Best Battery and Charger for Standby Battery

[Paule39]

You don't need sun to get a charge - you will still get something when overcast just not as much as a full on sunny day.

I know, was just kidding, the wiring in is what puts me off though....

[BOXY]

Solar is ok if you can get sufficient light. I've got three panels in my van a 14W in the back and a couple of 20W on the work top. In the summer when I can leave them outside wild-camping they keep the batteries topped-up easily, but in the winter they can hardly keep up with the drain of the alarm, tracker and stereo. Where I park, the van is lucky to get more than a couple of hours sunlight before it's in shadow

[Paule39]

Solar is ok if you can get sufficient light. I've got three panels in my van a 14W in the back and a couple of 20W on the work top. In the summer when I can leave them outside wild-camping they keep the batteries topped-up easily, but in the winter they can hardly keep up with the drain of the alarm, tracker and stereo. Where I park, the van is lucky to get more than a couple of hours sunlight before it's in shadow

So maybe the original option I had for battery on standby is the best?

[California Dreamin]

No mate.....it doesn't work if you 'play at it'! it works very well when done properly, hence the reason I said a 100 watt panel.
54 watts from 3 different panels, 40 watts sat inside the van on a work top and the 14 watt sat at 45 degrees to any sun its hardly surprising that BOXY's set up was less than adequate (no offence to BOXY).
Admittedly mounting them is the issue but once its done its done and they really aren't that difficult. The wiring itself is pretty much child's play paint be numbers.


Martin

[BOXY]

(no offence to BOXY).

None taken. I ended up with three panels as I picked them up "cheap" over a few months. They are wired in on long leads, via charge controllers, with quick release plugs. It means I can position them anywhere around the van when off-grid. In the summer it works pretty well, but in the winter, parked on the street, "less than adequate" is being polite.
Having a spare battery fills the gap in the winter until I upgrade the panels.

[ghost123uk]

Or just keep a half decent, well charged battery at home, them when you need to use the van, just take that with you and use a set of (decent) jump leads to fire it up, then disconnect the spare battery. The alternator will then do it's job in charging up the normal starter battery as you drive. Just don't let the main battery fall much below a reading of around 11.8Volts or it will be adversely affected.

Thanks - I thought doing that would eventually knacker the battery though (i.e. regular jump starts)?

Jump starting does not damage the battery in any way at all

p.s. - just saw your last post re the weather. As far as I know, and in my experience, cold weather shouldn't cause a battery to go flat any faster than in warm weather (though it does cause a battery to be unable to produce as many starting Amps as compared to warmer conditions).

You might be right - it was 11.5v this morning and wouldn't start, so had to jump start it,,,

The weather has no effect on the Voltage, but cold weather does have a (slight) effect on the Amperage.
If yours was only reading 11.5 Volts (ie = flat), the either something is draining it, or it's cream crackered.

[Paule39]

No mate.....it doesn't work if you 'play at it'! it works very well when done properly, hence the reason I said a 100 watt panel.
54 watts from 3 different panels, 40 watts sat inside the van on a work top and the 14 watt sat at 45 degrees to any sun its hardly surprising that BOXY's set up was less than adequate (no offence to BOXY).
Admittedly mounting them is the issue but once its done its done and they really aren't that difficult. The wiring itself is pretty much child's play paint be numbers.


Martin

Thanks - I might have a look at that then (external fixing) - do you know if there is a link that will walk through the wiring (cant see anything in the wiki).

[Paule39]

Or just keep a half decent, well charged battery at home, them when you need to use the van, just take that with you and use a set of (decent) jump leads to fire it up, then disconnect the spare battery. The alternator will then do it's job in charging up the normal starter battery as you drive. Just don't let the main battery fall much below a reading of around 11.8Volts or it will be adversely affected.

Thanks - I thought doing that would eventually knacker the battery though (i.e. regular jump starts)?

Jump starting does not damage the battery in any way at all

Thanks - thats a relief !

p.s. - just saw your last post re the weather. As far as I know, and in my experience, cold weather shouldn't cause a battery to go flat any faster than in warm weather (though it does cause a battery to be unable to produce as many starting Amps as compared to warmer conditions).

