Just before I went to Bedgellert to rendezvous with Ian Stockley I bought a Smart Charger for my caravan, since no charger is built in.
I do not usually use EHU and my battery is adequate for a week or more. At least it was last October for about ten days on the Isle of Wight and roaming the South Coast. However, I HAD to pay for EHU at Bedgellert, so I thought a "fit and forget" charger might be an investment.
As soon as I got the charger I connected it up and left it for about 5 hours. Imagine my dismay when I found nothing electrical would work in the 'van. A voltage check on the battery read 9.3volts - well below the recommended minimum voltage to which any battery should be discharged. Thinking this might be part of the de-sulphation process I left it on all night. Only to find the battery voltage no different.
I took a conventional charger with me to Wales instead. A good job I did because the fully charged battery went into the red on the ZIG unit in less than 5 minutes. Obviously the battery was wrecked so I demanded and got my money back on the charger, but I knew the battery was past its warranty date so I did not bother trying to claim for that.
Today I changed the battery for a new one. I found I had marked the purchase date on the old one - 4/5/1995! Perhaps it was ready to "kick its clogs" anyway? It had already done a 2 year stint on my car!
But! The battery is a 43A/hr lead acid car battery. What price leisure batteries? Has anyone had a leisure battery last longer than that? At todays prices that works out at about £7.50 per year. My last leisure battery cost me at least £40 per year at todays rates.
Jim.
I do not usually use EHU and my battery is adequate for a week or more. At least it was last October for about ten days on the Isle of Wight and roaming the South Coast. However, I HAD to pay for EHU at Bedgellert, so I thought a "fit and forget" charger might be an investment.
As soon as I got the charger I connected it up and left it for about 5 hours. Imagine my dismay when I found nothing electrical would work in the 'van. A voltage check on the battery read 9.3volts - well below the recommended minimum voltage to which any battery should be discharged. Thinking this might be part of the de-sulphation process I left it on all night. Only to find the battery voltage no different.
I took a conventional charger with me to Wales instead. A good job I did because the fully charged battery went into the red on the ZIG unit in less than 5 minutes. Obviously the battery was wrecked so I demanded and got my money back on the charger, but I knew the battery was past its warranty date so I did not bother trying to claim for that.
Today I changed the battery for a new one. I found I had marked the purchase date on the old one - 4/5/1995! Perhaps it was ready to "kick its clogs" anyway? It had already done a 2 year stint on my car!
But! The battery is a 43A/hr lead acid car battery. What price leisure batteries? Has anyone had a leisure battery last longer than that? At todays prices that works out at about £7.50 per year. My last leisure battery cost me at least £40 per year at todays rates.
Jim.
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