Leisure and/or starter?

[Flightcrew737]

I have a single axle Lunar Freelander EBW with a motor mover. The problem is that the mover keeps cutting out. The leisure battery has been load tested and is in excellent condition.
Now, while deep cycle batteries are excellent for supplying continuous load over a period of time, they aren’t so good at providing a motor mover with the kind of kick it needs - especially if a gradient of any kind is concerned.
I am considering two options. One is to hook another 12v leisure battery in parallel with the existing one. The other is to run the mover off a normal car battery. These excel at providing sudden demands for a lot of current.
Thoughts?

 

[otherclive]

I’ve never had a leisure battery have a problem moving a caravan. Once the initial kick gets the van moving the current draw isn’t that high.
Think you should check a few things out before investing. Things to look for are connections within the battery terminals, connections to the mover controller, and a common weak point is the electrical terminal connections into the motors.

 

[RogerL]

When movers first became popular, their makers recommended a minimum of 80 Ah for leisure batteries as smaller ones wouldn't cope - for many years I used a 70 Ah car battery which worked fine.

Unless you have a particularly small leisure battery, you shouldn't be having issues - the fact that you are suggests to me a fault that needs correcting, rather than changing battery type.

 

[Hutch]

Rather than the battery, I would be looking at all the electrical connections, battery, the fuse, connections to the control box, and to the mover itself,
Is it both sides of the mover or just one side that cuts out? Are the batteries in the controller in good condition?
How old is the motor mover itself and what type.?
Oh and welcome to the forum.

 

[Jcloughie]

After around 30 years of using a mover from a leisure battery without a problem I don’t know why the OP is fixated on the battery as the cause. I would look at the control unit electronics.

John

 

[Dustydog]

As said by the guys above sounds like a classic connection issue.

 

[Ern]

I had a mysterious failure with a caravan very much like the description of the OP.
It was the battery isolator switch. They are designed to spring load the contacts together, but mine was badly made and worked intermittently. I discovered it by connecting a multimeter to the live contacts on the switch and positioning the meter in the window of the caravan and watching the volts drop as the caravan went up the slope across the pavement outside our house.

 

[otherclive]

When my mover clicked out it was the electric terminals into the motors. The rubber gaiters had split letting water in. After cleaning and remaking the connection instead of putting new gaiters on I used electricians putty to seal the connections then overwrapped with self amalgamating silicon tape. Problem sorted.

 

[Challenger]

After around 30 years of using a mover from a leisure battery without a problem I don’t know why the OP is fixated on the battery as the cause. I would look at the control unit electronics.

John

I ad exactly te sae problem as the OP earlier this year with our Powrtouch. It was the control box. Powrtouch technical team were very helpful .

 

[Mandarin]

Had a similar issue with our last van, it was worn out carbon brushes, a simple job to sort out, parts from powrtouch and guidance from. YouTube, at the same time i cleaned, tightened and sealed the electrical connections as mentioned by otherclive.

Oh, to add, check the battery in the hand controller, if that's low it will cause this problem.

 

[figbat]

My mover (and I assume this is the case in general) uses a 'soft start' so there isn't the same spike in current demand that a starter motor demands for an engine. No doubt there is a decent wallop, but not in the same way. As others have suggested, I'd be looking elsewhere.

 

[RogerL]

My mover (and I assume this is the case in general) uses a 'soft start' so there isn't the same spike in current demand that a starter motor demands for an engine. No doubt there is a decent wallop, but not in the same way. As others have suggested, I'd be looking elsewhere.

Older movers didn't have soft start - I don't know if ALL present movers do

 

[bertieboy1]

I have a single axle Lunar Freelander EBW with a motor mover. The problem is that the mover keeps cutting out. The leisure battery has been load tested and is in excellent condition.
Now, while deep cycle batteries are excellent for supplying continuous load over a period of time, they aren’t so good at providing a motor mover with the kind of kick it needs - especially if a gradient of any kind is concerned.
I am considering two options. One is to hook another 12v leisure battery in parallel with the existing one. The other is to run the mover off a normal car battery. These excel at providing sudden demands for a lot of current.
Thoughts?

1. This also happened to me,it turned out to be a loose battery connection.Check that all connections are clean and firm.
2.Beware connecting another battery in parallel this will cause both batteries to equalise in capacity,eg. if one battery is 50Ah and the other 30 Ah then when connected in parallel the resultant Ah capacity of both batteries will be 40Ah.
3.If you can,connect a voltmeter to the battery (fully charged) and note the voltage when starting the mover,if the voltage collapses then the battery cannot supply the current required by the mover and should be replaced.

 

[Woodentop]

If the mover is a Powrtouch, look at the handset when pressing a button. Only one LED - the red one next to the pressed button - should light. If all of the LEDs light the handset battery is stuffed.

 

[Hutch]

We should wait for the OP to reply, but maybe they are away on a trip.

