Leisure battery ..Is it dead !

[suethedriver]

Hi . I havn`t used my van for over a year and last weekend went away for the weekend non hookup to find that my battery only lasted a day ! It was supposedly charged before i left via hookup. I only used the power for the water pump for flushing & tap / a light for about 15 mins and the heater ( gas but needed starter power) and nothing there in the morning.

I have now purchased a solar panel but i have hooked up again overnight to charge battery before connection and itr eads 13.6 but if i unhook electric it is 5.5 !!

I have had it unwired when i was connecting solar wires but the tester shows power coming out to the solar wires.

Have i got a duff battery .... ? or have i messed up ... the original wires seem to be clamped fairly tight !

I have had the vehicle 3 + years and no idea how old the battery is .

Any ideas for a novice ! thanks

[Wasnt Me]

It sounds as though the battery might have failed.

 

Batteries do not always respond or recover from complete discharge. Ideally they need regular charging.

 

You should be able to find someone to test the battery for you, but it will need charging beforehand.

 

Hopefully your solar panel will keep a new battery maintained.

 

Hope this helps.

[suethedriver]

Thankyou. Do you know what type of battery to buy for part solar & part hookup please ? Deep cycle or special solar one ( solarflex from tanya batteries ) (?)

[EJB]

Yes, 5.5v must be a new low record?

[suethedriver]

*-) :$ unless my control panel is bust too !!! but probs the battery :( ££££

[Wasnt Me]

I can't comment on the best battery to buy, it really depends on your budget.

 

2 smaller cheaper batteries might be better than one expensive one.

 

I replaced mine with a 120ah, standard leisure battery, which seems to do the job.

 

Any battery will not last if not maintained properly.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

[Keithl]

Sue,

 

Have a read through some of the pages on Allan's excellent website... http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/battery-technology.php

 

Hopefully will give you a bit more knowledge on the working of MH batteries and electrics.

 

Keith.

[suethedriver]

Thankyou

[Derek Uzzell]

Sue

 

I believe you own a 2000 Timberland “Starlight” motorhome.

 

The leisure-batteries that have been recently recommended here are the Varta LFD90 and Yuasa L36-EFB, and either should be perfectly suitable for you (ie. you don’t need any ’special’ battery just because your motorhome has a solar panel).

 

Some sample adverts here

 

https://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/varta-lfd90.html

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/varta/lfd90/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuor_nZKg4gIVxbztCh01SQPSEAQYASABEgIqTfD_BwE

 

https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-yuasa-100ah-efb-leisure-battery-l36-efb/

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/yuasa/l36-efb/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqL7NuJOg4gIV7bvtCh1v8AZsEAQYASABEgIl8vD_BwE

 

The Varta and Yuasa batteries have very similar dimensions

 

Height (mm) 190

Width (mm) 175

Length (mm) 353

 

but I don’t know the physical size of your present battery (that can safely be assumed to be well and truly dead) nor how much available room there is in your “Starlight” for a replacement battery.

 

To quote from the website Keithl refers to

 

The Yuasa L36-EFB at around £120 is our new Mid Range Best Buy. While gassing is exceptionally low for this type of wet Acid battery, almost to Gel standards, Yuasa say a vent pipe to the outside is advised.

 

If you need a battery that is safe inside the vehicle without a vent, then we think the Varta LFD90 is the only option, safer even than Gel or AGM.

 

On that basis - for a complete battery novice - it might be best to choose the Varta LFD90 that will also be a bit cheaper than the Yuasa product.

 

(As Wasn’t Me advises above, the replacement battery should be charged up after taking delivery (assuming you bought on-line) and before it is installed in your motorhome.)

[plwsm2000]

suethedriver - 2019-05-16 11:35 AM

...

I have had it unwired when i was connecting solar wires but the tester shows power coming out to the solar wires. .

 

...

Not sure if you have done this but you should never connect a solar controller or other charger without a battery being connected. You may risk damaging something else in the van if the voltage goes too high.

 

I agree that your battery looks dead in any case.

[suethedriver]

Thanks for all the advice . I have a 115 ah Yuasa battery coming ( my son in law works at a motor factors so got a good price :-D )

Will give it a go over the weekend when i collect it.

I did connect the battery wires before the solar so hopefully no issues there.

[Derek Uzzell]

Perhaps I shouldn’t ask this at this late stage, but have you bought the ‘best’ Yuasa battery?

 

The Yuasa L36-EFB battery is normally quoted as having a capacity of 100Ah and typical asking-prices will be over £100.

 

However, there is another Yuasa ‘leisure battery’ - the L35-115 - that is quoted as having a 115Ah capacity and is significantly cheaper

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/yuasa/l35-115/

 

but this battery is technically different (I hesitate to use the word “inferior”) to the L36-EFB

 

(This may not matter, but I also notice that the L36-EFB battery apparently has its + terminal on the right, whereas the L35-115 has its + terminal on the left.)