# Sticky  Is my engine battery charged while on hookup?



## Boff (May 10, 2005)

*Is my engine battery charged while on hookup?* (Author = Boff)

In many vans the engine battery will automatically be charged while on mains hookup. In some vans this requires flipping a switch. Then there are others in which it is not charged. If your van's manual is inconclusive, then here is the way to find out for sure:

Leave the van with engine off and not on hookup for a few hours. Then connect a voltmeter to the engine battery. It should read something between 12 and 13 volts. Now connect the hookup, and monitor the voltmeter:


If your van has a mains charger with a separate circuit for the engine battery, then the voltmeter should immediately rise by about 1 volt.

If your van has a mains charger with manual changeover, then switch the changeover to the engine battery, and then you should see the voltage rise.

Some chargers first charge the leisure battery to 100%, and then switch over to the engine battery. If you have such charger, then you should see the voltage rise after leisure battery charging is finished.

If you do not see any voltage rise within 24 hours after connecting to hookup, then your engine battery is not charged.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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