How to know if my battery should be changed

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K

Kai

Mar 21, 2024
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I found my motor mover was struggling or failing to get my van on kerbs or ramps, does it mean I need to change the battery? I got it from previous van owner, don’t know age.
 
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Beardy

Oct 19, 2023
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Kai said:
I found my motor mover was struggling or failing to get my van on kerbs or ramps, does it mean I need to change the battery? I got it from previous van owner, don’t know age.
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It's not easy to test a battery without the correct equipment, and it isn't worth buying the equipment for a one off test. If you google 'free battery test' you may find somewhere local that will test it for you - I believe Halfords offer this service.
 
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IanB1485

Apr 23, 2024
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Charge it up independently so its fully charged then use to move the van , when it gives up ,just measure the voltage if it below 12.6V it's a fair chance it's had it .It's not precise but Spending about £100 on a new one will give you piece of mind.Then you have think why the first battery failed. Do you have solar panels fitted or do you regularly remove the battery when in storage , particularly in winter, and keep warm and charge it up ( lead acid batteries don't survive well if slightly flat and left in the cold).
 
K

Kai

Mar 21, 2024
37
4
535
IanB1485 said:
Charge it up independently so its fully charged then use to move the van , when it gives up ,just measure the voltage if it below 12.6V it's a fair chance it's had it .It's not precise but Spending about £100 on a new one will give you piece of mind.Then you have think why the first battery failed. Do you have solar panels fitted or do you regularly remove the battery when in storage , particularly in winter, and keep warm and charge it up ( lead acid batteries don't survive well if slightly flat and left in the cold).
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I have mains and 100w solar panel in a camping site.
 
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IanB1485

Apr 23, 2024
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trevormonty's idea is sound , try it with another battery to confirm its not something in the mover system (bad or corroded connection).
 
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Ukdave2002

May 15, 2023
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Charge you battery up, connect a headlamp bulb, assuming its a 55W bulb, if you get over 12 hours of light then you should, have a battery with enough usable capacity to operate a mover.

If you get less, the battery may be sulphated, sulphation happens when the battery’s voltage drops to below 12.4V and the battery is allowed to remain discharged for a period of time. If a battery is sulphated, use of a charger with a desulphation mode will help remove the sulphate from the plates.
 
Mel

Mel

Moderator
Mar 17, 2007
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Just double check that the connectors on the terminals are on tight. We had an issue with a non moving mover and it was simply that one battery terminal connector was a bit loose.
Hope it is as easy as that.
Mel
 
B

Beardy

Oct 19, 2023
609
483
1,135
Ukdave2002 said:
Charge you battery up, connect a headlamp bulb, assuming its a 55W bulb, if you get over 12 hours of light then you should, have a battery with enough usable capacity to operate a mover.
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The problem with this is judging the amount of light. Even at 9v the bulb will be giving off some light. I used a similar method I detailed in the thread below but took voltage and current readings to get a better picture of the battery state. (and found that my 100ah battery was holding around 20ah).

Intermittent Motor Mover

Had to move the van today but the Powrtouch mover decided to play up. Main battery fully charged, new battery in the remote Switch on and it would move for about 3 seconds then stop, switch it off, switch it on and again work for another 3 seconds and so on and so on. Any ideas folks?
forums.practicalcaravan.com forums.practicalcaravan.com
 
Beachball

Beachball

Jan 3, 2012
11,036
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When we got our latest caravan we were going to put a brand new battery but when the battery was checked on the van it said Fair and that was at 13.8 it has two solar panels on the roof .
 
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