Is max sleep current draw 50mA or 500mA?
T6.1 Battery Drain
- Thread starter Dotcom68
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max current draw from starter when sleeping is 50mA.m (vw spec is around 30mA area)
above that it will log a fault code "quiescent current to high"
above that it will log a fault code "quiescent current to high"
Does that not mean a 70Ah battery should last 40 weeks, not 4?
336Wh / 0.05A = 6,720 hours
I’m only asking because I am having a similar issue.. and trying to workout why my starter battery is struggling after being left for 10 days. Yes I have a dashcam (with voltage cutout) and I also have a tracker… but it seems like it should still last longer than 2 weeks. What am I missing?
Battery has passed a health check.. and was only manufactured in Q4 2022… and yet I’m losing 0.1v per day.
336Wh / 0.05A = 6,720 hours
I’m only asking because I am having a similar issue.. and trying to workout why my starter battery is struggling after being left for 10 days. Yes I have a dashcam (with voltage cutout) and I also have a tracker… but it seems like it should still last longer than 2 weeks. What am I missing?
Battery has passed a health check.. and was only manufactured in Q4 2022… and yet I’m losing 0.1v per day.
standard T6 will last 3-5 weeks before that battery runs flat.
the van itself will self consume 50mA.
you additional electronics will draw up to 1A or more.
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most people run dashcam and USB etc from the leisure battery.
tracker from the starter,
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look at fitting a BM2 battery monitor so we can see the battery voltage plot over time to see how quickly its dropping. . .
www.t6forum.com
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the van itself will self consume 50mA.
you additional electronics will draw up to 1A or more.
....
most people run dashcam and USB etc from the leisure battery.
tracker from the starter,
++
look at fitting a BM2 battery monitor so we can see the battery voltage plot over time to see how quickly its dropping. . .
Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --
Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It -- Part #1 Battery monitoring is a very important part of your 12v system . . . . whether its just the vans starter battery or your leisure setup keeping an eye on the power in your battery bank will keep you from breaking down and make sure your weekends...
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Thanks @Dellmassive
Dashcam is supposed to be fed from leisure battery - with just an ignition feed to switch parking mode on/off, but I think you’re right that a battery monitor is the next step.
Will have another look at your ever useful and informative ‘how I done it’!
Still not sure I follow the maths though ;-)
50mA = 0.05A
500mA = 0.5A
Dashcam is supposed to be fed from leisure battery - with just an ignition feed to switch parking mode on/off, but I think you’re right that a battery monitor is the next step.
Will have another look at your ever useful and informative ‘how I done it’!
Still not sure I follow the maths though ;-)
50mA = 0.05A
500mA = 0.5A
yep,
example. . .
1mA = 0.001A
50mA = 0.05A
250mA = 0.25A
500mA = 0.5A
750mA = 0.75A
1000mA = 1.0A
1500mA = 1.5A
post some pics of your batterys and setups and well see if we can see something. . . especially the starter battery posts.
example. . .
1mA = 0.001A
50mA = 0.05A
250mA = 0.25A
500mA = 0.5A
750mA = 0.75A
1000mA = 1.0A
1500mA = 1.5A
post some pics of your batterys and setups and well see if we can see something. . . especially the starter battery posts.
Thanks! Will do!
PS: I understand all of the above, it’s just in your original calculation you have 50mA = 0.5A, which I think means your 672 hours was out by a factor of 10.
gotcha, noted. - I've edited it from 0.5A to 0.05A for 50mA.
typo error.
thanks for pointing it out.
It's taken me a while to sort this out, but as requested, here is a 15 day plot from the BM2. The van got a good 2 hour run on 4th Feb, and hasnt been anywhere since (although it has been started a few times, and had the ignition on, as can be seen in the graph).
So the question is, does this amount of drain look normal @Dellmassive? Drop from 12.4v on 4th Feb, to 11.6v on 13th Feb... so an average drop almost 0.1v/day.
So the question is, does this amount of drain look normal @Dellmassive? Drop from 12.4v on 4th Feb, to 11.6v on 13th Feb... so an average drop almost 0.1v/day.
The plot (although not a full 15days) seems to be continuing to drop all the way through.
Your would expect the plot to level out at some point.
Seeing as it's not leveling out we can assume you have something drawing constant power, causing the battery to run down.
Another possibility is a poor battery that is knackered and won't hold a charge.
So what 3rd party kit have you got running that's not OEM.
I'd expect a code scan to show the power draw as well.... quiescent draw to high.
Your would expect the plot to level out at some point.
Seeing as it's not leveling out we can assume you have something drawing constant power, causing the battery to run down.
