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Post by sandk on Oct 20, 2018 8:45:25 GMT
Help please. My batteries in my land yot have failed miserably, how do I check if my built-in battery charger is working?
I've disconnected both batteries and they are FUBAR, they aren't new so this doesn't surprise me.
If I put a test meter on the charging leads what should I expect to read?, I'm getting 9.5v. Does this mean the charger isn't working?
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Post by kris on Oct 20, 2018 9:50:53 GMT
Yes is the simple answer. I'm sure the experts will be along with more complicated answers. But if your battery charger is only producing 9.5v then it's never going to charge a 12v battery. This is presuming it's a 12v system.
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Post by kris on Oct 20, 2018 10:19:41 GMT
Sorry I should have given a little more detail. 14.4 is a common charging voltage on a 12v system, it should be producing over 14 volts, bit this varies over the charging process. Have you got a half decent battery to connect it to and test it? What type of charger is it ?
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Post by sandk on Oct 20, 2018 11:01:13 GMT
Sorry I should have given a little more detail. 14.4 is a common charging voltage on a 12v system, it should be producing over 14 volts, bit this varies over the charging process. Have you got a half decent battery to connect it to and test it? What type of charger is it ? I've got an old Zig unit, the type you would find in a caravan. I'll go and get new batteries, I just don't want to knacker those. I've pulled one battery out and put it on a smart chareger, dear little 4amp thing. I'll need to get a decent onboard charger. |
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Post by kris on Oct 20, 2018 11:11:13 GMT
Sorry I should have given a little more detail. 14.4 is a common charging voltage on a 12v system, it should be producing over 14 volts, bit this varies over the charging process. Have you got a half decent battery to connect it to and test it? What type of charger is it ? I've got an old Zig unit, the type you would find in a caravan. I'll go and get new batteries, I just don't want to knacker those. I've pulled one battery out and put it on a smart chareger, dear little 4amp thing. I'll need to get a decent onboard charger. Yes it sounds like it might be dead. |
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Post by smileypete on Oct 20, 2018 19:31:36 GMT
Once the new batts are fitted, some sort of ammeter to monitor charge current will give some idea of what's going on, CPC do a few for literally a few quid: cpc.farnell.com/search?st=hobut%20ammeterTo get the batts fully charged needs the charge voltage to rise to the manufacturers recommended level (usually 14.4V for bog standard non sealed 12V leisure batts) and held there until the charge current 'tails off' to zero or thereabouts. If the charge current is persistently high, eg never 'tailing off' towards zero with no loads switched on, that points to old/failing batts, also the electolyte levels will fall a lot faster than normal too, needing more frequent topping up. Also bear in mind some simple transformer based car type chargers must not be left on the batts 24/7 as the charge voltage does not drop to a 'float charge' voltage (usually about 13.8V for a 12V batt) once the batts are fully charged. OK the above could be explained better in a lot more words but that's the gist of it. For chapter and verse plus some essential safety precautions, do check out The Battery FAQ: www.batteryfaq.org/ |
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