Starter batteries when van stored off site

[CPeachey]

We moved house last October and now have to store the van off site in the open. Previously I could hook it up to the mains before I took it for a run but now that is not an option.

The starter battery was running flat quite quickly so I disconnected the neutral lead and the neutral on the leisure batteries. After just 14days the starter battery was just half charged (from previously fully charged).

Q1...Does the (starter) battery still provide power with the neutral only disconnected?. The live side is difficult to get to with lots of connections.

 

Q2...How much solar panel power would I need to keep it charged whilst in storage? (It is stored in SW Essex)

 

What do others do in the winter when their vans are stored off site?

 

I am not concerned about the leisure batteries as I can charge them just before each trip...but I do need to start the engine to get the van home before I can hook it up!!!

[Derek Uzzell]

If you disconnect a battery by removing all the cabling attached to either its positive or negative terminal, it will no longer be able to supply power to anything. So disconnecting at the earth (negative) terminal will be just as effective as disconnecting at the live (positive) terminal.

 

If your motorhome’s starter-battery is genuinely losing 50% of its fully-charged state, despite having being disconnected just 14 days before, you may have to consider replacing it. As the battery has apparently been allowed to go flat in the past several times, there’s a good chance this has harmed it. Things worth knowing are how old the battery is and how you are taking charge-state measurements.

 

I can’t usefully advise on your solar/storage questions, but if you don’t maintain the charge-state of your leisure-batteries (say 24 hours of charging per month) and allow them to go flat, you risk them becoming damaged too.

[mildi]

I had this problem when I lived in the UK, we used the van most weekends but left all week or sometimes two with the alarm on the control panel showed quite a drop in charge.

I had a 100w solar panel and a battery master fitted to mine so the panel charged both batteries. After I had this done both batteries were always fully charged when I picked the van up.

Not sure what the minimum size panel you would need but I think in the last few years the prices have come down quite a lot.

Hope that helps, Mark.

 

 

[CPeachey]

Thanks guys

Chris

[aandncaravan]

Derek, I agree with all you say, but may I suggest you read our web page "How a battery charger works" as it highlights why a 24 hour 'charge up' on EHU may not be adequate for many motorhomes?

 

http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/how-does-a-charger-work.php

[Tall_Mike]

Our dealer advised with our Fiat - that effectively after 4 weeks idle we had a reasonable chance of it starting, - and after 6 weeks no chance. - We don't have an alarm but clearly there is still a low but constant drain on the engine battery. - Probably the ECU and clocks etc.

 

Fiat are aware of this - however their view is that our vans are meant for high usage delivery drops and leaving it in a field for weeks at a time isn't in their view what these vans are meant for.

 

Our van lives in a store away from power sources like yours. We use our van mostly weekly but sometimes it does sit for several weeks, previously I was having to make sure every 2 to 3 weeks I went for a drive and even then the batteries where not getting their full charge.

 

We could fit a switch which is wired into the Engine Battery feed to disconnect it but the radio would loose it's settings and so on.

 

In the end we fitted at 140 Watt solar panel with a dual regulator, even though at this time of year the harvest is very low whenever we go to the van the batteries are fully charged.

[Keith T]

We also store 'off site' but only a mile away from us, and do have the ability to put the van on driveway for short-ish periods. So generally take her off storage around every 3 weeks, and a short drive, then an overnight here on charge. This has worked well for the past 4 years.

We do have a 'battery master' (fitted when Vanbitz put the alarm on when we purchased the van 10 years ago) and though often the readings are quite low, has never failed us yet. ( shows about 12v after 2-3 weeks)

Several years ago (well, actually in around 2003) we had a Compass which was our first diesel engined MH, and that battery ran down very quickly. n the advice from some friends who had a similar situation, we got a Gunson (I think) charger/starter, which we could plug into mains at home to charge it, then just connected to the van battery away from the property, and that gave a 'boost start' .That also worked well, though it was quite heavy (weight-wise-) and not something we would cart around when travelling, where generally we were in any case on EHU.

[Derek Uzzell]

aandncaravan - 2017-03-03 10:28 AM

 

Derek, I agree with all you say, but may I suggest you read our web page "How a battery charger works" as it highlights why a 24 hour 'charge up' on EHU may not be adequate for many motorhomes?

 

http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/how-does-a-charger-work.php

 

That’s why I said “SAY 24 hours of charging per month”. The priority is to not let the leisure-batteries discharge totally as Chris seemed to be unconcerned about allowing to happen.

 

It’s not me that needs to read your webpage, it’s Chris. ;-)