Laika.brian Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Hi All, This might have been asked before, I would have MH on hook up while garaged most of the time, spending this weekend doing some maintenance and getting ready for going away. Put MH in shed Saturday evening and connected hook up, went out to van yesterday and got the rotten eggs smell found leisure battery very hot. Removed the battery was concerned , if it was the battery with dead cell alone or caused by over charging by the on board charger. Borrowed a new leisure battery charged it with my home charger until fully charged and switch on to maintenance cycle. I fitted it to MH and plugged in hook up, checked the control panel reading was 14.6 volts and has stayed at this all afternoon, amps in to battery is at 0.25 but did not seem to switch off, disconnected hook up and found the control panel reading at 14 volts dropping to 13.8. the onboard charging unit or the new leisure battery are not getting hot. I connected the original leisure battery to my home charger and it started getting hot soon after. So the question i have is the onboard charger working ok, should it switch off, or reduce to very small amps charge? Thanks. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika.brian Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 Hi All Update, the onboard charger eventually cut some time during the night voltage reading on the control panel now at 13.8. might be useful information for all. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 13.8V is a maintenance charging voltage that a ‘smartish’ onboard battery-charger might be expected to revert to after a leisure battery has been on charge for a while when the charger was producing (say) 14.6V. Not easy to answer your question definitively without more information about your 2007 Laika’s electrical system, but all the symptoms (hot leisure battery, rotten eggs smell) point to your original leisure battery having failed and that the onboard battery-charger itself is OK. (You could try leaving the onboard battery-charger charging the borrowed battery at 13.8V to see if it will eventually shut off. If the charger is designed to do this, it may take quite a few hours before shut-off occurs.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika.brian Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 Thanks Derek, The power controller/ charging unit has very poor access so I cannot get any details from it with out removal which is a lot of work The unit did stop charging the borrowed leisure battery, my multi meter can read amps into the battery if it is been charged and it is at 0 I have left the borrowed battery connected turned on the habitation and awning lights the voltage dropped to 13.7 volts, will leave it for some hours to see what happens. I would concur that the on board charger seems to be working correctly. what prompted my first post was that the borrowed leisure battery is new and I fully charged it before I fitted it to the MH it therefore surprised and concerned me that the onboard charger was still charging it for so long and not cutting out, I guess this is just the difference in the two chargers as it did eventually cut out. So will have new leisure battery tomorrow evening, I think I should give it a full charge on my house hold charger first before fitting it to MH. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Some chargers have a fixed routine when they are started. They will bulk charge for a set time and go on to a float charge after that. Some newer ones are a bit more complex than just 2 stages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 Laika.brian - 2021-07-13 11:20 AM ...I think I should give it a full charge on my house hold charger first before fitting it to MH. Brian Charging prior to fitting is generally recommended. This 2017 forum thread refers https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/New-leisure-battery-should-I-charge-it-straight-away-/48105/ Check the voltage of the new battery when you get it, and it would also be worth confirming the battery’s date of manufacture (if you can find it on the battery and it’s not in some weird code). This link is to the CTEK range of ‘car’ chargers https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/car-charger The manual for the CTEK MXS 5.0 chargers is here https://tinyurl.com/yeep5ak5 Page 5 shows the charging regimens and it will be seen that a particular charging stage can be in operation for a long period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirou Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 The charger seems to be working fine while the battery had an internal short. But you might want to check the charge profile setting. It probably has a switch for various types : lead acid/gel/AGM. Select the appropriate one for whatever the replacement is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika.brian Posted July 15, 2021 Author Share Posted July 15, 2021 Received new banner 100 amp battery yesterday, put it on home charger overnight, it was in maintenance mode this morning, I fitted the battery and put the MH on hook up, the control panel displayed 14.6 volts and a low amps into the battery until late this afternoon at which time the on board charger switched off at the control panel displayed 13.8 volts all seems good, the replacement battery is lead acid as was the failed one. As stated it could be that the on board charger cycles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 If your new Banner battery is a 957 51 in the “Energy Bull” range https://www.bannerbatterien.com/en-gb/Products/Starter-Batteries/Energy-Bull/226-957-51 keep in mind that Energy Bull batteries are ‘maintainable’ (ie. their design allows their electrolyte to be topped up) and - as they have a gained a reputation for water consumption - the electrolyte level should be checked fairly regularly. This recent forum discussion refers https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Loss-of-habitation-power-are-my-batteries-dead-/58480/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Laika.brian - 2021-07-15 10:12 PM Received new banner 100 amp battery yesterday, put it on home charger overnight, it was in maintenance mode this morning, I fitted the battery and put the MH on hook up, the control panel displayed 14.6 volts and a low amps into the battery until late this afternoon at which time the on board charger switched off at the control panel displayed 13.8 volts all seems good, the replacement battery is lead acid as was the failed one. As stated it could be that the on board charger cycles. I most strongly deplore the use of slang terminology, on this very respectable forum. The term "amp" has no sensible meaning in relation to battery capacity. The correct abbreviation of Ampere hours is Ah, which is shorter than the the expression used. The use of the word? "amps" as an abbreviation for "current" is also bad practice. On the other hand there is no need to use the term "volts" as the abbreviation "V" is perfectly acceptable e.g. 13.8V. Rant over. