Leisure Battery Charging

Some chargers will not allow a charge when the battery is totally flat (below 11V for example. ( I am not familiar with the CTEK spec).

This situation is also bad news for the actual battery.

If you engine charger won't charge and you do not have a mains electric hook up charger, you will need to attach a normal mains car battery charger to your leisure battery to try and get back up.
 
Dilbert said:
Some chargers will not allow a charge when the battery is totally flat (below 11V for example. ( I am not familiar with the CTEK spec).

This situation is also bad news for the actual battery.

If you engine charger won't charge and you do not have a mains electric hook up charger, you will need to attach a normal mains battery charger to your leisure battery to try and get back up.
Click to expand...

Ah, I have an mains hook up charger! So I can plug that in to charge it up, but then the same thing will just happen again if it's not recharging...?
 
I would charge the battery up via the EHU charger first. When it's up to around 12 V , try the engine charger. Disconnect the EHU first. You should see an increase in voltage (around 13.8 to 14.4V when the CTEK engine charger is charging.
 
The CTEK has a set of LEDs on the front, which can tell you if it is operating properly.

Once you have some charge in your leisure battery (assuming it is still taking charge), then you can start to diagnose what is going on from these LEDs.

A copy of the CTEK manual is here: https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/user/downloads/D250SE-manual-low-UK-EN.pdf

But in the meantime, just leave it on EHU as described above - it will take some time to charge !

Pete
 
Battery voltage is too low for the Ctek Dual to begin charging. Get the leisure battery recharged using a dumb bench charger first, or try plugging in your mains cable to see if the Sargent can raise the battery voltage high enough. At such a low voltage though that battery could be FUBAR. None of the modern smart chargers will output unless they see a reasonable voltage at the target battery. It is a safety measure. You should not be letting your battery get below 11 volts.
 
Evening, guys.

So I've left it on EHU for 2 days. I unhooked it this evening and checked the battery with the multimeter - the reading was 13.1... although a plug in voltage reader showed 13.4. Neither of these changed when the engine was switched on. Is this good news, or bad news?

I checked the LEDs on the CTEK:

IMG_0829.jpeg

Which, according the manual, is:

Screenshot 2020-02-11 at 21.09.15.png

Which I guess means a fuse has gone? Or worse. So does anyone know which fuse it will be or what to check? Or is this a job for the guy who installed it? I was just trying to avoid that if possible cause he's quite a distance away, so is a bit of an ordeal to go and visit.

Thanks again in advance.
 
Look for a big fuse (which may look different to the one under the bonnet).
That looks like one on the left of that picture (I think).

Try tracking where the red cable on the right hand terminal on the Ctek goes.

Pete
 
Yeh, as per @Pete C

check the voltage both side of the MIDI fuse (orange) on the left of the pic. . . .

follow the fat red cable from the +out terminal to the leisure battery....


out of interest . . . was the voltage reading above relating to the starter battery or the Aux battery?

you should have a voltage reading the same as your starter battery in the ctek +in (on the left of ctek) (with ignition & engine OFF)

and voltage same as your AUX battery on the +Out ctek terminl (on thge right of the ctek) (with ignition & engine OFF)
 
paul_law said:
There is an orange light next to the A (alternator?). That is all. According to manual it means there's a connection problem with the service battery.
Click to expand...
Only if the error light is on as well
 
Deaky said:
Only if the error light is on as well
Click to expand...

Ah, ace!! So as mentioned then, if the battery is fully charged, the voltage reading will be the same regardless of whether the engine is on or off....?

So if I just let it run down a bit now, then check the voltage with the engine on? Then I should get two different readings...

And then in terms of how this happened in the first place, it was only left unused for two weeks, so must something have been drawing power to take it down so low in the first place?
 
So just a quick update:

I fully charged the battery off EHU. Then left the fridge running for a few days to run it down a little.

Then checked the battery with a multimeter. Reading was 11.79v. Then turned the engine on and checked again - reading went up to 13:78v.

Photo attached below of the CTEK box (with the engine running) seems to suggest that all is working normally...?

Does this mean I'm in the clear? And if so, how might this have happened in the first place??

3CEDDEA0-FBF4-4D78-ACDE-FF8B0D336239.jpeg

Many thanks.
 
Could you have left something on which drained your leisure battery without you realising it. The Ctek then refused to charge the leisure battery as the voltage was too low, and errored.

Pete
 
Pete C said:
Could you have left something on which drained your leisure battery without you realising it. The Ctek then refused to charge the leisure battery as the voltage was too low, and errored.

Pete
Click to expand...
I guess I must have done, but don't know what.

But, would you agree that all seems to be working fine again now??
 
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