jdh Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 "is there anybody there"? can anyone say if keeping your MH plugged into the mains all the time will be detrimental to our pride and joy l must say l have done this for the last few year without a problem but would rather be save than sorry as l now have a newer van (2004 dethleff) the main reason l do this is for the alarm and things. any help appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Hi JDH, it depends on what type of battery charger is fitted. if it is a basic power supply/battery trickle charger then it is not a good idea to leave it permanently powered as it will overcharge and "boil" the leisure battery. If it is a more modern three (or more) stage charger then you can leave it on all the time. Probably best to err on the side of caution and just connect the mains for a day or so every other week. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick H. Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Hi there JDH. I.m no expert on this so shouldn't be saying anything but the saying goes that the reason for not plugging in all the time is that your battery is a living thing and a constant supply of electricity doesn't allow it to work properly, ie;it must run down and recharge,this is making it do things and keeps it busy so that it wont think about dying.something like that anyway.however if you dont have four solar panels on your roof like what we got,and you are not going out regular and recharging through the system, and you have items taking power,which most modern rigs have,including your automatic water dumper then you need some sort of input.we stay plugged in to use an electric heater to keep the van warm.so sum up what you need and then wait for someone who knows what they are talking about.HAPPY VANNING,HAPPY CHRISTMAS &SEE YOU IN EUROPE. MICK H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi JDH and Mick, maybe I'm being a bit over sensitive but your last comment (Mick) makes it sound as if you don't think I know what I'm talking about. I can assure you I do. I run my own business in the industry dealing mainly with electrics, I've been in the motor and related trades for 30 years next year so I reckon I've got a bit of experience behind me too. I've been a motorhome owner and user for 16 years and the firstt three 'vans we had I converted myself. My earlier reply was, and still is, correct. If you have a modern three or more stage charger then you can safely leave it permanently plugged in but if its a basic model it WILL bugger your battery. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdh Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 hi dave thank you for your advice l have to confess that l put this question on here in the hope that you with others would reply. last year l did have a new cruisecontrol put on by yourself with other electrial work and l must say l was very pleased with both the work and the price , l along with many others value your advice thankyou once again jdh :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 [QUOTE]Dave Newell - 2006-11-22 6:41 PM Hi JDH, it depends on what type of battery charger is fitted. if it is a basic power supply/battery trickle charger then it is not a good idea to leave it permanently powered as it will overcharge and "boil" the leisure battery. If it is a more modern three (or more) stage charger then you can leave it on all the time. Probably best to err on the side of caution and just connect the mains for a day or so every other week. D.[/QUOTE] Dave, I like to leave a small fan heater in the van on frost setting which means of course having electric connection. If I leave the zig unit switched off I am under the impression that the leisure battery will not be on charge - is that correct please? Roy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi Roy, yes that is correct. The big orange switch on the Zig unit is for the charger and if you leave that in the off position you should have no problems. If the 'van is left standing for more than a couple of weeks at a time then its worth switching the charger on for 24 hours every week or two to just maintain the battery. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 You can get batery chargers specificaly designed for this, we use them at work, if I remember I'll have a look tomorrow to get make/model, they are mainly sold for classic cars and motorbikes which are laid up al winter, I think Frost's may sell them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick H. Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi Dave ,yes you are a bit oversensitive.When I wrote my post the only post on the site was JDH's the waiting for someone who knows was aimed at myself not anybody else.Loosen up a bit and look for the fun side of posts not personal ones.The newspapers are doing too much of that with poor old British Airways. anyway Happy Christmas Mick H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 If Dave loosens up any more his dog Dexter will run off with whatever drops off!!! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 OK Mick, no probs. but with your post being 15 minutes after mine it didn't look like we'd posted simultaneously. No worries mate, happy crimbo. (lol) (lol) (lol) D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 David, Hello sweetie, Plain english please M/H for dummies stage three battery whats one of those. My camper is on the drive plugged in all the time . How do I know if I have one of them things :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi David, As you might guess, like Michele, we don't know whether we have "one of them things". Empress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 A three stage charger will charge the battery in three stages. Stage 1 is usually bulk charge, where it charges the battery to about 75% it then goes into a top up charge regime which will take the battery closer to 90% charge. The third stage is a maintenance regime and the charger will in effect cut in and out as required to maintain the charge state at between 80% - 90%. All figures are approximate. Most motorhome and caravan chargers are of the power supply/trickle charge type which will charge at a constant voltage. If there is no current (or very little) being taken from the battery then this type will, after about a week or so, overcharge the battery and cause it to "boil" the electrolyte away. Some more modern motorhomes are being fitted with a three stage charging system, your owners handbooks should tell you which type you have. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homenaway Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi, I've been following this thread with interest as I used the built-in CEC charger which can supply up to 8 amps to the leisure battery in our AS Symbol but have also recently bought a three stage charger from LIDL similar to the car/motorbike ones. I have set this up so I can plug it into an accessory socket connected to the leisure battery via a fuse and it seems to work ok My question is do I need to isolate the 12volt feed from the leisure battery to the built-in charger while using the three stage one or will it damage the electronics? I do switch off the mains input to the built-in charger except when on trips. We use our motorhome as our only vehicle so it never gets left on mains hookup for long unless there is frost forecast! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi, no you shouldn't need to isolate the 12 volt connection from your built in charger to your leisure battery but it is best to make sure that both chargers are not switched on at the same time. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hullo Dave, Have looked at my info. book which says our Rapido vehicle is equiped with "battery chargers with cutoff. They are designed to remain permanently under tension." I am not sure what "under tension" means but assume all is OK. Sorry I have such a bird brain. Thanks for all your help. Empress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homenaway Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 [QUOTE]Dave Newell - 2006-11-24 3:16 PM Hi, no you shouldn't need to isolate the 12 volt connection from your built in charger to your leisure battery but it is best to make sure that both chargers are not switched on at the same time. D.[/QUOTE] Thanks Dave, I was thinking of putting in a heavy duty 12v isolator switch and moving the charger mains switch to somewhere more visible and accessible than in the undercooker cupboard (if you're familiar with Autosleeper conversions 8-) (I've already repositioned the Truma heater controls!) Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi empress, "under tension" simply means power on i.e. it should be perfectly ok to leave yours on hookup as the charger will cut off when the battery is fully charged. steve, yes you could move the main power switch for the charger to a more accessible position, just make a tidy and safe job so as nott to devalue your motorhome (or make it unsafe) :-D :-D . D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zulurita Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi Dave, Just been reading this, I have an Auto-Trail MH and it has a Sargent charger, do you know if this is a 3 stage charger? As I have a solar pannel I haven't left the MH plugged in to the electric but do check from time to time that the voltage is ok. But would be interested to know if my charger is 3 stage. When we are away and on electric I tend not to keep the charger on but put it on when I think the battery needs more of a charge after I have been using the satellite tv as the inverter takes up some juice. Thanks Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Thanks, Dave, you must think me daft. Empress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi Rita, I don't know whether the Sargent is a three stage or not, it should tell you in your handbook. failing that do a Google on the model number of your charger and there's a fighting chance you'll find out. Empress, I don't think anybody is Daft, stupid or thick just because they don't know something. The really daft people are the ones who don't ask but just carry on in blind ignorance. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Had a look today, our overwinter trickle chargers at work are Accumate, these have 3 stage charging and we have used for two winters (now in third) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Empress When on hook up on site, do your light occasionally go brighter then dim a bit? When I'm in bed having a read before kip I often find that this happens - should I be worried Dave? *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Thank you sweetie (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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