Starter battery still charging after 14 hours whilst static

[GSX1400k3]

Good morning and go easy as I don't understand electrickery.

Background, I work away and live in my T6.1 for up to 4-weeks at a time with no EHU.
Mods, a second leisure battery, inverter for the Microwave, Orion smart charger and solar.

Issues,
1. Starter battery drain, now on third battery, the latest, 2-days old I decided to fully charge using a Noco genuis 1 and it's been on for the last 14 hours and still pulsing red so I decided to hook up to my own house EHU thinking that the charger may be charging the leisure batteries through the starter battery, could this have been the case.

2. I believe I may have damaged battery number two because on long journeys the Victron app never charged the leisure battery and have since learned that batt 2 had a damaged cell which I wouldn't have helped by disabling engine shutdown and power lockout which I think kind of forces the smart charger to charge leisure and not starter.

3. Does the EHU actually charge the leisure battery and/or starter?

Many thanks in advance.

Mark

 

[Dellmassive]

Noco genius 1 is a 1A charger..... You sure?

That Will take days and days to charge any battery.

Got a few pics?

 

[GSX1400k3]

Yes, I'm sure and told you I didn't have a clue, what charger would you recommend, cheers.

 

[Dellmassive]

5A for a starter maintainer.

And 10-20A for EHU Leisure charger.

 

[GSX1400k3]

Many thanks, so if I buy a 10A charger this will charge both the starter and leisure at the same time?

 

[Dellmassive]

no, unless you get a gizmo that will trickle charge the starter, from the leisure battery.

or

you can use one charger to charge the starter battery, to the point that it turns on your dc-dc charger to charge the leisure setup - but you need a large charger and its a faily waistful way of doing it.

more info here:

• 
  Charging:
• Battery Chargers - How I Did It -
• Battery Charging - Main Battery Earth Point -
• Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --
• [Guide] Battery Maintainer (for Starter battery) -- How I Done It --
• Which Jump Starter?
• Seat Base Electrics, EHU+Charger+solar+install - How We Done It -
• Noco Genius 10 not working correctly
• Mobile EHU and battery charging via 12v socket.

 

[Dellmassive]

short cut ( what i done) :

get a Victron 15A charger, - conected to the leisure setup

https://amzn.to/48qrbM7

..



and add a Ablemail AMT12-2 starter battery trickle charger, that trickles from the leisure battery.

Pardon our interruption...

.







.

 

[Dellmassive]

also get a couple of BM2 battery monitors.

https://amzn.to/4hAwY6j

 

[Dellmassive]

fyi - the NOCO`s are not great for leisure chargers. they stop after a day or so.

Noco Genius 10 not working correctly

I have posted this on another thread but its the charger discussion one so i thought id do a separate one to see if anyone else has had this with Noco’s or any other charger. I've been camping this weekend. Running a Dometic CRX50 and a Noco Genius 10. The Noco charges when you turn it...

www.t6forum.com

 

[Dellmassive]

If you need to replace your leisure battery, now would be a good time to upgrade to a lithium battery.

.

Lithium LifePo4 12v Batteries - Time For An Upgrade?

Lithium Batteries are the future, (keep checking back for the latest news/edits) ************************************************** Dellmassive`s -- "how I Done It" -- Thread ************************************************** Kit List And Stuff -- How I Done It & What I Use --...

www.t6forum.com

.

 

[GSX1400k3]

Great info, ordered a 10A charger and a BM2, I'll get a second for the LB as I assume I just need one even if I have 2 x LB's.

Thanks

 

[Dellmassive]

The two leisure batteries should be connected together.... So one charger should charge both.

If you have two batteries, then look at the larger charger... Ie 20-30A.

Ie, 10A + 10A for each battery and 10A for you loads.... 30A.

A 10A charger will split down to 3.3A + 3.3A per battery for charge and 3.3A for you loads.... Which means very slow charge rate and possibly under powered.

 

[GSX1400k3]

BM2’s arrived and fitted, what a great little gadget.
Drove from Plymouth to Exeter for a van service to see the vehicle battery on low charge, lost 20% in 40 miles.

I’m convinced now that either the alternator does not charge all the time or I have a dodgy or incorrectly set up Orion smart charger.

To recap, third battery in 15 months.

Told VW van centre but I’m not expecting much from them.

 

[Captain Quick]

If you’ve got a T6.1, the low rate of charge is most probably because of the ‘smart’ alternators that are fitted to Euro 5 and Euro 6 compliant vehicles such as T6 and T6.1 Transporters. As I understand, you’ll never achieve much more than 80% charged under normal running as the BMS will disconnect the alternator at that point. Counterintuitively the alternator provides most charging current under braking or when on the overrun so a fast trip up the A38 to Exeter at a sustained speed won’t actually make a lot of difference. The spare 20% is to allow capacity for this regenerative braking.

