griffly16 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Hi, As a newbie to this lark (just bought a 1-yr-old Adria Twin - only been away once so far), I was wondering how long the leisure battery would last if the 'van is stationary for a few days, not hooked up to power. Obviously this depends on what we use over the period. Don't have TV, fridge runs on gas. Would mainly just be a light or two, the water pump and the cab stereo. Will be parked up from Thurs pm to Mon am. I'm not sure what Ah rating the battery is either - I'll check tonight Thanks for any (helpful) replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 If you have for example a 100 ampere hour battery and its been charged via a mains hookup for a day or more then you can safely assume to take up to half the rated ampere hour capacity out of the battery without any problems. Being pessamistic assume 12 volt 8 watt flourescent lights takes 1 amp. A normal 12 volt 10 watt spot light will take less than 1 amp but say 1 amp for simplicity. So a couple of lamps at 1 amp each for a total of 3 hours is 6 ampere hours. Multiply this my the number of nights say 4 night X 6 ampere hours makes 24 ampere hours. Half of the energy capable of being taken out of the 100 ampere hour battery without discharging below the safe 20% figure. If your battery is only 50 ampere hours rating then of course the scenario above will take most of the energy available. Water pumps and hob igniters are only on for a very short period of time so can be ignored. Does that helps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffly16 Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 Thanks for the reply Clive. How well does the battery get charged if it's not mains-charged? ie. from the alternator. Sounds as though it may not be very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Most leisure batteries struggle to have 60% of their claimed capacity before the voltage drops too low. I carry a small spare battery and jump lead it into the circuit if the main one goes flat and it's too b..... cold or dark to mess about. And before all you self righteous folk tell me the error of my ways, I know it's a bodge but it is simple, cheap and effective. I don't ever use mains hook up - just run the engine for a while and check the charge via a voltmeter via a 12v plug and you will soon learn how long a charge you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Hi Andy, Well the split charging system should charge your lesiure battery as well as it does the starter battery. But charging does take time. Half an hour down the road will put a good measure of ampere hours in but not as good as a full days driving or a full night on hookup. A lot depends on the thickness and length of the leads betaeen the alternator and the lesiure battery plus the chassis connection. If you cannot get the motorhome near a mains outlet to be able to use the hookup where you store the motorhome then consider purchasing one of those intelligent chargers from Halfords or the like, take the leisure battery out of the van and take it home and charge it properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffly16 Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 Hi - OK, it's an Exide Gel G60 which apparently is rated at 60 (at 20 h/Ah) and 67 (at 100 h/Ah). What does that mean? Are Gel batteries better than lead-acid? Should I buy another spare?, and can Gel batteries be completely discharged and be OK or are they useless when that happens? Sorry for all the questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyb Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Hi.re Gel batteries.Generally a waste of money ,they were developed for use in situations where they could be tipped up at an acute angle(motorbikes,jet-skis etc) without the risk of spillage.The good old wet lead/acid is still the best bet for our use.See what they have to say at Sterling. www.sterling-power.com Regards,Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 [QUOTE]mikeyb - 2006-09-26 7:48 PM Hi.re Gel batteries.Generally a waste of money ,they were developed for use in situations where they could be tipped up at an acute angle(motorbikes,jet-skis etc) without the risk of spillage.The good old wet lead/acid is still the best bet for our use.See what they have to say at Sterling. www.sterling-power.com Regards,Mike.[/QUOTE] I am sure that I would not pay the premium for a Gel battery if I was give the choice. However, I wonder why they are fitted as standard on a number of MH's if they are a waste of money as converters are unlikley to pay the premium if they do not feel it worthwhile? We had a 75ah Gel fitted to our Burstner as standard - I was always nervous that we would run out of juice on winter nights with all our lights, TV and Eberspacher. It never failed us though and seemed to charge up within about ten miles or so on the alternator. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Gels should have a different charging regine to wet types, and therefore the charger itself is crucial to realising the potential. :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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