All
Just swapped the caravan battery and noticed the cells have gone dry which probably explains its inability to hold a charge. Not being one to just bin stuff is it likely to be worth bothering with trying top up fluid purely to use the battery for power cut scenarios is do I just quit and take it to the recycle place.
Never had one go dry before.
Lee D
A man after my own heart! You might need to top up with acid rather than just distilled water. Drying out is very very rare, more likely is gassing off ie overcharging, check out your overcharging circuit or you'll bugger your new battery too.
More common than you might imagine Lee old sport when 'maintainence free' batteries were first introduced they were sealed and when they inevitably died outside the guarantee period we used to give an exchange deal on a new one . Me being a nosy sod I opened the tamper proof caps on a couple to find the plates exposed - top up recharge and good as new.If I ever needed a battery instead of handing over the exchange to the guy from Werners I used to pay the exchange rebate out of my pocket as IMO £2 is a very good price for a premium battery.
Derek not dead just Subaru-ing
Suddenly everything becomes clear. The new caravan is always plugged in the mains... guess what. The Charger is always on! I had presumed that it was some kind of smart charger that only charged as required. That'll teach me not to read the instructions!
I'll try topping it up. You never know. If it works for a few hours on my VHF/HF radio then it may provide some entertainment yet.
On the bright side the replacement is a 110 ah and only 1 year old, got it from a lad at work who has packed in caravanning.
You live and learn!
Lee D
In article , Lee_D writes
I've recovered a Landy battery recently by repeatedly charging it. The first thing I did was distribute the electrolyte evenly and top-up with distilled water, using a hydrometer as a syringe. You might want to loosen the cell caps too, as it will inevitably gas a bit during the process.
It took about a month, of burst-of-heavy-charge then trickle charge for a while, but now it's holding charge pretty well. It's not a leisure battery though, so I'm reluctant to discharge it significantly, just in case, but it should be enough to run an inverter for the heating system through the expected winter power cuts, I hope. If the worst happens I can pinch the one from the Landy, and swap over, using the vehicle to charge the flatter one. The TDi puts far less strain on the battery than starting the old TD did, so I reckon I can swap out to nearly-flat, and still start a warm engine.
It's bein' so cheerful as keeps I goin'...
Glad to be of service! When you stop learning they can screw the lid on.
Can't stand these happy buggers, miserable as sin I!
Don't top up with acid as it's only the water that gets boiled (distilled ) off, and don't top up with tap water as it contains chemicals that will also harm the battery. I use my own spring water (and have done for years) which doesn't seem to have anything harmful in it as my batteries last a very long time. Check the S.G. of the acid, IIRC it should be about 1.250 BICBW.
An old belt driven cylinder lawn mower, an alternator, battery & inverter, can keep a central heating system going for an amazing time!
:-)
Dave B.
In article , Dave Baxter writes
I *like* this newsgroup!
Regards,
S. (so that's car boots for me for the next few weeks :-) )
All nutters together!
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