Battery Charging Frequency

[dmw]

When I get my Grippatank set up fitted in the next week or so, it'll be having a split relay fitted I will be working up to 35 hours a week with it and travelling approximately 70 miles a week with it.

Now I'm wondering will the battery be getting a good enough charge or will I be having to bench charge it when required.

Also can you guys recommend a good battery charger.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

if no charging it will last a long time but to keep it in good shape it probably should be charged at the end of each week

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[dmw]

if no charging it will last a long time but to keep it in good shape it probably should be charged at the end of each week
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

What are the best chargers, or are they similar? Ta.

 

[Iron Giant]

Halfords smart charger is good buy for the price but Ctek always come out on top . Personally I would check the voltage on your battery each night as it will drop to 12.6 very easily in a day depending on how much use it has had within a certain work day , I charge mine every night but I don't have a split relay

 

[jason1965]

i have surflow pumps in my van and i believe they only pull 7/8 amps per hour, so depends how big leisure battery is, i only have 75ah battery, and i have the flow control on about 40, and my battery has never run flat and that working 40 hours a week, but i do use my van outside of work so when ever i drive anywhere its charging, and if you have flow controllers like mine it will tell you the charge in the leisure battery..

 

[Iron Giant]

You shouldn't let your battery get anywhere near flat once it's dropped to some were near 12.6 volts it should be charged to prolong the life of the battery.

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[spruce]

There isn't anyone who can tell you when to 'bench' charge your leisure battery as this will depend on your usage of water and how many miles you do that day. They can only advise you.

There are a couple of things you need to consider.

1. Before you can accurately record the state of your battery's charge (or discharge) you need to let the battery rest for 4 hours before taking a voltage reading.

2. The experts say that a leisure battery should be kept fully charged and when used, be fully recharged as soon as possible. This reduces sulphation of the plates which over time will reduce the battery's capacity.

3. Mileage traveled isn't the main criteria to determine how much charge the van's alternator will charge the leisure battery with. Its more the time taken to travel that distance. The engine idling charges my leisure battery at the same rate it does when driving down an empty motorway. So being stuck in stop start traffic is good for your leisure battery.

In our work environment, I keep the battery above 75% charged whenever I can. This works for me. My batteries have lasted between 3 and 4 years. I tend to charge my leisure battery every 2 to 3 days in summer and every day in winter, depending on the day's use. (When we do a large commercial job in the summer I charge the leisure battery every night.) This could be overkill. Son in law was very lackadaisical when it came to recharging his leisure battery and he went home early a couple of times as his battery was flat. He did more miles than we did and used his van for other things as well. His Numax battery lasted nearly 5 years.

I have a combo volt/amp meter gauge in the van. So I can keep an eye on how much current the alternator is pushing into the battery on the way home. If the amp gauge is reading 2 or 3 amps I don't usually bother to recharge it at home. If the gauge is recording 7 or 8 amps then I will put the charger on overnight.

At one time Grippa sold Numax batteries. We have had very good service from them. I've just replaced my son's 85 amp Numax (nearly 5 years old) with another one. However, I've had a conversation with Numax themselves and they won't give a warranty of a Numax battery used by window cleaners as we (window cleaners) abuse them. So if Grippa supply a leisure battery you need to get reassurances that the battery WILL be covered during the warranty period.

During this conversation they also advised that a leisure battery should never be recharged at an amperage higher than 10% of the battery's capacity. So if my alternator is pushing 8 amps into my 110amph leisure battery and the trip home has taken 20 minutes, then the leisure battery has only received a charge of 2.5 amps. Each pump will draw approx 4.5 amps per hour of use.

.

 

[Cristian]

Excellent info Spruce, what type of intelligent charger would be the best to get for a 110ah battery?

 

[spruce]

I bought a Numax leisure battery charger a good 6 or 7 years ago.

Numax Leisure Battery Charger 12V 10A - Battery Chargers - Numax Battery Chargers

I've replaced the fan as it wore out. Got one off Ebay for peanuts. Otherwise it has worked perfectly.

Ctek is also a well known leisure battery charger that comes with good recommendations from users.

The Ctek one I looked at was a 5amp whereas the one from Numax was a 10 amp one. I chose the 10 amp one.

 

[Cristian]

Thanks Spruce for the info :thumbsup: