Continual Battery Charging Over Winter
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OK - Here is the answer ....apparently.
As the caravan manual doses not offer specific advice preferring instead to instruct me to charge the battery in accordance with the battery manufacturers instructions I contacted the charger manufacturer today, a company called BCA and their technical adviser told me that the charger can be left plugged in at all times and will only charge the battery as and when it detects that the battery needs topping up.
Oh.... I said that must be a smart charger to which he said No it is not a smart charger
Umhhhhhhhh ???
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Like i said you don't need a smart charger to fully charge a battery, 13.8 volts will do it, it just takes longer to fully charge compared to a multistage type, with ends up on around 13.8 volts anyway after a boost on 14.4 volts initially.
And yes you can leave it on permanently, but if something goes wrong when nobody is in attendance then there could be a fire.
Some consider it worth the risk. With my electrical background i don't.
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No.
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have a gander at aandacaracavans website, they are specialist charger repairers.....some interesting stories of ruined batteries on there.....
they post regularly on mhfun
looking at the way some suppliers cut costs to (say) charge only one set of batteries in a MH, it wouldn't surprise me to find the charger being built to down a price rather than up to a spec....in that case, some of these dont really do what we all think/want them to do....
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Float charge for a single cell lead acid battery is 2.25 volts, equivalent to 13.5 volts for a six cell battery. So, if your battery is already in a good state of charge then that will keep it topped up on float charge, but to prevent sulphation a three stage leisure battery charger takes the voltage up to 14.4 volts during the constant current phase.
Leaving your battery at a constant 13.7 volts (quite a common voltage for a standard caravan charger) will cause it to deteriorate over a period of time. Smart charging systems like Sargent manage all this by monitoring and limiting the charger current so that you can leave the battery connected to mains hook-up, conventional chargers do not.
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Thats the theory.
In practise my last battery was 9 years old before i inadvertantly destroyed it by leaving my rear view camera powered up.
Otherwise i would be expecting to still use it today.
One before that i sold privatly with the caravan, it was 7 years old.
Niether one never saw a voltage about approx 13.8 volts, except perhaps while towing.
Obviously the plates will degrade overtime, but there isn't a lot you can do about that, so capacity will fall with age. Which is why i buy a 110Ah to allow for it.
Whatever still remains after 9 years is still enough to move a 1556kg caravan via a mover.
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To get things in perspective using a mover that pulls even 40 Amps for 5 minutes will only require a battery able to deliver 3.3 Ahs. So, that a mover works, far from proves a battery is in good condition, asking 3.3 AHrs from a 110 Ah battery is not really a test.
However, unless you need to run off EHUs for a few days a battery might be adequate even if only good for a mere precentage of its labelled value; basically the reason some get exceptionally sounding life from their batteries.[ They never ask much of it!]
My last two van's had Shaudt controller/chargers ideally suited to leave on EHU through winter and summer, but unless one has chargers of similar technology then don't do it or the battery will suffer.
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Nine years is an extraordinary life for a battery. The advice I am giving is not mine, it is what battery and charger manufacturers state and also can be found in many caravan manuals (for non-smart chargers). Apart from the extra degradation of permanent connection there is also the risk as others have stated that the electronics will fail and destroy the battery. I have a Sargent system but still disconnect the EHU when the motorhome is on the drive, just reconnecting the day before a trip.
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My caravan battery will be 9 years old next month. When i am on ehu the van charger is on permanently ( smart charger ) , whilst the c/van is not in use over the winter i remove it 2 or 3 times and charge it with a charger from Lidl which works on the same lines as the c tech. Worked well for the battery up to now, hope this does not put the mockers on it. BTW i was always taught that the best thing for a battery was to work it, this kept the lead on the plates pliable/soft and so prevening sulphation.
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I use a small 6w solar panel when in storage and it powers the alarm and keeps the battery in a usable state. I have done this for along time now. As XTM records a long life for his battery mine also lasted over 7 years. I never disconnect it to charge at home. I did however replace the standard power supply with a Ctek after the factory fitted one developed a serious fault.
Tj
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As it is slightly related to the discussions here I note from Sunday 15th Lidl are doing what appears their cheapo £14 stand alone smart charger.
http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?id=1044
I can't vouch for it, not having one, [ I have a couple of Aldi's similar charger and they are okay], but I read on forums others like this one for the price.
