Flat battery

[Silky]

Hi Marian,
Welcome to the forum by another who doesn't have much of a clue Well done for taking the bull by the horns and getting to grips with the van, I'm sure it'll bring you a lot of comfort.

You'll get lots of good advice on here and don't ever worry about asking daft questions - most of mine fall into that category.
I hope you soon get out and about in the van and enjoy some good camping trips.

Silky x

[philandmarian]

Both batteries did need replacing. Neither would hold a charge. How long do you expect a battery to last? Some one said 3 years to me which doesn't seem very long. All well with batteries, now to sort out the exhaust!

[ghost123uk]

3 Years is about right for the leisure battery, 5 years more normal for the main battery, BUT an awful lot depends on how they have been treated. If a battery such as these is allowed to go flat, it takes a heck of a chunk of their service life away. Run them flat a few times and they often then fail. The trick is to keep them fully charged up. So if you are not using the van, charge them up once a month with a home powered battery charger. You also need to check that nothing is "draining" them when the van is standing unused. Some car radios are particularly bad for this and alarm systems can also drain your battery. If not sure, just remove the -ve lead from each of the batteries when not in use (Note = you may have to re-tune your radio after doing this).