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Alanb - 2021-07-16 9:49 AM On the other hand there is no need to use the term "volts" as the abbreviation "V" is perfectly acceptable e.g. 13.8V. Alan, And one of my personal rants, from having to submit technical drawings for approval, is the incorrect use of the SI unit, there should always be a space between the digits and the SI unit, eg it should read 13.8 V and not 13.8V. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika.brian Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 Derek Uzzell - 2021-07-16 8:11 AM If your new Banner battery is a 957 51 in the “Energy Bull” range https://www.bannerbatterien.com/en-gb/Products/Starter-Batteries/Energy-Bull/226-957-51 keep in mind that Energy Bull batteries are ‘maintainable’ (ie. their design allows their electrolyte to be topped up) and - as they have a gained a reputation for water consumption - the electrolyte level should be checked fairly regularly. This recent forum discussion refers https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Loss-of-habitation-power-are-my-batteries-dead-/58480/ Thank you Derek . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika.brian Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 Alanb - 2021-07-16 9:49 AM Laika.brian - 2021-07-15 10:12 PM Received new banner 100 amp battery yesterday, put it on home charger overnight, it was in maintenance mode this morning, I fitted the battery and put the MH on hook up, the control panel displayed 14.6 volts and a low amps into the battery until late this afternoon at which time the on board charger switched off at the control panel displayed 13.8 volts all seems good, the replacement battery is lead acid as was the failed one. As stated it could be that the on board charger cycles. I most strongly deplore the use of slang terminology, on this very respectable forum. The term "amp" has no sensible meaning in relation to battery capacity. The correct abbreviation of Ampere hours is Ah, which is shorter than the the expression used. The use of the word? "amps" as an abbreviation for "current" is also bad practice. On the other hand there is no need to use the term "volts" as the abbreviation "V" is perfectly acceptable e.g. 13.8V. Rant over. Alan Thank you Alan for correcting my errors, :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefitz Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 This is supposed to be a helpful forum for every body, does it really matter if I type 12v or 12V or 12 V or 12 volts? As for battery capacity, I am sure most would regard a '100 amp battery' as referring to a 100 Ah battery. On technical matters regarding charging charging batteries. It's becoming more accepted with modern batteries that prolonged float charging at 13.8 volts is not optimum. Holding a float voltage at high level for some time and then dropping to a lower voltage is beneficial to battery life. For example Votronics in their premium chargers, adopt this technique. The general lead acid charge profile is: bulk charge, 14.4 volts for 2 to 6 hours, followed by float charge at 13.5 volts for 24 hours, the charger then switches to a maintaining charge of 13.2 volts. Ctek MSX5 and similar 'smart' car battery chargers connected to the leisure or engine battery in a motor home whilst the battery is still connected to the engine electrical or the camper electronics is not recommended. The high voltage conditioning pulses may cause damage to vehicle or camper electrical systems. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Keithl - 2021-07-16 10:02 AM Alanb - 2021-07-16 9:49 AM On the other hand there is no need to use the term "volts" as the abbreviation "V" is perfectly acceptable e.g. 13.8V. Alan, And one of my personal rants, from having to submit technical drawings for approval, is the incorrect use of the SI unit, there should always be a space between the digits and the SI unit, eg it should read 13.8 V and not 13.8V. Keith. Come on you "ranters", cut the guy some slack. :-D You are both, of course, correct, but that is because you both have specialist knowledge in the relevant fields. I appreciate that the forum is read by people with all levels of knowledge, and that abuse of technical terminology might cause some confusion, but many of us fall into this trap when invading someone else's technical territory. I should know, I do it - but otherwise I'm as big a pedant as either of you two! :-D The good news is, despite the terminological slips, the battery has been successfully changed, charged, and installed, so well done Brian (not me Brian, him Brian!!) :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Brian Kirby - 2021-07-16 6:31 PM Keithl - 2021-07-16 10:02 AM Alanb - 2021-07-16 9:49 AM On the other hand there is no need to use the term "volts" as the abbreviation "V" is perfectly acceptable e.g. 13.8V. Alan, And one of my personal rants, from having to submit technical drawings for approval, is the incorrect use of the SI unit, there should always be a space between the digits and the SI unit, eg it should read 13.8 V and not 13.8V. Keith. Come on you "ranters", cut the guy some slack. :-D You are both, of course, correct, but that is because you both have specialist knowledge in the relevant fields. I appreciate that the forum is read by people with all levels of knowledge, and that abuse of technical terminology might cause some confusion, but many of us fall into this trap when invading someone else's technical territory. I should know, I do it - but otherwise I'm as big a pedant as either of you two! :-D The good news is, despite the terminological slips, the battery has been successfully changed, charged, and installed, so well done Brian (not me Brian, him Brian!!) :-D Well said Brian! The whole point of posting on here is normally a cry for help as one has a problem which is beyond your knowledge. Being castigated because you do not have that knowledge is totally ridiculous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laika.brian Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 Brian Kirby - 2021-07-16 6:31 PM Keithl - 2021-07-16 10:02 AM Alanb - 2021-07-16 9:49 AM On the other hand there is no need to use the term "volts" as the abbreviation "V" is perfectly acceptable e.g. 13.8V. Alan, And one of my personal rants, from having to submit technical drawings for approval, is the incorrect use of the SI unit, there should always be a space between the digits and the SI unit, eg it should read 13.8 V and not 13.8V. Keith. Come on you "ranters", cut the guy some slack. :-D You are both, of course, correct, but that is because you both have specialist knowledge in the relevant fields. I appreciate that the forum is read by people with all levels of knowledge, and that abuse of technical terminology might cause some confusion, but many of us fall into this trap when invading someone else's technical territory. I should know, I do it - but otherwise I'm as big a pedant as either of you two! :-D The good news is, despite the terminological slips, the battery has been successfully changed, charged, and installed, so well done Brian (not me Brian, him Brian!!) :-D Yip and heading to the south west tomorrow morning with peace of mind and fantastic weather . Thank you :-D is that not as it should be . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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