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!!
Leisure battery help!
- Thread starter Didi
- Start date
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?
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?
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.
Not much help to you at the moment but I can recomend an Ancel BM200 if your caravan is parked at home. It's so easy to open the app and check the state of your battery.
Edited as the I can't get the link to work propperly. Google Ancel BM200 - they can be bought from Amazon, eBay, AliExpress etc.
Edited as the I can't get the link to work propperly. Google Ancel BM200 - they can be bought from Amazon, eBay, AliExpress etc.
Last edited:
- Mar 14, 2005
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Traditionally you might expect the car to charge the caravan battery whilst towing, but many modern cars now have "Smart Alternators" which do not constantly produce power so it may be uncertain if your car is charging the caravan battery. You might ask your car dealer if yours has a smart alternator, or if it can be programmed to keep the trailer battery wiring active.
However regardless of whether the alternator is charging the caravan, a 3 hour trip may not be enough to fully replenish the battery, so it is potentially a good idea to at least periodically charge the battery whilst the caravan is in storage.
The other thing to do,is to make it a strict routine to check that all appliance's have been turned off when you put the caravan into storage. Some caravanners discover there can be parasitic 12V devices (tv aerial amplifier is a common one) However you may need to leave your alarm system connected if that is a criteria stipulated by your insurance. Check with your caravan dealer about how it is powered.
However regardless of whether the alternator is charging the caravan, a 3 hour trip may not be enough to fully replenish the battery, so it is potentially a good idea to at least periodically charge the battery whilst the caravan is in storage.
The other thing to do,is to make it a strict routine to check that all appliance's have been turned off when you put the caravan into storage. Some caravanners discover there can be parasitic 12V devices (tv aerial amplifier is a common one) However you may need to leave your alarm system connected if that is a criteria stipulated by your insurance. Check with your caravan dealer about how it is powered.
After my last outing I discovered that my fridge draws power from the leisure battery if it isn't turned off on the fridge selector switch (even though the caravan main panel is turned off). I noticed that the battery was getting low even though I have a small solar panel to maintain it. It was dark when I went to check and as soon as I opened the caravan door I saw that the fridge light was on (I prop the fridge door open when it isnt in use).
Mel
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- Mar 17, 2007
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Depending on how low the leisure battery has gone, it may be discharged past the point of no return. ☹️
When you are not using the Caravan make sure that the Black button on the Sargent box under the offside front seat is in the Off position ( ie up) to stop all draw on your leisure battery. Your solar panel ( if you have one) will still charge the leisure battery and the alarm will still work.
Mel
When you are not using the Caravan make sure that the Black button on the Sargent box under the offside front seat is in the Off position ( ie up) to stop all draw on your leisure battery. Your solar panel ( if you have one) will still charge the leisure battery and the alarm will still work.
Mel
- Nov 16, 2015
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Charging your battery between trips depends on how long between trips.
I take my battery out if I know it's going to be over 4 weeks, before going out again, on many caravan there are " hidden " power drains for the battery. ie, the alarm , the fridge control panel, the TV booster, the radio in the van etc.
If you have a solar panel then this will charge your battery.
I do tend to disconnect the battery every time I leave the van in storage as the alarm has its own power supply.
Depending on how "dead" your battery is you might get away with just recharging it, I managed to resuscitate my battery once, it was below 9 volts,
I have a Nexpeak battery charger which has a recovery mode.
Woodentop asked a good question, about the battery actually being flat, as I had the very problem he pointed out, the battery in the hand controller was flat.
I take my battery out if I know it's going to be over 4 weeks, before going out again, on many caravan there are " hidden " power drains for the battery. ie, the alarm , the fridge control panel, the TV booster, the radio in the van etc.
If you have a solar panel then this will charge your battery.
I do tend to disconnect the battery every time I leave the van in storage as the alarm has its own power supply.
Depending on how "dead" your battery is you might get away with just recharging it, I managed to resuscitate my battery once, it was below 9 volts,
I have a Nexpeak battery charger which has a recovery mode.
Woodentop asked a good question, about the battery actually being flat, as I had the very problem he pointed out, the battery in the hand controller was flat.
@Didi :- Profs post is spot on , three hours is definitely not enough to charge a flat battery and it my be terminal - lead acid batteries don't like being left flat. When charging from the internal charger/PSU it will put a lot of strain on it and the 20A battery fuse, they may get warm including the fuse holder so monitor it . A separate mains powered modern 'smart' charger may be a better option to recover the battery if at all possible.There are several on the market and I'm sure the members have recommendations.
My original leisure battery [6 years old] did not survive after being left unpowered on a seasonal pitch and would not hold charge. It would turn on the motor mover but died after the motors started turning. Sadly my CTEK battery charger used to nurse the car's battery through lock-down did not revive it, so OP's is probably toast.
Local dealer tested it and confirmed it's was dead, and said it was undersized for my caravan/mover. Annoying as they supplied it when new. Since replacing the battery, it survived 2 full seasons with no issue, but I always turned off the caravan electrics at the power board under the seat before leaving.
Local dealer tested it and confirmed it's was dead, and said it was undersized for my caravan/mover. Annoying as they supplied it when new. Since replacing the battery, it survived 2 full seasons with no issue, but I always turned off the caravan electrics at the power board under the seat before leaving.
If the OP's Tig is not too old and has an Infotainment screen it would be a good idea to make sure the system controller (computer) has been updated to tell it you are towing. All that is needed is to connect up the caravan to the Tig and start the engine, then put it into reverse for a second or two then back into neutral. The screen display should change to show any objects detected by the ultrasonics. If the computer has been notified the you will get a pictorial diagram of the Tig AND it should show the A-frame of your van. If it does not show the A-frame then either the computer hasn't been updated OR the power connections on the 13pin socket are not wired. The pins are 9 (with 13) for the unswitched supply and 10 with 11 for the fridge and battery charging. Although I believe VAG towing electrical kits are now fitted with the extra pins for 9 10, 11, and 13, on earlier models they were not. The pin numbering/layout is moulded onto the inside of the socket cap, or of course it is easily found on line. If the proper VAG kit has been used there will be a fairly thick multi-core cable under the carpet down the nearside to the fuse box behind the glovebox.
Contrary to much popular belief, towing a caravan does NOT cancel start/stop operation - I know from our previous Passat 2LTDI 150GT estate and our current Skoda Karoq 2L TDi Sportline and believe me the first time it happens it comes as a bit of an unexpected shock! Just override the start/stop facility.
Contrary to much popular belief, towing a caravan does NOT cancel start/stop operation - I know from our previous Passat 2LTDI 150GT estate and our current Skoda Karoq 2L TDi Sportline and believe me the first time it happens it comes as a bit of an unexpected shock! Just override the start/stop facility.
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