Battery Charging

[missdiamonique]

Can someone please explain why our alarm does not work without being on mains electric? We have replaced our leisure battery, which we thought would solve the problem, but still the alarm won't work. We set the alarm OK but when we returned to the van some weeks later (over the Christmas period) the alarm was not set. We don't understand much about the battery, but would not have thought that it would need charging up already. We are not able to charge the battery up at home as we leave our van on a seasonal pitch, due to having no storage space at home. The alarm was OK on a different site, but our new site won't let us keep the electrics on when we are not there. So what do we do? We should have the alarm on for insurance purposes when we leave the van. We have a charger in the usual place in the van, but how does this charge the battery without the mains being switched on? Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Damian]

Anne, the alarm would seem to be draining your leisure battery, or it may be that whoever installed the alarm has wired it in such a way as when the electrics are turned off , no power is going to the alarm.

You mention having a charger, but you are correct that without mains connected to the van , it will not charge the battery, it cannot,it has no power supply!!

All the time the alarm is armed, it will be drawing power from the battery, and will drain it in a relatively short time.

The only answer is to have a second battery, and keep changing them over every couple of weeks, or if you know exactly how long it takes to discharge,then just before that time.

An alternative is to have a permanently fitted solar panel connected to the battery to keep it charged.

 

[missdiamonique]

Anne, the alarm would seem to be draining your leisure battery, or it may be that whoever installed the alarm has wired it in such a way as when the electrics are turned off , no power is going to the alarm.

You mention having a charger, but you are correct that without mains connected to the van , it will not charge the battery, it cannot,it has no power supply!!

All the time the alarm is armed, it will be drawing power from the battery, and will drain it in a relatively short time.

The only answer is to have a second battery, and keep changing them over every couple of weeks, or if you know exactly how long it takes to discharge,then just before that time.

An alternative is to have a permanently fitted solar panel connected to the battery to keep it charged.

Thanks Damian. I may look into a solar panel. It is very frustrating when things don't work as they should and then it always costs more money to try and resolve problems, even on a new van.

 

[woodbush]

Alarms are rarely supplied from the leisure battery but from a separate battery supply.

Check the handbook and find out what supplies the alarm or find the alarm unit and check the battery.

Steve

 

[mcghee]

Without actually seeing your 'van it's hard to say exactly, but I'd guess that the +ve feed for your alarm has been taken from a point in the 'van which is not constantly live. Have you checked to see if the alarm is operational with the switch set to "van", I can bet you switch this to the off position when you leave the 'van dormant. It's also possible that it's been wired into a point which is only live when the battery is being charged, although this is less likely.

 

[missdiamonique]

Alarms are rarely supplied from the leisure battery but from a separate battery supply.

Check the handbook and find out what supplies the alarm or find the alarm unit and check the battery.

Steve

Thanks for the suggestions. The van is going for a service this weekend to the dealer who fitted the alarm when we took delivery of it new. However, the alarm manufacturer is no longer in business (surprise). I will put your queries to the dealer and when we set it up at our pitch next week I will try your suggestions. Thanks again.

 

[missdiamonique]

Without actually seeing your 'van it's hard to say exactly, but I'd guess that the +ve feed for your alarm has been taken from a point in the 'van which is not constantly live. Have you checked to see if the alarm is operational with the switch set to "van", I can bet you switch this to the off position when you leave the 'van dormant. It's also possible that it's been wired into a point which is only live when the battery is being charged, although this is less likely.

Thanks for your suggestions. I will try them after servicing during next week.

 

[missdiamonique]

Thanks for the suggestions. The van is going for a service this weekend to the dealer who fitted the alarm when we took delivery of it new. However, the alarm manufacturer is no longer in business (surprise). I will put your queries to the dealer and when we set it up at our pitch next week I will try your suggestions. Thanks again.

Just letting you know the van was serviced last week. I mentioned the alarm problem to the dealer, who checked our new battery. Lo and behold, the battery was faulty. They replaced it, of course, and we have set the alarm on site. Fingers crossed, problem solved. Another question now, when we leave our van on our seasonal pitch, when we go home for the week, can we set the fridge to 'battery' and leave it on all week? Of course, the electric hook up will be disconnected. If so, how much power will the leisure battery use? Can we charge the battery with a charger in the van connected to a 3 pin point and if so how many amps will it use. We don't want to trip the electric. Would it be safe to take the battery home and charge it there?

Thanks for any suggestions.