How long do Leisure Batteries take to charge up?

Post by **Captain Leisure** » 28 Nov 2008, 19:56

Hi Folks.

Had a loose/worn fanbelt on my '79 T3 Westfalia and both batteries went totally flat.

Got it all sorted and vehicle battery is charging fine but the 85 Ah leisure battery is not giving much power unless the engine is running. This battery is brand new and the alternator is BIG so no worries there.

Took the bus for a 30 mile trip last night and thought this would charge the leisure battery sufficiently but when I jumped in it today it gave hardly any power to lights/Gas heating/stereo etc. but they all ran fine once the engine was fired up.

Before I go down the usual diagnostic routes just quick question as to how long does it take to charge up a leisure battery anyway? I know they are different beasts to regular vehicle batteries so is the charging requirement different?

Also, can it be charged with a normal battery charger or do you require a special charger for leisure batteries?

Thanks for reading.

PS I really need the Truma Gas Heating coz surfing in the North of Scotland in the winter is SO much more pleasant when you can take your wetsuit off in a nice warm Bus!

Post by **fraggers** » 28 Nov 2008, 20:04

I normally charge mine with a standard 12v car battery charger when its a little low, but it does take a while.

Post by **Red Westie** » 28 Nov 2008, 20:37

Standard 4 amp car battery charger for 25-30 hours should get you 100%.
4-5 hours driving will get somewhere around 70% there but then they never really get fully charged just driving unless you go on a really long run.
Use a battery hydrometer to check the electrolyte in each cell, these offer a much more accurate method of checking condition and charge.
Martin

Post by **lloyd** » 28 Nov 2008, 20:42

85 amps divided by 5 amp charge equals 17 hours... but charge rate drops the closer to fully charged the battery gets. 24-30 hours is good guess. Same for mains battery. Just driving van will take forever to charge them up.. and will never fully charge leisure.

Post by **Captain Leisure** » 28 Nov 2008, 22:33

Aaaah I see now........

Many thanks people - all good advice.

Looks like a good dose of charging required then

Will mains hook-up charge the batteries or merely power the 240v stuff?

Post by **lloyd** » 28 Nov 2008, 22:47

Depends on what your mains hookup is.

Post by **Captain Leisure** » 28 Nov 2008, 22:52

Cheers Lloyd I'll look into it - when the temperature gets back above zero