Leisure battery help!

[Didi]

Another step along the learning curve this morning…All ready to go and turned on the motor mover to hitch up. Nothing! Leisure battery is completely drained. We have now connected to the mains at the house and wondering if we should be charging between trips? Also, how long before we can head off? Finally, will the battery charge as we drive (it’s a 3 hour drive). Any help/advice greatly appreciated!!

 

[Woodentop]

For a start how do you know the leisure battery is flat? If the mover won't work it does not necessarily mean you have a flat battery - it could be a handset fault. Have you used a meter to check the battery terminal voltage? Does the battery have a small window on the top which should be showing green?

If your leisure battery is flat then (a) you may need to replace it if its terminal voltage is much below about 9V and (b) if it is flat then something must have been drawing current to drain it. Did you switch the caravan power off last time you parked it up? For that matter is your towing vehicle wired to charge the battery when you are travelling?

It would be helpful to know the make/model/year of your caravan and details of your towing vehicle and the electrical connection between them (i.e. 2x 7pin or1x 13pin.) Indeed, has there been evidence that the battery has worked with you car in the past or is this a new event?

 

[Didi]

Thanks for your reply. It's a Swift Challenger 560 and we're towing with a VW Tiguan. When we connected to the mains at the house, I left it for 15 minutes and then tried the control panel. It said 'Leisure Battery' critically low and beeped loudly. Now when I have turned on the control panel, it lights up but only the awning light button is responding.

 

[Didi]

This will be our 5th trip since the Summer time. Our trips are usually about 3 - 4 days.