a new vehicle battery fitted to my motorhome as the previous one was running flat when left for over one week. I am now having the same problem again and are wondering if it is caused by my leisure batteries being past their sell by date as neither holds charge? Will they pull from the vehicle battery for alarm/imobiliser etc?

 

On the subject of leisure batteries is it better to get two class 'B' models or one class 'A' as I currently only want to spend £150?

 

Thanks. :-D

[Derek Uzzell]

In principle at least, the leisure batteries should not be ‘sharing’ electrical loads with the starter battery when the motorhome is not being used.

 

It’s to be expected that your Ducato’s vehicle electronics (and accessories like an alarm or radio that are powered from the starter battery) will eventually flatten that battery unless the battery is recharged to compensate for the continuous load being placed on it. However, a new starter battery discharging from fully charged to ‘flat’ should take a good deal longer than a week, and that this is (and was) happening needs to be systematically investigated.

 

Presumably your Class A and B references relate to the listings of the NCC’s Verified Leisure Battery Scheme.

 

https://www.thencc.org.uk/downloads/Leisure%20Battery%20Web%20version%20October%202020.pdf

 

This scheme has always been of questionable real-world value, particularly as price is ignored.

 

I think a pair of leisure batteries with these dimensions

 

Length 353 mm

Width 175 mm

Height inc. terms 190 mm

 

can be shoehorned into your Auto-Trail’s leisure-battery storage compartment. If that’s correct, I suggest you opt for two Varta LFD90 batteries (example advert here)

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/varta/lfd90/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2IvQztCZ8QIVkN_tCh3rTgJzEAQYASABEgL-TPD_BwE

 

The overall cost would be around £186, but you’d have 180Ah capacity and this battery has an excellent reputation.

 

You could get a single Varta LFD140 for a bit less

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/varta/lfd140/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3Iud8tOZ8QIVAWHmCh0okQqaEAQYASABEgJ0m_D_BwE

 

but this is a big heavy brute and might well not fit in the storage compartment or connect easily to the current cabling.

 

If you don’t NEED a lot of leisure-battery capacity (eg. you normally stay on campsites and connect to a 230V power supply) a single good quality battery should be sufficient.

 

(What make/model of leisure batteries have you got at present? And what make/model of starter battery was recently fitted?)

[buddy]

Are you sure that the radio is fully off , when parked up , and not in some sort of stand by mode ? Also If you have a Tv ariel booster fitted could it be being left on. ( In case it has been incorrectly wired through the starter battery).

[Gutt100]

Hi Derek,

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

The 'new' vehicle battery is Omni Craft 100AH 830 A EN which was fitted max six weeks ago.

 

The 'old' leisure batteries are Giant & Platinum which I know are duff as I charged both with my Numax charger and they didn't hold.

 

Think i'll go with the two new Varta batteries and see how that goes before contacting an electrician.

 

Thanks for your help and advise.

[arthur49]

I realise the starter battery is going flat "just sitting there" but assuming its been driven since new battery fitted, are you sure the alternator is OK, it should be giving circa 14.4v at the starter battery with engine running.

 

Where I'm coming from is you say your leisure batteries are knackered. That puts a lot of strain on an alternator. If its damaged, its perhaps not giving volts/charge at starter battery explaining why replacement is flat?

[buddy]

I thought your new starter battery was going flat in one week ,which is why i suggested a couple of possibilities, to start with, as this is not correct, but if it takes a few weeks of non use for it to go flat this is normal on Fiat based Motorhomes (and others) due to the electronics on standby causing a constant drain on the starter battery and they need to be charged up once in a while or a solar panel fitted to keep the starter battery topped up enough to start the engine when required

[Derek Uzzell]

buddy - 2021-06-15 7:20 PM

 

I thought your new starter battery was going flat in one week...

That’s my umderstanding of the original posting’s statement

 

"I have recently had a new vehicle battery fitted to my motorhome as the previous one was running flat when left for over one week. I am now having the same problem again...”

 

(Otherwise - if the new starter battery were not spontaneously discharging unusually rapidly - there would have been no obvious reason to mention that battery.)

 

Evidently Omnicraft is a Ford-brand and the new starter battery battery is probably this one

 

Omnicraft : 2130424 Starter Battery Hold-down: 13 ; Voltage: 12 V; Cold-test Current, EN: 830 A; Battery Capacity: 100 Ah; Terminal Placement: 0 ; Length: 353 mm; Width: 175 mm; Height: 190 mm; Terminal Type: 1 ;

 

and ‘car’ applications apparently include some Land Rover Discovery models.

 

Gutt100 is new to motorcaravanning and bought the Auto-Trail Scout a couple of months ago, so there’s no vehicle ‘history’ to say when this starter-battery fast discharge began in the past and what might have provoked it. (If it’s possible to contact the previous owner about this, that might be worth trying.) It might also be worth attempting to confirm when the Omnicraft battery was manufactured just in case it is old stock and past its best.

 

The Scout’s leisure batteries were discussed here last month

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Leisure-batteries/58153/