# Leisure Battery Problem



## apothecary (May 14, 2005)

:?: Has anyone got an Ace Milano? My originally had an 85 amph battery which I've replaced with two 110amph batteries. My problem is the vehicle alternator isn't charging the batteries when I'm on the road. Trips of over 100 miles make virtually no difference to the voltage reading. Fridge works fine from 12v when engine is running, and I can't find any blown fuses, either in the engine compartment, or wardrobe. Can any expert out there give me a pointer as to where I should be looking?

Thanks

Dave


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi 

Check voltage when engine running, result?


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Hi *Apothecary*. You seem to hve checked all the obvious things like fuses. Have you considered that there may be a Relay somewhere in the cicuit which disconnects the Leisure batteries that is not working correctly?


----------



## 88726 (May 9, 2005)

hi guys

im no expert but my alternator dosnt charge the leisure batteries , thats the job of my zig unit . some folks have charge gadgets to do what you want from the alternator and hopefully somebody will tell you what they got .

not a great help i know just a thought .


----------



## 90188 (May 1, 2005)

Was the 85 Ah battery a gel type and the 110 Ahs a "wet" type? If so there may be a switch that needs to be set (there is one on the Electro block in my Hymer).

HTH

David


----------



## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Hi 

A trip of over a 100 mls would be no more than 2 - 3 hrs. driving. Not enough time to put any great amount of charge back. 

Without actually checking the charge rate with a meter I would guess between 2 and 4 amps.. that would only be between 4 and 12 amp/hr 

Jim


----------



## apothecary (May 14, 2005)

*Leisure battery Problem- Solved, I hope!*

Hi everyone, many thanks for your help. I checked the voltage this evening and it was 12.20 volts. Ran engine and voltage eventually rose to 12.22 volts.( Wow!) 
I had thought about one of the relays being faulty but had no way of testing them. There are two relays under the bonnet, one of which obviously controlled the electric step, ensuring I can't drive off without the step being retracted, and the other whose function I couldn't work out.. I swapped the two relays to see if the other was faulty, but step worked fine. However, I then noticed the voltmeter had shot up to 12.72 volts. I can only assume the relay had jammed and the movement in swapping it over freed it. Is this a reasonable assumption? Finally, are there any ways of testing if a relay is functioning properly? (Other than buying a new one!)

Again, many thanks for all your help

Regards

Apothecary


----------



## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Test the relay with a cheap multimeter from Maplins for under a fiver; always a good thing to have in the motorhome.

Dave


----------



## 91929 (May 1, 2005)

Correct Jim Lad 2 x 110 AH is 220AH at $a you would require approx 55 hrs driving 

Why not connect to the mains & give them a charge via the 'Zig or whatever' 

But do as previously said and check that there is a voltage at the tconnecters to the battery with them disconnected and engine runing & switches to touring


----------



## haylingchrist (May 15, 2005)

If it's not a fuse problem, then perhaps your relay is not man enough - 220ah of battery will accept a lot more current than 85ah.

Although the alternator is not great at fully charging the batteries, the initial current can be quite high, particularly if the batteries are well discharged.

I had a similar setup on my last (Ducato-based) van and it was quite common to see 40 amps for a few minutes after engine start.

Chris


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

*Re: Leisure battery Problem- Solved, I hope!*

Apothecary

12.72 Volts is worse than useless for charging.

Even if you get this working properly (13.8 to 14.2 Volts) This will still not fully charge a battery you could drive lands end to Johns O'Groats and still not charge the batteries fully, maybe they will maybe get to 70% ish under normal circumstances


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

8O Just a point. After all these years of building and selling Motorhomes, camper's, Rv's et al. Why do they fit extra batteries for the coach if the standard Alternator is incapable of charging that battery correctly for it's proper use. Surely then everyone is buying these vehicles that are not fit for the purpose they were designed and sold. *IMVHO* 8O

I suggest we all ask for our money back. *IMO* :lol:


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi John

Its easy to prove that a standard alternator does not fully charge a leisure battery.

Take a battery that as been "charged" via a split charge then check settled voltage. Then charge it via a good three or four stage charger, after settling it will be .3 v higher at least that represents 30% 

Thats why smart alternator regulators improve alternator charging by so much.


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Hi *George* nice to see you back posting again. The point I raised is not that a normal Alternator would not fully charge a battery. I do not disagree with that. Why do they still sell these vehicles with an alternator that is not fit for the job in hand? Why do you then have to fit a special smart alternator regulator? Why don't they fit them in the first place? A few extra hundred pounds on a Motorhome costing £25,000 to £290,000 is hardly going to loose a lot of sales. Is it? At least the vehicle would then be fit for the intended purpose it was built for. :wink:


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi John

Most are built on new vehicles there would probably be warranty issues, in altering the alternator (required to had a smart regulator). Sterling do do a battery to battery charger for this very reason.


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

8O So why don't the Motorhome builders fit these battery to battery booster charger's? Then we wouldn't need threads asking why their battery is or isn't fully charged except of course if they have a genuine problem.


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

John

Motorhome manufacturers have not got the hang of fitting decent thicknes cable costing literally pennies more, they still believe a split charger actually charges

Worse some have decent Solar and charging systems fitted, so there is a possibility of having a fully charged battery and then go and ruin it by having a split charge relay, this actually discharges a fully charged battery when you are driving!!


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

That's my whole point George. Yet people continue to pay out tens of thousands of pounds for to put it bluntly crap that is not capable of providing the capabilies to correctly use the Motorhome for which it was intended. :roll:


----------



## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Don't forget John that most motorhomes start life as a van, and that the alternator fitted to that vehicle is more than capable of charging it's own engine battery, ask it to start doing other jobs and funnily enough it doesn't perform as good! :roll: 
Hence the fitting of Battery chargers, solar panels gennys etc.

I'm not convinced that the motorhome manufacturers are 'turning out crap' to use your phrase 8O , they simply adapt Sevel built chassis cabs, to suit the needs of the motorhome.
There is always room for improvement in design stages, traditionally the 'split charge' system fitted into motorhomes lends it's origins to the caravan industry, and it hasn't changed in years, the main function was to keep the fridge cool on the way to and from campsites, via a leisure battery, a very crude system but it worked, nowadays we have TV,s Microwaves mobile phones etc, we have become more demanding power wise over the years and the system can no longer function, no doubt they will adress this shortcoming in later models once they have a suitable alternative.

Regards M&D


----------



## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

Too true *M&D*. I agree and admit all you say. It's just a shame in this day and age that the problem has not been addressed for the few extra pounds it would cost. Just my honest opinion. :wink:


----------



## 88724 (May 9, 2005)

Hi M&D

Even on charging the engine starter battery (ALONE) it wont get over 70% of fully charged, this doesnt matter, all the starter ever as to do is start the vehicle.

The split charge system as never fully charged a battery,its always been a poor "charging" system, like Dave says though peoples power demands have increased people wonder why a 110 Ah battery gives so little oif its rating.


----------

