Your model of van should have a charger (but check the handbook). If you put the van on EHU it will charge the battery, after a fashion. If it is dead, really dead, say registering 6V or less on multimeter, you will probably need a new battery. The charger in a van never fully charges a battery and so a caravan battery should be put on to a trickle charging leisure battery charger at least once a year, maybe more often depending upon how long you leave the van between trips. Over winter it should be removed from the van and regularly charged up during those winter months when the van is laid up.
A charger suitable for leisure batteries is a worthwhile investment
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
We learnt too late, we did try to charge ours but it had cells dead do was advised to change it. Learnt the hard way, as we forgot to put the onboard charger on so we ran a new one out even on electrics. Stupid we left the switch on whilst going form site to site without knowing what the darn switch was for. Not done it since.
Taken out for winter as advised, just ticking it over with charge now and again trickling through
You wouldn't expect a car to sit for months on end & still be able to start. Caravan batteries aren't that different.
When I bought my caravan it had stood for over 2 years. The owner had removed the battery & charged it up every 2 months with a normal battery charger (not a smart charger). It's brilliant. I've even checked it with a Battery Discharge Meter (sometimes called a Drop Tester), & it shows it as being in very good condition.
A well looked after leisure battery should give you good service for at least 6 or 7 years, if not more.
Once again I will post these 2 links, which are very handy for info about batteries.....
With some onboard chargers the surge would blow a fuse. Better to remove and try on a trickle charger first. Should tell you if it has gone altogether.
It's easy to forget that a status aerial (or any electrical item like a light) if left powered up will drain a battery after a while and the ongoing discharge might well damage it. Most motor factors and some accessory outlets will test your battery for you once you have charged it up. Keep your fingers crossed because a leisure battery is not cheap.
Many trickle chargers won't even begin to charge a battery if it's very low, as they won't register a charge to begin with.
A good idea is to use some jump leads from a known good battery or from your car, with the engine running, for a few minutes, just to bump up the voltage a bit, then transfer it to a good charger, smart charger or trickle charger, to finish it off.
Once disconnected from it's charge source you can begin testing to see if it's worth keeping.
You can actually get a brand new 85amp/hr leisure battery on ebay, with a 2 or 3 year guarantee for about £50 delivered. So not the end of the world, but not a mistake you'd want to make every season.