New Leisure Battery - dead after no use

Apr 28, 2021
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Sorry - I know there are 1000's of posts about leisure batteries so my apologies for yet another. Bought a new leisure battery (Numax DC27MF, 95Ah) in late summer, hoping to get away in the Autumn, but then everything locked down. Disconnected the battery, and brought it indoors to store it over winter. Other than briefly switching lights on to check the van out before winter, the battery has never been used. However, when I checked it out a month ago, it had discharged. We've charged it back up using a Maypole trickle charger, but when I've got it out again, the charger is showing it's lost charge again, in the space of a few weeks. Sorry - I didn't think to note what the charge was before starting to charge it up - it was 'red' - that's all I noticed.
We're due to have our first trip away in a few days, and I'm worried that the battery is useless (and we don't have EHU at the site we've booked...). So my questions are:-

1) Should I get a new battery?
2) Is it normal for a brand new battery to die over winter when stored indoors, but not trickle charged, or should I be going back to the seller for a refund?

Newbie vanner, in cased you hadn't already guessed. Canvas (rip-stop nylon) camper before. AA batteries don't cause this much stress...
 
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Reactions: Hutch
May 24, 2014
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You have a couple of options.

First, fully charge the battery and have it drop tested. Kwik Fit etc.

If battery has been sitting flat, you could try a charger/ conditioner on it to bring it back to life.

Finally if you have only had it a year and its duff, most batteries have a 3yr warranty.
 
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Reactions: Eybygum
Oct 3, 2013
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Sorry - I know there are 1000's of posts about leisure batteries so my apologies for yet another. Bought a new leisure battery (Numax DC27MF, 95Ah) in late summer, hoping to get away in the Autumn, but then everything locked down. Disconnected the battery, and brought it indoors to store it over winter. Other than briefly switching lights on to check the van out before winter, the battery has never been used. However, when I checked it out a month ago, it had discharged. We've charged it back up using a Maypole trickle charger, but when I've got it out again, the charger is showing it's lost charge again, in the space of a few weeks. Sorry - I didn't think to note what the charge was before starting to charge it up - it was 'red' - that's all I noticed.
We're due to have our first trip away in a few days, and I'm worried that the battery is useless (and we don't have EHU at the site we've booked...). So my questions are:-

1) Should I get a new battery?
2) Is it normal for a brand new battery to die over winter when stored indoors, but not trickle charged, or should I be going back to the seller for a refund?

Newbie vanner, in cased you hadn't already guessed. Canvas (rip-stop nylon) camper before. AA batteries don't cause this much stress...
Hi,
A battery will discharge itself over time,you need to keep watching it (checking voltage) every couple of weeks and giving it a charge if you see the voltage dropping.
The test referred to by other post is a volt drop test.you can do this at home if you have the equipment and know what you are doing.
Basically it means putting a load on the battery so that the battery is discharging at a given rate (amps) and you monitor the battery voltage against time and check it against a manufacturer's table for that battery.
for example,say you connect a load on that gives you 20Amps,after a certain time (as given by the manufacturer's table) the battery voltage should be a certain value.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Having it just left and not charged over a long period is not something you should do. Mine came home in December and was left connected to a CTEK charger throughout. It maintains the battery condition. Putting yours on a full charger for a period might restore it enough to then perform normally when connected into the caravan.

If it was an internet purchase good luck. Been there and been there and have the medals.
 
May 7, 2012
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It may have been ruined by being left but I would follow Thingy's advice and see if it can be revived. I leave mine in the caravan with a 10 amp solar charger on it, and that keeps it going.
 

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