# Vehicle battery flat....again....and another post



## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Hi

I have posted this before....but this is sllightly different.

My MH is left on hookup all the time. It is a 2010 Swift 530lp. This has a Sargent charger that is set to smart charging. The MH has not moved since November (can't get away for another 3 weeks), but I would have thought this was OK as it is pn hook up.
This morning it was completely flat. It was fine last week, but dead as a dodo today. The hookup seems OK as the leisure batteries are fully charged and the microwave clock is on.

It has done this twice in the past since we bought it new, but not for wellover a year or maybe more. Each time I was warned that the battery was probably dead, but the AA declared it fit once charged.

The PSU said the vehicle battery was at 2.2v. I tried charging it with the charger/starter and left it on boost for about 20 minutes. When I went back the battery smelt so I disconnected the charger.....gave me a bit of a scare! The PSU (once I turned it back on) now reads 10.6v so I have left the van charger on and hope it will pick up.

Why does this happen? The Sargeant unit should be charging so I do not understand. I will ring them tomorrow, but thought someone here may have advice, please?

Thanks
Julie


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Does the Sargent actually charge the vehicle battery or just the leisure battery?

Sounds like the latter.

Very few batteries will recover from 2.2V, plus you need to find out why it is being discharged.

Peter


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Hi Peter, thanks. The charger is a smart charger and charges both the leisure batteries and the vehicle battery. It has been fine (apart form 2 other occasions) over the past 4 years or so.
It is strange that the battery recovers, but it seems to. I was very doubtful last time, but the AA guy did all sorts of checks and pronounced it cured!

It has been cold, but I am in Norfolk, the van is next to a fence and quite near the house. It has not even been iced up, so not that cold.

There is very little current coming out. I turn the radio off completely and the satelite and TV are 12v and off.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

The charger will only feed current to the leisure battery UNLESS you have EITHER switched it to the vehicle battery (a manual changeover) or have fitted e.g. a BatteryMaster.

Our Swift had a similar history and similar problem - the alarm drains the VEHICLE battery in about 3 weeks if not used, the leisure battery remained fully charged.

I could switch on the charger from one to the other but decided it made sense to fit a BatteryMaster - which cost me about £60 but means that both batteries remain charged on EHU and now both remain charged using the solar panels that I installed.

The BatteryMaster feeds excess current from the LB once it is fully charged to the VB until that is also fully charged, it can NEVER drain the VB to feed the LB and will ONLY feed current from the LB if there is a marked surplus over fully charged. In other words both batteries are protected.

Fitting it was easy - it took about 30 minutes for *me* to do as it is literally three wires..... I would STRONGLY recommend doing it ...... 

It is NOT necessary to have a dealer fit it unless you are totally inept..... but if you did it should not be an expensive fitting charge and I suspect any auto-electrician would do it in about 10 minutes - and that allows about 8 minutes to read the instructions.....

Sadly once a battery drops below about 10v it is unlikely that it will recover as the plates break down - so a new VB looks likely sadly.... You MIGHT be lucky, but it is unlikely..... 

Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

> The charger will only feed current to the leisure battery UNLESS you have EITHER switched it to the vehicle battery (a manual changeover) or have fitted e.g. a BatteryMaster.


It is a smart charger. The manual says it feeds both the vehicle and leisure batteries. It will also control a solar panel too. When I called Sargent before they said it would od that just so long as the green charging light was on and the PSU was set to smart charging, which it is.

I agree it is odd that the battery recovered....and it may not this time, of course. I do not have an alarm fitted that drains the battery.


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## powerplus (Oct 6, 2014)

hi
on my sundance 620fb i was told to switch over charge from 1 battery to the other weekly on the panel above the door

from memory if you leave it on vehicle battery once fully charged it should go to the leasure battery but not sure if it goes back to the vehicle battery

i think it does but as im allways playing inside making upgrades that suit us im allways playing with the switches any way

just leave it on the engine battery and hopefully it will bring it back to life

but best to swap over each week for piece of mind

barry


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Which model of Sargent chager is it Maddogs?

That would help get more focussed advice.

Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

It is the EC469.

The smell worried me too. This was with the external charger/starter (a high powered Clark unit). I have used it before (last time it went flat whne I bought the unit) and did not notice the smell.


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

The smart chargers should have a fan fitted to keep it cool, so perhaps there was a slight problem with the charger for a while if it was the charger that smelt.
I am concerned that the Sargent unit could be creating your problem, assuming it is set to charge both batteries for it would certainly seem to be failing the VB at this point.