Unless you connect your starter battery to a battery conditioner (I use a CTEK MXS-5) you’ll not achieve anything like its maximum state of charge. If you have a leisure battery which is charged from a mains charger connected to the EHU then, as others have suggested, installing an Ablemail ABT-12 will help keep the starter battery charged. Maybe fitting a solar panel and an MPPT charge controller is another way of putting charge into the batteries if you’re parking up off-grid too.

 

[GSX1400k3]

Thanks for the reply Captain, I do indeed have a 6.1 with solar and would live with 80% battery SOC but I’m down to 60% and on my third starter battery.

I will invest in a AMT12-2 and try and find the settings for my Orion Smart charger.

 

[GSX1400k3]

VW didn’t want to know, no surprise there, didn’t want to touch anything with any mods.

Driving back home and for 20 miles Orion smart charger off and neither battery was charging, viewed through the BM app.

Disabled engine shutdown and power lockout to force the charging of leisure battery and then re-enabled and smart charger continued to charge LB but not starter.

At lights on auto stop, and at home with engine off and key removed the LB continued to be charged from starter battery.

 

[Dellmassive]

you need to use very low settings for the Victron Orion DC-DC charger.

when you use the auto run engine dectection.

i have one in each of our vans.

[Guide] DC-DC Charger (for leisure battery) -- How I Done It --

Factory fitted parking heater, which has a role in heating the engine as well, in cold temperatures, is wired to the second battery for cars until 2018 (as I have read a few posts in here). I guess I need to see how the harnesses go under the seat, and if it really is true or it actually takes...

www.t6forum.com

.


and needed to keep tweeking the settings lower and lower - untill the point i had the charger running as it should be.


more info here in the settings . .

[Guide] DC-DC Charger (for leisure battery) -- How I Done It --

@Dellmassive @Pete Baker are we talking about Ekrano GX vs Cerbo GX + GX Touch?

www.t6forum.com

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i ended up setting the start voltage all the way down to 12.02v to get it running properly. (also using the ENG RUN on one van - but pure AUTO mode on the second)

.

 

[Salty Spuds]

VW didn’t want to know, no surprise there, didn’t want to touch anything with any mods.

Driving back home and for 20 miles Orion smart charger off and neither battery was charging, viewed through the BM app.

Disabled engine shutdown and power lockout to force the charging of leisure battery and then re-enabled and smart charger continued to charge LB but not starter.

At lights on auto stop, and at home with engine off and key removed the LB continued to be charged from starter battery.

No disrespect, but i think you need to get knowledgeable "hands on" help. There is obviously something fundamentally wrong if you're chewing through starter batteries & the LB isn't charging as it should. Trying to diagnose it with drip feed info, is virtually impossible. It needs looking at by someone who knows what they're doing. If you're spending 4 weeks in the van & using an inverter to power a MW without EHU & solar, I suspect you're killing the LBs.

 

[GSX1400k3]

You’re quite right Salty I do need specialist advice and am having it seen too soon, just gathering help from you guys who might have experienced similar.

However, the leisure side is working a treat with the 2 x LB’s and an inverter for the MW, it’s only a 6 minute meal with the engine idling and the LB’s are soon topped up.

It’s the starter battery and either alternator and or Orion I need sorting and thanks Dell, I’ll tweak the settings as per your post.

 

[Dellmassive]

As Mentioned before .

Post pi s of your setup... It will help us see what's going on.

Post pics of all the battery.

Chargers, inverters, 12v system. Cables etc etc.

Then screenshots of your App and bm2. Etc


.....

Fyi anyone camping in the van will get caught out with a flat starter battery.

99% of leisure battery installs don't taking into account the SB.

But when camping every time you unlock the van... It powers up. And the lights come on.... It's all powered from the SB. Do this 20times a day and very quickly you have a flat SB. (Normally by the end of the weekend)

...


The quick fix if you are always on EHU is the fit a second 5A battery charger to the SB.

If you are mainly off grid with solar and dc-dc charger, then you need a SB maintenance charger, that chargers the SB from the LB.... In my case I've found the Able mail AMT12/2 to be the best device...and I've tried most of them now.

It trickle charges the SB... So as long as you're LB bank is keeped charged your good to go indefinitely.

But defo agree that the van electrical system needed looking over by someone..... You can start here with the pics etc.