LEISURE BATTERY PROBS

[Steved55]

Advice needed please. 2016 shuttle self build camper. Converted early 2022 so battery approaching 3 years old.
I have a victron system, TR 12 12 18 b to b charger, victron smart solar controller and a victron smart charger for mains hook up.
At this time of year with van stood outside with no leisure battery drain, the battery sits at about 12.4v. start engine and it goes up to 14.3v - similar if I have mains hook up. Had a night away in the peaks last Thursday - drove about 50 miles and parked up about 1.00pm - showing 13.3 volts after time for a brew.
Got back to the van about 5.30 after a walk and put heater on as it was down to 2c!
Battery voltage down to 12v. With lights and heater voltage bottomed out at about 11.5v.
Screenshot attached showing the low voltage for the two days we were away.
Battery is Expefition105 AGM - for a while it's always dropped to low voltage shortly after stopping.
Planning some longer trips this year and don't want to get caught abroad with a battery issue.
Have I got something wrong or is battery knackered?
Thanks

 

[Dellmassive]

sound like the battery is not holding a charge.

to test - fully charge the battery for 24hrs on a 10A charger. and re test.

you say you have " victron smart charger for mains hook up." - what power? 10A? ip65 or ip22?

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whatever . . . you need to fully charge that battery to test it properly.


FYI, that battery will take 10hrs on a 10A charger to fully charge.

so a 1hr drive wont do much it its already low.

 

[Steved55]

Hi @Dellmassive charger is 7A ip65.
By test, do you mean on a proper battery tester?
Thanks

 

[Dellmassive]

a 7ah charger will take 48hrs to charge a flat 100Ah battery.

so get it on charge . . . .


you can get 12v SLA battery testers that will work. I've got one. it works well.


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https://amzn.to/40qVbE9

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[roadtripper]

Battery reaching the end of it's life sounds the most likely, leisure batteries have a hard life.

It's normal for the battery voltage to settle back a little bit after charging finishes, and likewise normal for the voltage to drop under load. But by the sounds of it you know what's "normal" for your van and this is starting to change?

11.5v is a concern if that's the resting voltage as that will be below 50% charge, but under load isn't an immediate concern.

If you get the battery fully charged ideally disconnect it and let is rest for 30 minutes or so, then regularly check the voltage with a multimeter which should confirm if it's fundamentally holding charge.

 

[Steved55]

Battery is on charge and will be tested over the weekend. Just considering worse case scenario and it needs replacing, would my existing victron set up be suitable for LiFe Po battery?

 

[Dellmassive]

yes, should be. most of the victron kit has a lifpo4 profile.

 

[Steved55]

Update on charging: before charging, leisure battery showing 13v with no load. Switched on heater and voltage dropped to 11.8 v after 2-3 minutes.
Connected mains hook up, voltage at 14.2 and charger showing 1A.
After 8 hours charger down to 0.2A and showing full charge!

 

[Dellmassive]

Looking like the battery isn't holding any charge. So a bad state of health.

Fyi... The orange cog is telling you there is a firmware update for the charger.

 

[Howzat]

LifePO all the way. Even an 80ah (uasable 75ah) is better than the 105agm. (usable 50ah)

 

[roadtripper]

The red flag for me is that short charge cycle of about 10Ah, even if the battery is holding the charge it has it's lost a very large amount of capacity so I suspect the plates and electrolyte are knackered.

With that capacity what you have now is a UPS for brief periods between being on charge...

The Fogstar 105Ah is a popular choice for folks doing a retrofit. Whatever you get make sure it has a low temperature cut off or heater - all your Victron kit should have the capability but it's much easier for the BMS to do it and it's generally not a premium these days.

 

[Steved55]

Update after 24 hours - charging current 0 - and I've updated my software!