# advice needed on charging my leisure battery and amps?



## stevensir (Apr 6, 2009)

We recently purchased a brand new Roller team 600g Motorhome. This is our first one so as you can imagine we are novices. We are pleased with the motorhome but bewildered with the lack of technical information that came with it. I need help understanding the leisure battery. I have read all the info that came with it and understand that It’s fitted with an 85 amp leisure battery that charges up via the engine alternator when the vehicle is on and via an electric hook up when connected. I would like to know how many amps per hour the alternator charges the battery and likewise the electric hook up. We have planned a week’s holiday with no hook up and so am investigating alternative methods of charging the leisure battery. I have narrowed it down to either a generator or solar panels. Solar panels would take an entire sunny day to recharge the battery. But no idea how long a generator would take. My guess is the same as if it was hooked up; as the generator would connect to the electric hook up point. But am I just as better off going for a drive? 

Hence my questions that I cannot find the answers for in the literature that came with it.

1) How many amps per hour does the 230v electric hook up charge the leisure battery? Ie how long does it need to be hooked up to reach full charge from empty?
2) How many amps per hour does the engines alternator charge the leisure battery? Ie how long do I have to be driving for the alternator to fully charge the leisure battery from empty?


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## stevensir (Apr 6, 2009)

*I'm new to motorhome facts please reply*

hope someone can help us out here


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## averhamdave (May 21, 2005)

Ok, I'll try and answer a few of your questions as best I can:

If you propose camping without EH regularly then fit a second battery. I, along with a good many people have 2, 110amp batteries fitted. That said for summer camping (light evenings etc) you'll be OK.

You won't run the battery flat, as in needing to recharge with 85a/hours of juice. I can run my TV and quite a bit of lighting in my van in the evenings and my 85watt solar panel has the batteries fully topped up by mid morning on a reasonably sunny day. The panel is excellent in summer but not clever in winter for obvious reasons.

On electric hook up (EH), I would guess you'll be charged up after a summer evenings use within a couple of hours. Modern chargers are "intelligent" and vary their power output depending upon the state of the battery. They'll typically start charging at about 15 amps.

Be very carefull if using a generator and only use a good one, ie an Honda. Better still use an inverter model. Power spikes, typically experienced with cheapo gennies can and do burn out m/home battery chargers - happened to me on a 6 month old Swift - nearly got the m/home on fire in fact and there was no warranty cover.

Driving around is probably the slowest, most inefficient and expensive way to charge the leisure battery! If it were well down you may have to drive for 5 or 6 hours!


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## averhamdave (May 21, 2005)

You don't need to keep posting the same question under different headings! :lol: There are plenty of people on here who will help you. I have replied to your ealier (by a few minutes) posting! :lol:


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

I can give you some general guidance as I am not intimately familiar with your particular motorhome.
The mains charger will probably charge at about 15 amps until the battery voltage gets to 14 volts, then it will cut back to stop overvoltage. At this point alternatives are possible depending on the technology of the charger.

When driving the charge current very much depends on the size of the wiring between the alternator, through the split charge relay, through a fuse to the leisure battery. Having said that charging at 20 amps would not be unusual until the leisure battery voltage rises.
If you dive each day for 100 miles or so and wild camp overnight you will not have any problems. But a lot depends on how many 12 volt goodies you have in your van.

Does that help?
C.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

*Re: advice needed on charging mr leisure battery and amps?*

"I would like to know how many amps per hour the alternator charges the battery"
That depends on how far it has discharged, what other loads are on the alternator and tickover or cruising revs. Typically from 0 to 50amps at any one time, but work on a maximum of ~25Amphours per hr.

"and likewise the electric hook up"
Enough to charge a depleted battery overnight, which is all that matters.

"But no idea how long a generator would take."
Basically even in a carefully optimised design (such as mine - ahem) this will be ~4 hours from a 50% discharged state. This is as low as you should go for battery life, and likewise the maximum charge rate should be no greater than a 1/5th the capacity of the battery. As the charge rate drops markedly as the battery voltage recovers during charge, you can see why it can never be less that ~4 hours.

"But am I just as better off going for a drive?"
Well, a drive costs more in diesel than a small genny and you can see that even then it is a LONG drive!

Dave


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## gnscloz (Oct 4, 2008)

agree with all posts i have a sterling battery to battrey charger fitted. recharges batteries as drive along at approx 40 amps, so if your travelling around your always fully charged, i no longer worry about leisure batterys


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## clodhopper2006 (Aug 13, 2006)

Your probably worrying too much about your battery realy. Firstly as averhandave says, double up on your battery with a second 85Ah battery. You'll then find you will most likely run out of water before your battery gives out.
You'll get about 3 days off site (wild) camping before you run out of water and will need a hook up. Check into a CL with hook ups and next day your battery will be fully charged and your water filled.
Relying on the engine to charge will need a journy of at least a couple of hours to top up a nights battery drain.
Don't worry about charging rates from various sources as there's far to many variables and life's too short.

Bob


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

averhamdave said:


> You don't need to keep posting the same question under different headings! :lol:


Yes - please don't as it causes great confusion and is a pain for the Mods to sort out (Me this time) 8O 

You were not to know of course so no problem   , but if you need a post moved to a different forum you have only to ask and one of us will move it.

Welcome to the forum BTW - nearly forgot my manners there! 

Zebedee
Moderator


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## stevensir (Apr 6, 2009)

*sorry and thank you*

Oops. I've got into trouble on my first day of paying my membership. only I was not getting a response so thought 'I know let's post under a different heading! Sorry Moderator.

Thank you for your replies. They are all really helpful and I think the conclusion is going to be double up the leisure battery and get a solar panel. Any recomendations on solar panels?

Great web site with loads of helpful advice. cheers.


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## averhamdave (May 21, 2005)

Bought my 85w panel, with charge controller off e-bay last year for about £300 and it is brilliant. Fitted myself, dead easy.

You'll pay £500 at a show for same so be careful. Respected traders on here probably same price.

I'll be in Spain for a while in winter so it'll be a good help there.

I've also fitted LED lights all through the van. 1 halogen spot uses the same power as about 8 leds


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