Goneoff Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 I have a drain on my engine battery on our Laika Kreos 4009 motorhome. The battery is in good condition in fact only a few months old. I suspect the alarm system is wired to the battery along with the Phantom tracker which is installed, I also have full air suspension which is permanently live and occasionally can kick in with the ignition off; so all those will be playing a part. When not in use I have the van on a storage compound with no electricity provided. My habitation batteries 110ah x 2 are wired to a solar panel which seems to keep them in good shape, I have no idea if 5% or 10% of the solar output flows into the engine battery if any as I purchased the van secondhand and additions were fitted by Southdowns and Rosmia for the air suspension. Unfortunately I’m not technical however the engine battery appears to drain at .1 volt per 24 hours, its measuring this on the info provided by Phantom on their app i.e. in five days the voltage in the battery has fallen from 12.7v to 12.2v. I’ve been starting up the engine or taking the van for a run when it has been getting worryingly low. Ultimately next year I plan to have another solar panel permanently roof mounted to sort this out but to resolve in the interim I’m quite happy to purchase a suitcase solar panel which would cost between £75.00 - £135.00 ish dependant on output, this I would prop up in the front windscreen with the blinds open (obviously) but what output do I need to get 100w, 75w, 60w, 40w? I’ve no idea. Any help would be appreciated as to what I should buy now or any another idea to resolve this at best cost. Apologies for the length of the post. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Can't help with the tech question, but have you thought of moving to a different storage that does have elec? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goneoff Posted November 13, 2019 Author Share Posted November 13, 2019 ColinM50 - 2019-11-13 4:03 PM Can't help with the tech question, but have you thought of moving to a different storage that does have elec?Hi Colin Yes that would be nice but decent storage sites in our area are difficult to find. Finding one with electricity is like finding rocking horse s**t. If I did find one I suspect I could cover my van roof with solar panels and have change for the extra cost for the facility. Thanks anyway for the thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Check on what your solar set up is, if it's a sophisticated set up with two outputs and programmable controller you might be able to set it to put most charge to the starter battery when in storage, if it's a simple set up it might be a simple case of using a temporary wire to charge the starter battery. I used to use a 40w solar panel which I got 'cheap' to keep the starter battery charged whilst the van was in our van shed, but it didn't have as much using power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goneoff Posted November 14, 2019 Author Share Posted November 14, 2019 colin - 2019-11-13 5:04 PM Check on what your solar set up is, if it's a sophisticated set up with two outputs and programmable controller you might be able to set it to put most charge to the starter battery when in storage, if it's a simple set up it might be a simple case of using a temporary wire to charge the starter battery. I used to use a 40w solar panel which I got 'cheap' to keep the starter battery charged whilst the van was in our van shed, but it didn't have as much using power.Thank you, I don't think the solar set up is that sophisticated but I will take a look this morning. If I can change a couple of wires over and switching it from habitation charge to battery I certainly will. If you hear back from me it will have worked if you don't I'll be drinking heavily tonight! Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneroming Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 I have find the best piece of kit to maintain the engine battery, so you should never have a starting problem is, the Battery Master from VANBITZ its the size of a matchbox, fully automatic when connected, its a, just fit and forget. It works by transferring any access charge from the leisure batteries to engine battery. Quite a large number of motorhomes even when on EHU do not transfer any charge to engine battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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