URGENT help... please! Battery issue, out camping.

[purplecrocs]

Hi, sorry for the urgency but my wife is away in the van with the kids and is reporting the battery (starter one) is making a noise while shes hooked up to the electricity.(says it sounds like an old modem)

Its a Westfalia, so there is a battery charger running while its hooked up to the mains. Never heard this noise before - is it dangerous? We recently had battery problems in that it went completely dead but the garage charged it back up after replacing a faulty alternator - this is its first outing.

Any advice on what to do... is it doing this because its fully charged and nothing to worry about ... or because it knackered and about to explode!? if its not good it there an easy way of turning off the charger?

Thanks!

[Hacksawbob]

It sounds like it might the Westy "buzzing black box" charger under the seat doing its thing also shortened to BBB. There is no way to turn it off if you dont want it to make noise then trip out the breaker switch where the bench meets the kitchen unit near the floor.

[fodtommo]

mmm if it is the battery itself making the noise - it might have had it, they sometimes make a fizzing/buzzing noise when theyve had it and you try and charge them.

I would get her to disconnect the battery to be on the safe side.

[purplecrocs]

Yes. It's the battery making the noise. Would she be ok to just disconnect the negative terminal?

[Oldiebut goodie]

Yes, but it would need to be reconnected before she drives anywhere.

[purplecrocs]

Assume theres no way of just turning off the black box charger is there? I don't recall there being a switch or anything on it...

[ghost123uk]

Yes, for safety sake it is the NEGATIVE lead to remove. Safety as in if the spanner being used touches owt, it won't matter. If you make that error when on the +ve terminal it can be VERY serious / dangerous.

If the battery is flat or partially flat (or knackered) then the charger can / will make a buzzing noise whilst it is working hard to charge / try to charge the battery,

If it were me, I would listen carefully, turn off the mains and see if the noise stopped IMMEDIATELY the mains went off. If it does it is likely the charger making the noise, if it carries on making the noise, even for a few seconds, it might be the battery making the noise AND THAT NEEDS LOOKING INTO URGENTLY. A battery making a noise indicates to me a dangerous situation and should be disconnected immediately and be checked by an experienced person.

[purplecrocs]

She says it def the battery making the noise - not the charger. Stops when hook up is disconnected. Have advised her to basically not use the electric hookup - she's not confident in removing the neg lead of the battery