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Quote: Originally posted by The 2 Tops on 06/12/2009
A leisure battery is best kept charged at periodic intervals, or kept on charge via the onboard caravan charger. These batteries are a bit of a lottery regarding reliability, so claims of exceptional performance in the face of neglecting them will always arise. There is still the possibility that an infrequently charged battery that gave good service may have done even better with a regular, or "continuous float", charge.
I have had long service from leisure batteries but, at the opposite end of the scale, this year I had a battery "die" (replaced under warranty) at less than 3 months old, and with no difference in the way the batteries have been used/treated.
Bertie.
My OP was not claiming exceptional performance but trying to show just how frequently a battery does need charging when left.
With regard to continuous charge or float charge, the jury seems to be out from reading up on the internet. It is certainly a bad thing unless you use a good quality microprocessor contolled charger. A standard charger with a trickle charge will damage the battery over time. Another thought: they always recommend that you replace sealed lead acid batteries every year in devices with a continual charge such as burglar alarms and computer standby systems. While these use gel battieies, the chemistry is the same. Cost is another thing to consider. The aim is to extend battery life, and save the cost of a new battery. A float charger uses about 20w of power when running. That works out at about £1.80 a month. For 6 months that would be £10. By leaving your battery on float charge, it lasts 10 years but has cost £100 in electricity. Could be false economy.
The bottom line seems to be keep the battery charged above the 80% mark for long life.
It is also interesting how many have mentioned about charging the battery keeping it off a concrete floor. This is a current day myth. This advice was true many years ago when battery cases were porous ond had tarred wooden cases. Modern batteries with plastic cases are not porous, and charging on a concrete floor makes not a jot of difference, in fact it may be good for the battery.
Temperature is a battery killer. The hotter the battery gets when charging, the shorter its life. Therefore charging slowly will help the battery as it does not get as hot, a cool concrete floor will also help keep the battery cool. When the battery is stood, if it is fully discharged it could freeze, if it is charged, the loss of charge is related to the temperature, the higher the temperature the higher the rate of self-discharge. Storing the battery in a shed or garage overwinter will keep it cool and reduce the self-discharge rate.
Gypsydoll, if a battery is fully discharged, many normal battery chargers or the chargers fitted to caravans will not recover it. A good quality intelligent charger probably will. These sense the battery is fully discharged, and pulse charge the battery to recover it. You only have to recover one battery for these chargers to repay themselves.
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Topic: Exploding one battery myth
