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Battery Charging

J

Jason_374358399

My mover stopped working on the weekend, and the resultant fault was diagnosed as the battery. I had some problems with the charger on the van, and had to have it changed last week so it got low(it was in a 5 month old Bailey senator). I am new to caravaning, and after speaking to the dealer, he informed me that chargers on caravans are only to top up and do not actually charge the battery. They told me that I should charge the battery every couple of weeks with a mains charger. I have spoken to a caravan mechanic, and he has told me this is not right and that the battery should get charged when plugged in to the mains!! Who is right!!! I am new to all of this, so I am not sure!! Thanks.
 
as far as im aware they battery charger should charge you battery from flat, it will be a trickle charge so wont be as fast a a car one.

your mechanic is right
 
you would need to know the output of the charger but i normally leave mine on charge for 48h's before i go, which is well more than enough for my 85ah battery.

reguards mike
 
Hello Jason,

Both are right, but this obviously needs some explanation. The system fitted into your caravan is a power supply and only produces a maximum output voltage of 13.8V. This will charge a battery but it will not fully charge it. The reason for this is to prevent the battery from being damaged or over charged when you use the caravan on a mains hook up. It also limits the amount of hydrogen gas liberated by the battery thus reducing the risk of an explosion.

To fully charge the battery you need a proper battery charger. These can produce voltages as high as 14.5V. This fully charges the cells but if left connected after the battery has reached its full charge, the electrolyte will boil off, liberating hydrogen, and eventually ruining the battery.

The caravan system if used on a mains hook up will keep a healthy charge in a good battery and should be more than enough to run a mover.
 
Hello Jason,

Both are right, but this obviously needs some explanation. The system fitted into your caravan is a power supply and only produces a maximum output voltage of 13.8V. This will charge a battery but it will not fully charge it. The reason for this is to prevent the battery from being damaged or over charged when you use the caravan on a mains hook up. It also limits the amount of hydrogen gas liberated by the battery thus reducing the risk of an explosion.

To fully charge the battery you need a proper battery charger. These can produce voltages as high as 14.5V. This fully charges the cells but if left connected after the battery has reached its full charge, the electrolyte will boil off, liberating hydrogen, and eventually ruining the battery.

The caravan system if used on a mains hook up will keep a healthy charge in a good battery and should be more than enough to run a mover.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the explanation, appreciated.
 
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