Hi,
I've searched the forum and can't find an answer to the following so thought I'd describe it (I'm not an electrical whizz so please keep answers simple for me lol).
I have a T6.1 which I've had for a couple of years, fitted with a tracker (I'm aware the tracker is taking power from the battery). Last winter I didn't drive it much and when I went to start it after a couple of months the battery was low at approx 11.9V (the tracker app measures vehicle battery voltage). Driving over the summer restored some charge but it doesn't last more than a couple of weeks, with the tracker on, so I ended up switching the tracker off.
I've bought a CTEK MXS 5 and hooked it up and it's gone through all 8 stages over about 3 or 4 days, so it is just in recycle mode now. Up to stage 7 the battery got to and stayed at 14+V, as soon as it went into stage 8 it dropped to 12.9 v (with the tracker on). So my questions:
1: Is 12.9V a healthy voltage when not charging?
2: If it's dropping from 14.4V to 12.9V as soon as the CTEK goes 'off charge' does this mean my battery has had it?
3: I've read different views of where to connect the CTEK to the negative terminal. The instructions say to connect to the negative battery post, but other advice says not to. Where is the best place to connect it?
I've attached the battery voltage graph from the app. The spike on the 18th Sept was when the van was driven. The CTEK was connected on the 22nd Sept and is still connected. The drop in voltage as the CTEK reached stage 8 is visible on the 3rd/4th Sept.
FYI - I have a separate v large leisure battery with solar, and that sits comfortably at 12.9V or above depending on sunshine levels. I bought the van pre-converted, and whilst it has a Sargent power management system which can charge the vehicle battery when on hook-up, as best as I can establish the leisure battery is not connected in any way to the vehicle battery.
Thanks in anticipation for your expertise.
I've searched the forum and can't find an answer to the following so thought I'd describe it (I'm not an electrical whizz so please keep answers simple for me lol).
I have a T6.1 which I've had for a couple of years, fitted with a tracker (I'm aware the tracker is taking power from the battery). Last winter I didn't drive it much and when I went to start it after a couple of months the battery was low at approx 11.9V (the tracker app measures vehicle battery voltage). Driving over the summer restored some charge but it doesn't last more than a couple of weeks, with the tracker on, so I ended up switching the tracker off.
I've bought a CTEK MXS 5 and hooked it up and it's gone through all 8 stages over about 3 or 4 days, so it is just in recycle mode now. Up to stage 7 the battery got to and stayed at 14+V, as soon as it went into stage 8 it dropped to 12.9 v (with the tracker on). So my questions:
1: Is 12.9V a healthy voltage when not charging?
2: If it's dropping from 14.4V to 12.9V as soon as the CTEK goes 'off charge' does this mean my battery has had it?
3: I've read different views of where to connect the CTEK to the negative terminal. The instructions say to connect to the negative battery post, but other advice says not to. Where is the best place to connect it?
I've attached the battery voltage graph from the app. The spike on the 18th Sept was when the van was driven. The CTEK was connected on the 22nd Sept and is still connected. The drop in voltage as the CTEK reached stage 8 is visible on the 3rd/4th Sept.
FYI - I have a separate v large leisure battery with solar, and that sits comfortably at 12.9V or above depending on sunshine levels. I bought the van pre-converted, and whilst it has a Sargent power management system which can charge the vehicle battery when on hook-up, as best as I can establish the leisure battery is not connected in any way to the vehicle battery.
Thanks in anticipation for your expertise.