Another possibility is that the VB is actually shot and has been since the first time it failed, although it managed to accept a charge, for a time.
The solution, it would seem, is to have the level of charge being delivered to the VB and the LB checked out and compared to its designed output. If all seems well, replace the battery, if not then get the Sargent serviced.
Good luck!

Alan


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

I don't know the Sargent charger but most chargers just give a small 'float charge' to the engine battery. If yours is goosed then the charger may not be putting sufficient charge in.

Another point to consider is if the main charge CAN be diverted into the engine battery, then a duff battery could damage your charger if it has to work flat out.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

I am a bit concerned about the Sargent unit. I have just looked again and the central locking did not work ( it didn't ear
Ier either). The charge said 13.5 v for the vehicle battery, but it would not even turn over. Looked again and it said 5.5. I turned it off and on again to reset it.

It is showing at 5.5v now, but the central locking worked! I will leVe it on charge and look tomorrow. I will have to call the AA out and get them to check it over if no improvement.

I remembered that the previous times this happened had been sometime after a power cut. I am pretty sure we had one a few weeks back so that is a pattern. 

I will call Sargent tomorrow as well. They are very helpful. I think the smell came from the battery itself.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

It sounds to me as if the VB is NOT charging and not working..... the initial voltage was what it had been being charged at from the Sargent unit.

Once you had tried to draw some current out, there was not enough to give the reasonable voltage reading..... hence why it would NOT turn over as that draws a very heavy current for a short time (hopefully), if the Sargent unit is now switched on it will once again be supplying 13.5v to the battery and that will be enough current to allow the central locking to work....

BUT it would not be enough to allow it to turn over the engine as already stated - that requires a couple of hundred amps for a short time..... (quoted figure is for a V8 at 250a and 150 for a 4 cylinder.....)

so it looks as if your VB is dead, an exbattery etc.....

The smell that you reported is probably a sulphurous smell of for instance Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) (which is toxic.....) various people would describe the battery as probably sulphated - which can be corrected (sometimes) if you treat it properly, but it requires special treatment including special charging regimes and possibly the addition of some chemicals, it could mean that one of the cells has a fault and may have run dry......

sorry but that would be my thoughts on what you are reporting.....

Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

I rather hope you are right, Dave. The alternative is a broken PSU!


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

From what you have described the PSU seems to be working as you got 13.5v - I hope so at least as a VB is not too bad c/w a PSU.....

I suspect that the AA man's diagnostic skills may have been limited and referral to a specialist MIGHT have given you a different viewpoint of continuing with that battery, but hindsight is wonderful....

Do keep us informed as it is sorted out.....

Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

What should I look for when I buy a new a new battery, please?
Julie


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

The ones that seem to be getting the plus plus pluses are the Varta Silver ones - they apparently have more current and yet are lighter than others....

Have a look at Tayna batteries - we found them to be really helpful, well priced and incredibly quick - even to France where we are....

This is a link to their selection of those;

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Varta-Car-Batteries-S218-1.html

They offer a next day delivery included AFAIK but I do not know what size (physical and amphour) you require....

Dave


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

To be fair the battery has lasted well over a year since the AA tested it. I will look up Tayna. Presumably I can just get the size etc from the old battery?


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I also have used Tayna and I can most certainly recommend them, for price and service.

http://www.tayna.co.uk/

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Leisure-Batteries-C45.html


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## robbosps (Mar 10, 2014)

I had numerous problems last year with batteries and chargers. 
I bought VARTA. Batteries for my transit as they are also the factory fit option. 

I have resorted to taking my van out for a spin every month for a few miles. I've found that is long enough that the batteries are still holding a good charge( over 12v) 

I don't have any other chRgers fitted, but I use CTEK chargers for my work vehicles, and they are fantastic. 

As for your battery and the changing numbers, I'm no expert, but my original engine battery had a fluctuating voltage reading, which suggested it was blown it got recycled


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

Today, the battery is fully charged and the engine started first time!
Will take it to a garage and get them to check it over.
Sargent were helpful and gave me some tips about how to check the unit functioning.

I really suspect the battery suffered damage on a previous occasion when fully discharged, but this is only apparent when under extra pressure eg cold

Time to replace the 4/5 year old battery I think!


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Is your battery a sealed or are there the caps to top it up with distilled water, if the latter undo all the caps to make sure the liquid is covering all the plates, you only need one to be dry to pull the battery down..

Top up just above the plates with distilled water if they are below, then see what happens..

ray.


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