# Leisure battery problems



## DJP (May 9, 2005)

Hi
Our leisure batteries seem to acting strangely.
We are out of the UK and the sun is shining. During the day the batteries reach 12.7 volts, the solar panel indicates that 2 amps are going in. At midday the solar panel can be putting in 4 or 5 amps when the sun is overhead. As the day does on the battery level drops gradually to 12.2 volts BUT the solar panel is still indicating a charge of 1 to 2 amp.
Overnight the batteries drop to sub 12v. 
During the day NOTHING is switched in or in standby mode, NOTHING.
During the late evening, las night we sat out until 10.30pm cami in and had led lights on drawing 1 amp for less than an hour. We ran the water pump for washes. This morning leisure batteries 11.8 volt.
Now they are 12.7 with 3 amps going in. I guess that high volts is due to solar panel input.
I have checked the batteries which were new in April as I thought the Elecsol ones were shot, but still same fault. Batteries read same voltage as display. With everything turned off dead of night with Sargrnt being reset to factory settings, current draw is -0.1 which goes to zero when display light goes off.
Strangely the vehicle battery expresses the same characteristics.
Any ideas?
Everything is off, TV, Status, Camos, lights, the lot!


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## WildThingsKev (Dec 29, 2009)

It sounds like your batteries are heavily discharged and you need to go on hookup for at least 24 hours to give your battery charger time to fully charge them.

Kev


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Seperate the batteries and take a voltage reading of each. It sounds like one at least is knackered.


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## DJP (May 9, 2005)

We were on EHU recently and had similar problems within 24 hours.
We also had similar problems with the 2 Elecsols, hence the reason for changing both batteries to new ones. I will try disconnecting on though and see what happens.
Thanks for tips


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Since it's happened with both your old and now new batteries, I wonder if you 230V charger could be faulty? Despite being on EHU the batteries haven't been properly charged and that is why you are getting what is happening now. A call or email to Sargeant may be worthwhile. They are very prompt at replying.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

It may be worth checking also once you have checked the individual batteries whether there is a discharge from the battery - perhaps there is a short somewhere where something metallic is touching ......

From the way the batteries seem to be losing power it sounds like something is draining it that is NOT part of the circuit so that the meter does not display it, and since this seems to be a recurrence of the same problem AND is affecting the vehicle battery it may be vehicle based rather than leisure battery based....

Doesn't sound good though, sorry for you, whereabouts are you at present - other than "out of the UK" ?

Dave


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## DJP (May 9, 2005)

Thanks again
I think the Sargent charger is ok. When on mains, a rare occurance the panel shows a charge rate of much higher than the solar panel as you would expect. The batteries also display 13.7 volts on charge, again as you would expect. 
I have disconnected 1 battery for now to see what happens.
Where are we now? Baking along the Mosel. It was high 20's yesterday and today is the same. All the windows and roof lights open in the sun and it's 38' It's hot hot hot!


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hey up.

Check your battery connections are not corroded and are properly tightened up..

I had the same problem on my old Mohican, I was nearly pulling my hair out with it, I reached down to the negative wire that joins the two batteries together in parallel and one popped off in my hand it had worked loose, tightened up everything was back to normal.

Look for the easy first :wink: ..

ray.


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## DJP (May 9, 2005)

Hi Ray
When I replaced the batteries in April the new battery posts were greased lightly with Vaseline and all connections were good and clean. I am beginning to think the Sargent box may be at fault?
If it is form to a poor connection then it may be in there?


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## bazzal (Apr 15, 2006)

*Battery problem*

Hi DJP,

I not sure if this is the same problem that is happening with my batteries. I noticed that at night my reading from the sargent ec 200 control panel was down to 12.3v without anything switched on and I have 3 new 125ah batteries and if I put the heating on it would fall to 12v within 1/2 hour. I also have solar panels which put out 9amp so the batteries are being kept topped up.

So on friday I disconnected 2 batteries and also the solar panel and did a test to see if i could find a problem and what i found and if anyone could explain was panel reading was 12.5 and a digital multimeter reading at the battery was 12.7 then I put the heating on and kept a check on both readings for 3/4hr and found that the panel read a constant drop until it was down to 11.9v but at the battery with the multimeter it was 12.58v.

I am thinking it might be the panel that is at fault or could anyone point at what it might be as it could be connected? My van and yours are similar and would be the same system. Baz.................. :?


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## DJP (May 9, 2005)

Hi Baz
Good idea to check that.
I have just checked my panel and it is now reading 12.6v on the one battery I have left commented. With the meter on the battery it was reading 12.67 so pretty similar. I do have a spare Sargent panel and both give the same readings.
I have rechecked all connections at the battery end both at the battery terminals and the Sargent plugs. All ok


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## bazzal (Apr 15, 2006)

Cheers DJP,

I will keep an eye on this subject to see if you come up with any findings or if anyone else does. Baz


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