Connected to mains hook up. Trickle charge main battery?

[Pullafacial]

Hi guys.

I have another newbie question for you.
I went to my van today after 10 days or so and the battery didn't have enough power to start the engine.
If I leave it permanently connected to the mains via the hook up connection, will that keep the battery topped up?

My other thought was to just get one of those battery conditioner thingys.

Thanks

[ringo]

All vans are different so who knows?

However, even if your van had got a battery charger installed (if you can't see one then check the voltage of your leisure battery before you plug it in and then after - the voltage should shoot up) I doubt very much it will be charging the engine battery. I'd be checking for lights left on etc.

As a new owner you are about to embark on a wonderful journey - finding out about all your vans little secrets!

Good luck,

Ringo

[AdrianC]

I went to my van today after 10 days or so and the battery didn't have enough power to start the engine.

After only ten days, that's a problem. Time to start diagnosing the actual issue, rather than just hope that a charger will mask it. Have you got a multimeter? You'll find it VERY useful, and they're not expensive - £15-20 will get you a decent one that'll do everything you'll need.

Get your mitts on one, then you can also figure out the charger side for yourself. With the van plugged into mains, anything ~12.5v or lower is just the battery, anything ~13.5v or higher is charging. Anything around ~12.5-13v is likely to be a nice clever charger just trickling away.

To diagnose the battery drain, have a search - there's plenty of threads and advice. But, basically, remove the -ve battery clamp, and put the meter on an amp setting between the clamp and the terminal. It should be lower than about 0.1A. DO NOT TRY TO START THE VAN. You might also get a quick initial flick up if you've got a modernish stereo, as it sets itself up.

If you're seeing a drain more than that, remove the stereo front panel. That's the usual suspect. Other than that, remove all the fuses one by one, but your most likely cause will be anything that a previous owner's added in.

[Pullafacial]

Thanks, that's really useful info.
I have a multimeter somewhere so ill dig it out over the next day or two and have a measure.
I've taken a photo of the charger installed:



On a different note, slept in the van for the first night in the back garden.
Not the most adventurous spot I know but the kids have been crazing me!
Surprised me how comfy and warm it was.

[California Dreamin]

Looks like a very basic 6amp charger so it's a good bet that it isn't smart (variable output with float charge facility) and most likely just the one output to the leisure battery.

Martin