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Topic: battery question

leedzlad2004

16/5/2019 at 6:11pm
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Outfit: 2011 elddis chatsworth 515

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our caravan is in storage and it was charged up a couple of weeks ago and when you flick the power switch its reading 12v we are going on a 70 mile journey and the car will be trickle charging the battery will there be enough power at the other end to use the motor mover

and a other question is if we have had it in winter storage for 6 months and we do the same journey will the charge from the car be enough to power the mover

trog100

16/5/2019 at 7:37pm
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hard to say.. a fully charged battery should read 12.5 volts with no load..

the car journey wont put that much in it

it all comes down to how good the battery is.. they lose capacity with use and time..

the problem is even a worn out battery with very little capacity left will give the same fully charged reading as a new one..

trog

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navver

16/5/2019 at 8:11pm
Location: West country
Outfit: Mondeo

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Charging while towing is pretty poor, probably about 2 amps on average.

The alternator reduces the voltage output when the car battery becomes fully charged within a few miles only.

On top of that there is voltage drop in the cabling all the way from the front of the car to the battery in the caravan so the van battery sees less volts than the car battery and hence only gets a small proportion of the alternator charge.

spiritburner

16/5/2019 at 8:38pm
Location: NE England
Outfit: Citroen Dispatch Campervan plus tents

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Would getting solar fitted to the van keep the battery in good fettle if stored outside?

trog100

16/5/2019 at 11:42pm
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the first question that needs answering..

how good is your battery.. ??

trog

ericmark

17/5/2019 at 1:03am
Location: North Wales
Outfit: Elddis

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With a DC to DC inverter you can charge at quite a reasonable rate, with a simple relay the rate is much lower, and with blocking diodes even less, and with regenerative braking on the car less again.

Although we can charge the NiMh battery reasonably fast, the lead acid battery from 10% to 80% charge with best charger takes around 4 hours, and from 80% to 100% another 4 hours, so even with a DC to DC inverter it will not put that much into the battery.

Even with 8 hours under way, the narrow boat users still have problems recharging their batteries, with alternator to battery inverters which combine the output of two 70A alternators, so what chance do you think the caravan user has?

leedzlad2004

17/5/2019 at 3:18pm
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Outfit: 2011 elddis chatsworth 515

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ok its in storage near work so I think I will just bring the battery home and charge before I need it 2 more questions

1. I presume its a normal car battery charger

2. these solar panels ive seen on ebay put them in your window and trickle charge your caravan battery

any good or just a gimmick

JTQU

17/5/2019 at 3:33pm
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S

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Quote: Originally posted by leedzlad2004 on 17/5/2019
ok its in storage near work so I think I will just bring the battery home and charge before I need it 2 more questions

1. I presume its a normal car battery charger

2. these solar panels ive seen on ebay put them in your window and trickle charge your caravan battery

any good or just a gimmick

The sooner you recharge the battery the longer it will last; leaving our batteries not fully charged damages them. This the more severly they are discharged, and increasing with time. Best by far to recharge ASAP.

A car charger is fine, but these come in many forms. If it is not a "smart charger" don't leave it on longer than needed to recharge the battery. Overcharging again quickly damages batteries. Ideally use a smart charger.

Solar panels fitted in windows are IMO near useless. The window plastic weakens the value of the light, and being in a window inevitably means they to some extent get shadows cast on them. Shadowing panels devestates their output, way out of proportion to the amount of shading involved. Windows are unlikely to be big enough for a decent Wattage sized panel to be fitted. Things just get much worse in winter.

navver

17/5/2019 at 8:13pm
Location: West country
Outfit: Mondeo

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Output from solar panels varies a lot from summer to winter. We have a 100watt panel and it keeps the battery charged all year round.

With solar you have to be careful not to overcharge the battery. Ours has a smart controller as part of the system. This does all the things of a smart battery charger ensuring the battery is maintained in tip top condition.

A small panel may be OK without a smart controller but will then probably not be enough in winter.

spiritburner

17/5/2019 at 10:43pm
Location: NE England
Outfit: Citroen Dispatch Campervan plus tents

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Quote: Originally posted by leedzlad2004 on 17/5/2019

2. these solar panels ive seen on ebay put them in your window and trickle charge your caravan battery

any good or just a gimmick

We have a 150w panel on our roof with the control gadgetry & our leisure battery seems to beat max whenever I check it but we're not leaving for long periods of time. Also not had it for a winter yet.

leedzlad2004

19/5/2019 at 11:45am
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ok going to buy a car charger

I only need it for the motor mover once the caravan is in place it will be hooked up to the mains

takisawa

via mobile 16/6/2019 at 9:36am
Location: Staffs
Outfit: Swift Challenger 490 SEL & VW Tiguan

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After recommendations on here, I bought a CTek battery conditioner / charger. It was about £50 I think. The battery, when not in the caravan, lives in the garage permanently connected to the CTek, which keeps it perfectly conditioned. I even attach it to the car if not in use for a few weeks.
A couple of years ago we had a leisure explore whilst on the caravan. Luckily I had opened the compartment door as we noticed a smell. Moments earlier the children had been walking past it. I’m not sure exactly why it exploded but I’ve not used the caravan battery charger since it happened.

bnmuk

via mobile 17/6/2019 at 7:50am
Location: n.yorks
Outfit: Audi Q5 lunar Clubm

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I replaced the charger for a smart charger, when i put it in storage i disconnect the battery to make sure theres no discharge,doesn't need a big run to top the battery to full

-------------
alan

moorlander999

17/6/2019 at 7:10pm
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my mate bought a cheap solar trickle charger from Aldi ...£19.99. connects to his van battery when in the storage yard and hasn't let him down yet .

hurlingfrootmig

17/6/2019 at 7:27pm
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Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 17/5/2019
Solar panels fitted in windows are IMO near useless. The window plastic weakens the value of the light, and being in a window inevitably means they to some extent get shadows cast on them. Shadowing panels devestates their output, way out of proportion to the amount of shading involved. Windows are unlikely to be big enough for a decent Wattage sized panel to be fitted. Things just get much worse in winter.

Agree - I get about 1W off my 50W Panel when it’s in the window in full sun. Not enough to keep battery charged and run tracker over the winter, so I put a 20W panel on the roof, which is just enough.

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