Checking the caravan battery charge

[Bernard_374236545]

Apologies, I originally posted this message on the wrong forum - 1st time user.

I have a Coachman Amara 380/2 and the voltmeter is not working.

Due to my wife's ill health I have recently had a caravan mover fitted, as I sometimes cannot put the caravan into position myself. Consequently, I have to be sure that the battery is at peak performance at all times.

What is the best way to check that the caravan's built in charger is actually charging the caravan battery?

Bernard

 

[Danny_5134221]

Bernard

Put a volt meter across the + and - of the battery with the mains power turned off to the van, it should read somewhere around 12v.

Now turn the mains power back on and the reading should increase indicating a charge is going to the battery.

Another way if you have no volt meter is to turn on the 12v lights in the van and turn on and off the mains supply, the 12v lights should go dim and brighter indicating again the battery is getting a charge supply.

 

[Lol1]

Not an easy one to check, Bernard. Using a voltmeter is only going to tell you a little, like the fact that the charger is supplying at least something to the battery. It's not going to tell you that the battery is keeping that charge. The only way to be sure is to test the battery itself. Ultimately, that means putting it under a load for a set period of time and observing what it does. Not really practical when caravaning I'm afraid, so perhaps the best method is to do the normal routine checks of electrolyte level and specific gravity (if it's possible), along with making sure the clamps and wires all fit well. Replace the voltmeter, at least this will tell you if the caravan charger becomes faulty. If you do rely on the mover, how about keeping a smaller battery in reserve, should your main one fail?

 

[Bernard_374236545]

Many Thanks to Danny & Lol for your prompt responses - I'll try out your suggestions tomorrow.

Bernard

 

[Saladdodger]

Iv'e been wondering about the posibillity of inserting a ammeter in series with one of the battery leads, this would

A tell what actual current is being taken from the battery

and

B tell if the charger is working and is keping up with demands of what is being used by 12v items.

Or is this a stupid idea?

 

[BigAl1]

Its a stupid idea

 

[JeremyClarksson]

It is not such a stupid idea, a lot of cars have them.

It is useful for fault tracing sometimes (i.e. is fridge drawing current) when used in individual circuits but I would not wire one in permanently - you are introducing more places for a fault to ocur, it will result in an admitably very small loss of power and needs to be more flexible for tracing faults.

In series with the battery it will only tell you what current is passing through the battery, it would not help in tracing a fridge fault when the fridge is running off the car.

 

[rayc]

Salad dodger, If you connect an ammeter in series then you must make sure that the wiring will take the maximum charge / discharge current. I personally don't see the point - do you really care if you are charging at 5A or 4A or whatever? I had a voltmeter which had green, amber and red sections. You could always tell when the charger was On as the voltmeter moved to the upper end of the green.