It will be wise to check its details on the box, but it looks the thing I think it is.
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So what is the difference then ?
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Reference my post on the Lidl charger; it is as thought their "smart" charger.
I have found and scanned the words they have put in the handout:
“ULTIMATE SPEED Car Battery Charger
Intelligent microprocessor control with diagnostics programme and controlled charging process With reverse polarity, short circuit and overload protection as well as pulse charge for flat batteries Suitable for most 6V and 12V car or motorcycle batteries with a 1.2 • 120Ah capacity 4 variable charging rates, max (A): 3 8 Operating voltage 220 - 240V - 50/60Hz”0 -
Its a single stage with 13.8volts output, nice and simple but with a reputation for burning out, usually because its put inside the PDU, so not as much ventilation as it would get fitted externally.
Swift on the latest caravans fit the charger externally.
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Usually a 5 amp charger is recommended for a 110 Ahr battery so the Lidl is a bit below that but no doubt works OK. The CTek equivalent is the MX5 and has a "recon" setting for badly discharged batteries. It, of course, takes the battery up to 14.4 volts which is an essential equalisation charge which any lead acid battery requires periodically to maximise the life.
The essential feature of a "smart" charger is that as well as having at least the three stages required by any decent charger it will also monitor the battery status during the charging process. It also uses pulse charging during certain phases. It is ideal for trickle charging as it won't push current into the battery when it isn't needed.
A standard battery will do 100 - 200 charge/discharge cycles. The more you use it the shorter the life.
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I can find online a manual for previous incarnation of the Lidl Ultimate Car Battery Charger, this not featuring the LCD the new offer one does. That has been missing on the Lidl but featured on the Aldi for a while.
http://www.lidl-service.com/static/12843324/67617_EN_EL.PDF
As one would expect from the marketing claims, it has a 14.4 V phase, and for winter use even a 14.7 V phase.If like the Aldi units I have, they don’t reset following a power cut, a feature my CTEKs have. However, if left unattended I read its parasitic load is just a mere 5 mA, so not that draining if you can’t check regularly a battery left unattended weeks or even months on end.
Quoting their manuals Specification:
Technical DataInput voltage: 220-230-240V~ 50/60Hz
Power consumption: 60W
Reverse current*: < 5mA (no AC input)
Nominal output voltage: 6V /12V
Nominal output current: 0.8A/3.8A
Charging voltage: 7.3V or 14.4V or 14.7V
Charging current: 0.8A ± 10%
3.8A ± 10%
Battery type: 6V lead-acid battery1.2Ah -14Ah
12V lead-acid battery1.2Ah -120Ah
Housing protection type: IP 65 (dust-tight, protectedagainst water jets)
Safety class:
* = Return current is the current used by the
charging station battery, when no mains
current is connected.
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A timely reminder flatcoat! I just checked my motorhome after about 4 weeks and the 80 W panel has kept the batteries at 12.4 volts; a bit lower than I would like, however, if it snows, help!
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Hi I plug my EHU on as soon as the mover has put my coachman where I want it on the drive so that it is always charged and we can use the mains lights and other electrics when we pop out to get or put stuff in the van, and we also just sometimes sit out in the van with a cuppa plan our trips and wish we was on a site (sad I know) I also have a cheap 7 fin 500w oil filled radiator that I plug in over winter and set the thermostat low so that it keeps any chill and damp out of the van not worried about the cost as we save electric when we are away so it evens out during the year
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This is an example of what can go wrong if left unattended.
[/url=https://www.swift-talk.co.uk/swift/forum/caravan-technical/212788/boiling-battery-problem-swift-challenger-480-apr-2009-model] Boiling battery [/url]
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This is an example of what can go wrong if left unattended.
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I have little doubt they have seen a charger, the one or more in the solar controller(s).
These can also be sophisticated or not, the better ones being smart multi phase chargers and include those able to be set to match the battery technology of the batteries fitted.
My Morningstar DUO allows different battery technologies to be set for the two batteries in use, a feature I use as the van has a GEL battery [for "life support" duty],and the "entertainments" system battery is a flooded type.
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