skegmacca Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hello Vampers Have just brought a 2006 Bailey Senator Arizona, it came with a 110ah leisure battery but do not know how old it is or it's history I have charged the battery but the charger never reaches a status of fully charged only ever 80% When on charge my multi meter gives a reading of 13. 0v and after 2 hours a reading of 13. 9v so do not understand why charger not showing fully charged Would you suggest that the battery is starting to fail? The charger does go to fully charged with my car battery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepyfolk Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 It's highly likely that its a slightly abused caravan battery, the majority probably aren't that well looked after and are allowed to deep discharge and get left for days before being charged, once this happens they will not recover to 100%. Might just be me misreading but you said that voltage reads x when "on charge", did you take this reading with the charger turned off or you will be reading the output of the charger not the battery voltage? What is the voltage reading of your battery when disconnected after being on charge? It is always sad you should leave the battery for 24hrs after being charged to obtain a sound voltage reading - should be 12. 7v or thereabouts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David 38 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 What is the voltage reading of your battery when disconnected after being on charge? It is always sad you should leave the battery for 24hrs after being charged to obtain a sound voltage reading - should be 12. 7v or thereabouts I thought the normal chargers could not get a fully charged reading of 12. 7v and would only show around 12. 5v for a not fully charged battery. Thought also a Smart charger was needed with a charge rate of over 14v to get a full charge indicated by 12. 7v. Quote Regards, David Peugeot 308 GT Premium, 1.5 diesel 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 How many stages is the charger? It may be going through a desulphator cycle if it is smart enough? You need to wait for 24 hours after taking the battery off charge and then check the voltage, if it is 12. 6 to 12. 7 it should be half reasonable. You could always stick the battery on a good desulphator now and you may recover the battery fairly nicely, I think a desulphator is a good investment. I assembled my own desulphator from this supplier on eBay --> http://www. ebay. co. uk/itm/12V-HP-LV-cut-off-Battery-Charger-Desulphator-Kit-/190846355622?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Battery_Chargers&hash=item2c6f5448a6 Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metz Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hi, Charge your battery for 24 hours, take it to Bushs or Brailsford and get it drop tested, this will confirm whether it's good or dud. Quote Skegness 'The Sunnier Side of Britain' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skegmacca Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Many thanks all for your input, will take a reading tomorrow and see what I get Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepyfolk Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I thought the normal chargers could not get a fully charged reading of 12. 7v and would only show around 12. 5v for a not fully charged battery. Thought also a Smart charger was needed with a charge rate of over 14v to get a full charge indicated by 12. 7v. I am inclined to agree with you, there's another thread going on and the guy has a smart charger - I thought this op did as well, Tictag did a test a little while ago on here and found that there wasn't a great deal of difference between his onboard and his smart charger but I think you're right - in the main I'd go with a smart charger to get a full charge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_B Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Just a thought but when you checked the fluid levels was there any that was low, or if you've checked with a hydrometer did you notice any discolouration of the fluid. Quote Paul B . .......Mondeo Estate & Elddis Avanté 505 (Tobago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skegmacca Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Yes I did check the levels which were ok Smart chargers not looking very cheap any recommendations that don't break the already broken bank or should I just bite the bullet and go for a new one that will last 4 years plus 1st things 1st will check voltage tomorrow then get a drop test done before I shell out more £££'s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Yes I did check the levels which were ok Smart chargers not looking very cheap any recommendations that don't break the already broken bank or should I just bite the bullet and go for a new one that will last 4 years plus 1st things 1st will check voltage tomorrow then get a drop test done before I shell out more £££'s The smart chargers from Aldi and Lidle are fantastic but they are seasonal offers. A good unlit unit to last would be a ctek mxs 5. 0 IMHO. Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansoady Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I agree on the Ctek - have this model and it works very well for all my vehicles (except the 6 volt Matchless!) Quote Ian. 2013 Freelander 2 SD4 Auto / 2005 Bailey Pageant Vendée; 1952 Norton ES2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W77 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Yes I did check the levels which were ok Smart chargers not looking very cheap any recommendations that don't break the already broken bank or should I just bite the bullet and go for a new one that will last 4 years plus 1st things 1st will check voltage tomorrow then get a drop test done before I shell out more £££'s Buy yourself a Hydrometer, costs a couple of quid and you can tell at a glance if you have a dead cell. Quote 2015 SorentoKX2 pulling a 2011 Sterling Eccles Moonstone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skegmacca Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Ctek MXS 5. 0 has arrived today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Ctek MXS 5. 0 has arrived today Hope you are happy with it. Only reason I prefer the 5. 0 over the 7. 0 is that the 5. 0 has a longer warranty. Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skegmacca Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Yes 5 years, got the new red button model, nice and simple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) Yes 5 years, got the new red button model, nice and simple! Only 2 years on the mxs 7. 0 - I found out after buying one - I later sold it, so no issues Edited January 4, 2014 by dreadly Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_B Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 3 years on my Aldi & Lidl ones Quote Paul B . .......Mondeo Estate & Elddis Avanté 505 (Tobago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtrailman Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 My 9 year old caravan battery is permanently left in the caravan, and only gets a monthly top up from the onboard charger, and fully charges from it at around 13. 8 volts, a smart charger isn't required. As said a £5 hydrometer from Halfords is worth buying to test from both charge condition and any suspect cells. 3 years on my Aldi & Lidl ones I have one as an emergency spare in case the onboard goes belly up on holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 My 9 year old caravan battery is permanently left in the caravan, and only gets a monthly top up from the onboard charger, and fully charges from it at around 13. 8 volts, a smart charger isn't required. As said a £5 hydrometer from Halfords is worth buying to test from both charge condition and any suspect cells. I have one as an emergency spare in case the onboard goes belly up on holiday. What do you use to charge your CX-5 battery then :) Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapmag Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 3 years on my Aldi & Lidl ones Very happy with mine and relatively cheap too!!!! G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtrailman Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 (edited) What do you use to charge your CX-5 battery then :) As you know my CX-5 failed to start twice, and has been to two different garages, the last one said they couldn't find anything wrong, but since they had it the cars been charging as I would expect, typically over 14 volts,max 14. 7v, and hasn't failed to start since. According to the first dealer at Newcastle they say using a smart charger won't charge the stop start type battery, and their machine cost £3K to buy, the recommendation is to use a charger up to 17 volts which can charge at 20% IIRC of the rating, which is 110va for the diesel, confusing isn't it. Obviously the caravan battery is just the good old reliable type. Edited January 5, 2014 by xtrailman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadly Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 As you know my CX-5 failed to start twice, and has been to two different garages, the last one said they couldn't find anything wrong, but since they had it the cars been charging as I would expect, typically over 14 volts,max 14. 7v, and hasn't failed to start since. According to the first dealer at Newcastle they say using a smart charger won't charge the stop start type battery, and their machine cost £3K to buy, the recommendation is to use a charger up to 17 volts which can charge at 20% IIRC of the rating, which is 110va for the diesel, confusing isn't it. Obviously the caravan battery is just the good old reliable type. Erm, yes, I have a spare 3k to spend on a battery charger Quote An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtrailman Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Sorry I mean 110 AH battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beejay Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Yes I did check the levels which were ok Smart chargers not looking very cheap any recommendations that don't break the already broken bank or should I just bite the bullet and go for a new one that will last 4 years plus 1st things 1st will check voltage tomorrow then get a drop test done before I shell out more £££'s A battery may show fully charged but that is not an indication of the capacity. A badly maintained battery could be down to half its original capacity but still show 12. 7 volts after charging. It's how long it will supply that voltage that matters and a drop test is the best way of checking the condition. A desulphating charge may cause hardened sulphate to shed from the plates and accumulate in the bottom of the cells and possibly cause short circuits. All batteries have a finite life which depends on correct use and maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtrailman Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Apparently the best way to check a battery is by using an conductance tester. http://www. theaa. com/motoring_advice/breakdown_advice/flat_battery_advice. html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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