Betsys Bimbles replied on 07/04/2019 15:27
Posted on 07/04/2019 15:27
Smug or mug?
Having just returned from a 3 month holiday in new Zealand I was smug that the batteries on my auto trail V-line would be in tip top condition upon my return.
This smugness was short lived as I found the fiat vehicle battery completely flat, with not enough charge to unlock the doors. The alarm had drained the battery.
The leisure battery was ok but not as healthy as it could have been.
Before I left I came up with the idea of hooking up the electrics to charge the batteries while I was away, However I didn’t want to continually charge them for three months, so I bought a timer, the sort you would use for turning a security lamp on and off, And programmed it to come on for three hours a day.
I also left the solar panel on to charge the leisure battery. Smug!
Why did my idea not work?
Well newish as I am to the campervan experience I didn’t realise that I needed to switch on the control panel, and select the relevant battery I wanted to charge.
I actually thought it would do both, charging the vehicle first and then the leisure battery once the voltage in the vehicle battery was high enough.
Also once the timer had clicked off for the first time, I wouldn’t be there to switch the control panel back on. Mug!
Since being back Both batteries have been recovered, by using a separate bench charger to charge them.
I’ve also bought a solar panel that fits in the windscreen and can be connected via the obd2 port to charge the vehicle battery and now use the roof mounted panel to keep the leisure battery topped up.
Moderator Edit:
Moved from Story Section.
Betsys Bimbles
Motorhomer