 

[ProfJohnL]

...
2.Beware connecting another battery in parallel this will cause both batteries to equalise in capacity,eg. if one battery is 50Ah and the other 30 Ah then when connected in parallel the resultant Ah capacity of both batteries will be 40Ah.
...

What you have written is not correct. I think you may have mistakenly mixed the effects of parallel and series connection.

In parallel connection, the two batteries will supplement the maximum current that can be drawn, but the voltages will equaliase. This will mean the Ah capacity of both batteries will effectively be added together.

 

[bertieboy1]

What you have written is not correct. I think you may have mistakenly mixed the effects of parallel and series connection.

In parallel connection, the two batteries will supplement the maximum current that can be drawn, but the voltages will equaliase. This will mean the Ah capacity of both batteries will effectively be added together.

What I've said is correct

 

[ProfJohnL]

Please check your text books or the internet for example

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-11/practical-considerations-batteries/#:~:text=Connecting%20batteries%20in%20parallel%20increases,by%20excessive%20cycling%20and%20overcharging

.

 

[otherclive]

Please check your text books or the internet for example

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-11/practical-considerations-batteries/#:~:text=Connecting%20batteries%20in%20parallel%20increases,by%20excessive%20cycling%20and%20overcharging

.

His para 2 can be read two ways, although I must agree my first reading came to the same conclusion as you.

 

[bertieboy1]

Please check your text books or the internet for example

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-11/practical-considerations-batteries/#:~:text=Connecting%20batteries%20in%20parallel%20increases,by%20excessive%20cycling%20and%20overcharging

.

I stand by what I have said,nothing you make reference to contradicts this.

 

[ProfJohnL]

His para 2 can be read two ways, although I must agree my first reading came to the same conclusion as you.

I can see a second interpretation. but it is still incorrect because it implies the capacity of a battery changes when its connected in parallel. The capacity of an individual battery does not change.

 

[bertieboy1]

I can see a second interpretation. but it is still incorrect because it implies the capacity of a battery changes when its connected in parallel. The capacity of an individual battery does not change.

one battery discharges into the the other until both batteries equalise

 

[ProfJohnL]

one battery discharges into the the other until both batteries equalise

Below is a chart of standing terminal voltages vs percentage of charge for AGM and Wet nominal 12V batteries

Source - https://www.ecosoch.com/lead-acid-battery/battery-state-of-charge-for-wet-and-agm/

Please note that the chart does not specify the Ah of the batteries, because the standing voltage is determined by the % of charge remaining not the Ah capacity of the battery.

If two batteries of the same chemical type are connected in parallel, current would only flow between them of there is a difference in their percentage of charge (and thus their standing voltages).

If both batteries are at the same % of charged then and connected in parallel there would be no potential difference between them and thus no current can flow between them.

If the parallel connected batteries are supplying a load, both batteries will lose the % of charge at the same rate, and minimum would reach minimum charge at the same time.

By connecting two or more charged batteries of the same type in parallel, the total Ah capacity is equal to the sum of the individual Ah of each battery.

 

[bertieboy1]

Below is a chart of standing terminal voltages vs percentage of charge for AGM and Wet nominal 12V batteries
View attachment 3867
Source - https://www.ecosoch.com/lead-acid-battery/battery-state-of-charge-for-wet-and-agm/

Please note that the chart does not specify the Ah of the batteries, because the standing voltage is determined by the % of charge remaining not the Ah capacity of the battery.

If two batteries of the same chemical type are connected in parallel, current would only flow between them of there is a difference in their percentage of charge (and thus their standing voltages).

If both batteries are at the same % of charged then and connected in parallel there would be no potential difference between them and thus no current can flow between them.

If the parallel connected batteries are supplying a load, both batteries will lose the % of charge at the same rate, and minimum would reach minimum charge at the same time.

By connecting two or more charged batteries of the same type in parallel, the total Ah capacity is equal to the sum of the individual Ah of each battery.

This only cofirms whatI have said

 

[bertieboy1]

Below is a chart of standing terminal voltages vs percentage of charge for AGM and Wet nominal 12V batteries
View attachment 3867
Source - https://www.ecosoch.com/lead-acid-battery/battery-state-of-charge-for-wet-and-agm/

Please note that the chart does not specify the Ah of the batteries, because the standing voltage is determined by the % of charge remaining not the Ah capacity of the battery.

If two batteries of the same chemical type are connected in parallel, current would only flow between them of there is a difference in their percentage of charge (and thus their standing voltages).

If both batteries are at the same % of charged then and connected in parallel there would be no potential difference between them and thus no current can flow between them.

If the parallel connected batteries are supplying a load, both batteries will lose the % of charge at the same rate, and minimum would reach minimum charge at the same time.

By connecting two or more charged batteries of the same type in parallel, the total Ah capacity is equal to the sum of the individual Ah of each battery.

Your responses only confirm your knowledge of electrical matters.the last statement of your response is true only if both battteries are at equal voltage and state of charge,otherwise one would discharge into the other until they were at equal capacity.