Gungster1 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 We are very new to this and apologies to the experts on here BUT, I have a 2014 Elldis 195 we have used it twice last year when we bought it and both times used the camps EHU which we left connected all the time. the battery on the control Panel stated 3/4 and we just left everything on,water heater/pump etc when we were there as some other Motorhomers told us to.now I haven't used the M/H for some 4-5 months went yesterday and the control panel states over half charged so must be a good battery my Q's are 1. On sites do we leave it connected all the time with the water heater,water pump, etc on, we don't use the vans shower but wash up etc 2. Will the battery charge when it's plugged into the camps EHU and is it safe to do so I know some vans differ from one to another and read various posts on here about the above but that just confused us more than our control panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 1. Leave the van connected but switch the master switch off when you go out (if you remember :)) 2. Yes the leisure battery will be charged regardless of the master switch position and is meant to be left charging. My van was hooked up at home for months until recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyDakota Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Hi Gungster 1, We always stay on sites that provide EHU as we prefer all the comforts that we have in the MH. We leave it permanently connected from the time we arrive till we leave. WE haven't as yet used the shower on board but its there if we ever need it. We always turn the heater and water heater off when we go out for the day from a safety perspective. The fridge/freezer is obviously left on also. We also turn the gas off at the bottle when we are not using it. My wife should've been a safety officer as she is very cautious and not prone to taking risks (another reason for using sites as opposed to wild camping). I know the wild campers out there will say we're missing something, and we probably are but we prefer the security of a site with other like minded people. We are fortunate to be able to park the MH on our drive, but if its left idle for more than two months the battery goes flat as a pancake due to all the electrics and alarm etc that are permanently working. Due to a lack of experience last winter when the battery was flat I disconnected it and took it out (hell of a job) and charged it for 24 hours, when fully charged I reconnected it. I then had a problem with the alarm and it had to be reset. This winter after speaking to numerous people telling them of my experience I now connect the MH to the mains in my garage which keeps everything charged up and working nicely. Our MH is an Autotrail but I assume most MH's will be the same? IT PAYS TO TALK :$ :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungster1 Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 Thanks for your replies,I also went to start my m/h and the alarm was off and there was nothing on the dashboard and every time I turned the key it just clicked, the immobiliser was stuck on, £170 later on a new battery started fist time. Must remember end of this year to disconnect and charge or start it up every couple of weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyDakota Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 No point in just starting it up unless you go for a run otherwise you just drain the battery even more. Be aware that if you remove the battery to take home your alarm won't work which could effect your insurance. As you've bought a second battery you could swap them over every few weeks so that there's always a good battery on the MH and the other can be charged at home ready for swapping over. This way you can keep an eye on it at regular intervals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Obviously a few weeks on EHU while the vehicle/battery is being used will do no harm, but yet more evidence surfacing to suggest it isn't ideal when the vehicle isn't being used/stored. Yuasa are the latest battery manufacturer to go on record to suggest long term EHU is less than ideal for a battery. The Yuasa website seems to have been recently altered to include a warning not to leave a battery on long term Float/maintenance charge. It now says that, "Continuous charging, even from a well-controlled charging system, will result in internal degradation of the battery". It is suggesting that batteries subjected to this practice should be replaced every 2 years, indicating a severe shortening of the batteries life. The website states : Battery Maintenance in Non-Automotive Float Applications 1.Typical applications are motor-generators, stand-by applications etc. The Leisure Battery range is recommended for these applications; standard vehicle batteries are not suitable. 2. Batteries used in these applications should be changed every 2 years or more frequently. (Continuous charging, even from a well-controlled charging system, will result in internal degradation of the battery. Full text here : http://www.yuasa.co.uk/info/technical/need-know-batteries/ We would advise you don't turn off any master switch or shutdown the electrics when you are leaving the van, unless it is for several days. All this practice does is wear out the switches, which are not always the most robust. But do shutdown the Control Panel/Display unit when not in longer term use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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