Another possibility is a poor battery that is knackered and won't hold a charge.
So what 3rd party kit have you got running that's not OEM.
I'd expect a code scan to show the power draw as well.... quiescent draw to high.
Battery was allegedly checked by my local dealer who could see nothing wrong with it… but that doesn’t mean it isn’t knackered!
Non-OEM kit as follows:
Starter Battery:
- Audison Amplifiers
- Tracker ~60mA
- CTEK DC-DC Charger
- 2 x SoLow Air Compressors
- 1 x ABP Air Ride Controller
Leisure Battery:
1000W Inverter (switched off)
Alpicool Fridge (disconnected)
Dashcam ~46mA (in Parking Mode)
Interior Lighting
USB Sockets
Can’t think of anything else at the moment…
post some pics of the starter battery and leisure battery. . .
is this a new issue?
or has it always been like it?
the dash cam and tracker are prime candidates for draining starter batterys. - maybe look at moving them over to the LB.?
here is an example of a 15day BM2 plot , , , from @TallPaul_S
a slight drop, but levelling off about 12.2v.
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you might need to leave it longer to see if it keeps dropping - or levels off.
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a slight drop, but levelling off about 12.2v.
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you might need to leave it longer to see if it keeps dropping - or levels off.
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I might be wrong but the fact your graph matches mine, only it drops faster but is a very similar curve which is starting to flatten out, would suggest that there's nothing draining it, but that it's not holding a charge. I.e the battery is goosed.
This is a graph where an interior pop top light was left on on Feb 8th, see how it's very different and has a steady, constant drain right until it fully empties the battery at 11v and it dies.
This is a graph where an interior pop top light was left on on Feb 8th, see how it's very different and has a steady, constant drain right until it fully empties the battery at 11v and it dies.
I think it’s always been like it, I’ve only had the van 6 months.
Dashcam is on the LB already (I think!), and I can’t believe a Tracker would draw enough to do that to the starter battery…
I’ll try and get photos of SB and LB… but I suspect it might be a case of pulling fuses to try and work it out by process of elimination.
you can use a clamp meter to locate power draws without pulling fuses . . .
www.t6forum.com
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Clamp Meters
Any recommendations for clamp meters? They have been mentioned in a few threads but I can’t find suggested products. Suitable for small mA measurements with dc in the van and elsewhere and also if possible up to mains ac. I’m not sure how much I need to spend for a tolerably decent one with the...
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Thanks @Chris1983… that is very helpful. I too thought the battery might be shot… my fear was the battery had been sat on a shelf through the pandemic - that’s why I took it to the dealer to check as a potential warranty claim… they denied it, said it was fine.
Maybe I just shell out for a new, higher capacity battery. What would people recommend for a T6.1 Eu6 start/stop?
Yesterday I went to start the van, and the battery didn’t have enough charge to turn the engine over. I used a Noco boost pack to get it started, and left the engine running for maybe 30mins… but not enough to get a decent charge back into it.
Today I put a 15A Victron charger on it, and was amazed to see:
57s of Bulk Charge
30m of Absorbtion
I’ve left it on a Float charge for the last 2h 30m… but I have a feeling this is telling me that the battery is shot. It recharges quickly and then drains quickly too!
At the moment, 2h 30m into Float charge, the battery is still pulling >3A which seems high for a supposedly fully charged battery.
I’ll monitor voltage with the BM2 when I disconnect the charger… but do people agree this looks abnormal?
Today I put a 15A Victron charger on it, and was amazed to see:
57s of Bulk Charge
30m of Absorbtion
I’ve left it on a Float charge for the last 2h 30m… but I have a feeling this is telling me that the battery is shot. It recharges quickly and then drains quickly too!
At the moment, 2h 30m into Float charge, the battery is still pulling >3A which seems high for a supposedly fully charged battery.
I’ll monitor voltage with the BM2 when I disconnect the charger… but do people agree this looks abnormal?
What charge profile is the charger set to?...AGM?
And how long after running the engine did you connect the charger?....
The alternator would have bumped up the voltage,and takes half an hour or more to drop back down.the charger will detect that voltage and assume the battery was charged.
Leave the charger on and restart the cycle.
If the battery if flat you need to leave the charger will n for 12-24hrs.
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Or the batterys been run flat to many times and it's knackered.
And how long after running the engine did you connect the charger?....
The alternator would have bumped up the voltage,and takes half an hour or more to drop back down.the charger will detect that voltage and assume the battery was charged.
Leave the charger on and restart the cycle.
If the battery if flat you need to leave the charger will n for 12-24hrs.
..
Or the batterys been run flat to many times and it's knackered.
