Battery - Just gone flat or a dud ??

[Gra1]

Could anbody please tell me how to tell or work out if a leisure battery is dead and needs replacing.

I have had a 85 Amp battery that is not on the van and over winter I have put it on a trickle charge / perminant float for a few days at a time every now and again to keep it toped up (it was also given a full charge when taken off last Sept). But as soon as it ws put to use, it lasted only a few minutes before dying off.

So my battery - flat in need of a good old charge OR end of its life & the bin (well recycling).

Thanks in advance.

 

[DeliDave_]

Charge it for 24 hours then check each cell with a hydrometer you may find a cell has failed.

 

[TonyH1]

If you've got a volt meter, you should have 13.2 volts(or there abouts) across the terminals of a fully charged battery. If it only reads near that when on charge it's fair to assume the battery isn't holding a charge. If it doesn't even read that when on charge i'd suspect the charger fuse or charger itself. Your local caravan dealer or car accessory shop should be able to test the battery under load for you to give you a definative answer.

 

[David_374572037]

I just had the same problem with my 85 amp/hr battey. Took it out of the van and put on charge for 24hrs. Put it back on the van and all was not well (Lights Dull etc). Put a meter on which showed about 9.6v. I took the battery to my very friendly caravan dealer(Catterick Caravans)who have a battery tester who confirmed I need a new battery. If in doubt take it to your dealer who should be able to test it.

SHOTROCK