Help with Motorhome laid up for long term

The Advance/Alliance range don't have an inbuilt facility to charge the cab battery although I understand the Autograph range does.

If you are going to have to buy a charger, rather than having one around the place a better and more permanent solution would be to fit a Battery Master as I mentioned up thread. It is a small device that pushes any excess charge from the leisure battery (whilst being charged via the EHU or Solar Panel) to the cab battery. It is a fit and forget device. 

If you are intent on the charger route I think you would need a smart charger so you don't overcook the battery, others might have more precise info on that score?

David

I was under the impression that my solar panel would be charging both batteries.  However, after reading previous posts I checked what was connected.  Although the Truma solar panel controller has outlets for 2 batteries only one is in use i.e. the solar panel.

I have read the, less than informative, Bailey Owner’s Manual and I cannot find anything which says that when on electric hook-up the vehicle battery is being charged.  Given that Bailey are cheapskates and the Advance is the entry level model I would be surprised if Bailey splashed out on an extra, few inches of, wiring.

Currently the charger, which arrived this afternoon, is connected via an extension lead to a socket in the garage.  The charging light is flashing which suggests the charge in the battery was less than full. Once fully charged the charger is supposed to go into trickle charge mode.

The wife’s cousin who has an elderly Autotrail has just told me he has connected his van to the electric hook-up and plugs his charger into a 240v socket in the van.  His message was to me that his “car man said not to leave it on charge for too long, but just to top it up once a week for a while during the day and then disconnect”.

I thought the idea of a trickle charger was that you could leave on for long periods.

Apologies to all concerned - I think I have set a hare running!!

Scrolling through the User Settings option on the Advance Control Panel, I found one “Charge Vehicle Battery” that has an on/off setting.  Going to the manual, and looking at the section on the Control Panel, the entry under “Charge Vehicle Battery” has the following:

”Charge V Battery. When enabled the vehicle battery will be charged while 230V mains is connected. The leisure battery will also be charged at the same time”

What do they say less haste more speed!!  Taken me almost 17 months to work that one out!!

ok, that looks a good outcome....just plug in your ehu lead and all should be well.

if you have a volt meter its easy to check at the cab battery that its actually doing it....

any battery being charged should read 13.9v to 14.4 depending on system.....certainly well above 12.7 (normal fully charged level).

and youve got tne charger for back up.

good luck. 

Prescot

I have the Bailey Alliance 2019 model which is basically the Advance model with more extras. I have just had a look at my handbook and I can see no mention of charging the cab battery whilst on EHU. Despite the setting in the control panel which I understand is common to all Bailey ranges I would be inclined to follow BB's advice to check that a charge is actually going to the cab battery. Perhaps 2018 models were linked to the charger and I am wrong to be sceptical but worth checking.

David

If I could find my voltmeter I would check it - why is when you want to find something it is never where you thought you left it?

When the Advance is not connected to the mains, in User Settings there is an option to change from Leisure Battery to Vehicle Battery and one of subsequent settings shows the battery level at 13.1 volts.  Unfortunately when you switch on the mains supply the Control Panel defaults to the leisure battery and all you can see is the charge going to the leisure battery - 14 volts plus.  

"When the Advance is not connected to the mains, in User Settings there is an option to change from Leisure Battery to Vehicle Battery and one of subsequent settings shows the battery level at 13.1 volts."

this setting is to allow you to run your habitation equipment from either battery.....i guess it could get you out of a jam for a few mins if the leisure battery was dead for whatever reason...and I think it also forces charge to the selected battery should it need a boost...however you dont say which battery was selected when the subsequent setting read 13.1v

13.1 is likely to be the float level BUT you would never see this on a battery when not on hook up...except if there is another charging source connected...the solar panel?

so, if this were the leisure battery and it was reading 13.1v with no hook up then this would be what most would expect....the battery being charged by the solar panel.

now, if you can change to Vehicle battery and get a reading for that...if it were 13.1v or thereabouts, solar would be charging this, too. if it were 12.6-12.7 then its well charged....but not being charged by the solar panel.

if you can do this and control the direction of charge for solar to either battery then you have a flexible but manual system.

however, its not fully fit and forget as some manual intervention is required.

Unfortunately when you switch on the mains supply the Control Panel defaults to the leisure battery and all you can see is the charge going to the leisure battery - 14 volts plus.

cant you force the change as you described when not on ehu? again, this would give ypu some flexibility.

Hello. I have a 2019 Marquis Majestic 275 which is basically an Elddis Accordo 275. Just to confirm it I checked the manual today and it clearly (albeit buried) states that when on hook-up the charger charges both leisure and vehicle batteries.

Mine is on my drive and hooked up and over periods greater that one month the engines starts fine, without any sluggishness.

I agree in many ways the manual is not very helpful. On the control panel there are a number of components listed, eg leisure battery on/off, vehicle battery on/off, and autobattery on/off.

Does anyone know what autobattery does please? On mine it was, until today off. Today I turned it on.

Stay safe and ready for the off when this is over.

John

Go and buy a trickle charger (got mine from Amazon around £20), took my batteries off the van...place in garage and plug them both in once a week.  Once charged fully...both batteries only take a few minutes to show fully charged.

agreed, a cab battery should only need a small amount to top it back up, however trackers, alarms and immobilisers can have an effect and if the system is in place and it just needs setting should be able to manage this.

yes, if the system cant charge the cab battery then either it needs a change (usually a split charge, duall charge solar system or Battery Master) or an external source as you describe.

only the owner can decide which is the best/least hassle etc.

one advantage of getting solar set up to do this is that it opens up the ability to use non-ehu sites, aires, THS temp holiday sites, rallies etc where the 'external source' of a second charger couldnt be used.