You might be right - it was 11.5v this morning and wouldn't start, so had to jump start it,,

The weather has no effect on the Voltage, but cold weather does have a (slight) effect on the Amperage.
If yours was only reading 11.5 Volts (ie = flat), the either something is draining it, or it's cream crackered.

I don't think its knackered - I will have to find whats draining its, although it is odd that it only happens in winter - perhaps I should get a higher spec battery?

[ghost123uk]

The weather has no effect on the Voltage, but cold weather does have a (slight) effect on the Amperage.
If yours was only reading 11.5 Volts (ie = flat), the either something is draining it, or it's cream crackered.

I don't think its knackered - I will have to find what's draining its, although it is odd that it only happens in winter - perhaps I should get a higher spec battery?

Don't look for a higher spec battery, that is just curing the symptoms, not the cause. Check for a drain on it first, if no significant drain is found, the next check is the battery itself. Should read ~12.9V after an overnight charge and a 12 hour rest, then after another 24 hour rest measure again, if below say 12.5 Volts it's knackered. All the above done with the battery disconnected.

My bet is it's on it's way out

Winter is a time when batteries get killed, not because of the temperature, but because the starting loads on them are higher due to thick oil and longer cranking times before the engine fires up.

[CovKid]

Aye, a slightly 'iffy' battery that worked ok in the Summer gets put to the test this time of year. 'Iffy' can be anything from an old one or that may have been run flat then recharged a while back, all of which weakens it.

[Paule39]

The weather has no effect on the Voltage, but cold weather does have a (slight) effect on the Amperage.
If yours was only reading 11.5 Volts (ie = flat), the either something is draining it, or it's cream crackered.

I don't think its knackered - I will have to find what's draining its, although it is odd that it only happens in winter - perhaps I should get a higher spec battery?

Don't look for a higher spec battery, that is just curing the symptoms, not the cause. Check for a drain on it first, if no significant drain is found, the next check is the battery itself. Should read ~12.9V after an overnight charge and a 12 hour rest, then after another 24 hour rest measure again, if below say 12.5 Volts it's knackered. All the above done with the battery disconnected.

My bet is it's on it's way out

Winter is a time when batteries get killed, not because of the temperature, but because the starting loads on them are higher due to thick oil and longer cranking times before the engine fires up.

Aye, a slightly 'iffy' battery that worked ok in the Summer gets put to the test this time of year. 'Iffy' can be anything from an old one or that may have been run flat then recharged a while back, all of which weakens it.

Thanks All, I'll get the battery tested as suggested - it was ok 3 months back, but will test as suggested and try and find out the cause as well

[tensilekid]

Solar is the way 100w panel stepcharger controller no more problems chargers or hook-ups . Flex panel on the westy roof and if there is light there is charge (more than enough for clock, radio ,alarm)

[CovKid]

Flexi about the only way I could go with a tintop.

[Paule39]

Aye, a slightly 'iffy' battery that worked ok in the Summer gets put to the test this time of year. 'Iffy' can be anything from an old one or that may have been run flat then recharged a while back, all of which weakens it.

^Tips Hat^
So, turns out it WAS a slightly iffy battery Took it out and fully charged it but voltage dropped overnight when fully charged, so although there is life in it, its definitely got an "iffy" sticker on it now. It would explain why it was ok in the winter as well

Bought a new varta D21 last week, in the van all week and not driven - voltage remains the same.

I took the opportunity to whip the leisure battery (also Varta D21) out as well as that had seriously discharged and it turns out that now also needs replacing (sulphated). I think both were about 5 years old.

Question is:
Should I run the van without the leisure battery in situ- will it damage the starter battery? I cant see why it would, but not 100% certain
Should I just go for another Varta D21 (£54) or a more powerful LB?

[ghost123uk]

My bet is it's on it's way out

So, turns out it WAS a slightly iffy battery

Should I run the van without the leisure battery in situ- will it damage the starter battery? I cant see why it would, but not 100% certain

No problem at all, as long as you very safely insulate any / all live wires you have removed of course.

Should I just go for another Varta D21 (£54) or a more powerful LB?

Just go for the biggest one that will fit where yours is located. There is a whole section in the wiki about what fits and what is best buys.
Note you can use a normal battery as a leisure battery. If you choose a leisure only type, don't be tempted to use it to jump start the van. Most leisure batteries are not built to do that.