Flashing battery symbol

[icic]

Just had the van back from the dealer, where it was sat for 5 weeks awaiting a part. I got them to check the battery a few weeks ago and it came back with passes on both leisure batteries. The battery was behaving strangely so that why I asked for it to be checked. Looking today the battery symbol on the control panel is flashing at the top of the screen and the right bottom of the screen. In addition it has my battery at 0%. Can anyone tell me what the flashing battery means and if the batteries are flat, and if they may be damaged. Could this be due to them not being charged while on the lot ? Also they fixed the under sink lighting issue where it keep coming on, so that may have drained it, before the fixed it. Oh the drive from the dealer to home was 30mins (to recharge ). Any insight would be amazing.

 

[WelshGas]

Just had the van back from the dealer, where it was sat for 5 weeks awaiting a part. I got them to check the battery a few weeks ago and it came back with passes on both leisure batteries. The battery was behaving strangely so that why I asked for it to be checked. Looking today the battery symbol on the control panel is flashing at the top of the screen and the right bottom of the screen. In addition it has my battery at 0%. Can anyone tell me what the flashing battery means and if the batteries are flat, and if they may be damaged. Could this be due to them not being charged while on the lot ? Also they fixed the under sink lighting issue where it keep coming on, so that may have drained it, before the fixed it. Oh the drive from the dealer to home was 30mins (to recharge ). Any insight would be amazing.

View attachment 73102

Flat batteries, need charging on Mains ASAP.

 

[Loz]

You might need some luck to revive those.. 10.6v is the floor for AGM batteries.

As it was in their care, you will have to point out to them that they have failed to keep them charged and demand replacements.

 

[Qnapper]

Take it back to them and get them to replace the batteries that they have destroyed. That battery will never hold a full charge again. A 30-minute drive will never charge a battery. 2/3/4 hours drive.

It's dead.

 

[icic]

Thanks for the help, they have agreed to replace all the battery’s

 

[sdes]

I think you'd be surprised by what an AGM battery can recover from, 10.6V might be "the floor" according to the manual, but mine have come back from well below that. The main AGM battery in my Cali sat right through the first lockdown with a tracker and the immobiliser powered off it on a London parking bay. I thought it was fine as I'd installed a solar panel from Solar Camper Solutions back in 2016, but unfortunately the panel had failed at some point. It went down to 2.8V, and the Ring "smart" charger I had refused to charge it and then failed totally. I bought a "NOCO GENIUS10UK, 10-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger", it brought that AGM battery back to life, it took about 24hrs as it seems to "nurse it" through the initial charging. The battery is now fine, it has fully discharged again in the last Xmas lockdown, this time down to 3.5V. The NOCO rescued it again.

I have now installed a new solar larger solar panel so hopefully won't be needing the charger again any time soon.

Its not a cheap charger at a bit over £100, it also has a "little brother" 5A version for about £60, but given the price of a new AGM battery, perhaps not so expensive. I actually bought a second battery too, so can say that under "no load", just stored at room temperature, the first AGM dropped from 12.9V to 12.7V over about six months, so held charge pretty well.

Might all be irrelevant though as sounds as if you might be owed replacements.

 

[Qnapper]

Perhaps you were lucky to recover yours, but 99% will never recover. They might look like they have but cannot hold a full charge for long. Lucky you.

 

[sdes]

Perhaps not so lucky, given the industry standard lifespan for a solar panel is 25-30 years, and if that hadn't failed I would not have ended up with a near dead battery....etc. but I take your point. And 2 out off 2 AGMs recovered too, so yes, lucky, or a good charger, or both.

Having said that, AGMs are generally deeper cycle than old style "flooded" type batteries, allowing typical Depth of Discharge 80% vs 50% ish for flooded.

 

[westfalia]

I think you'd be surprised by what an AGM battery can recover from, 10.6V might be "the floor" according to the manual, but mine have come back from well below that. The main AGM battery in my Cali sat right through the first lockdown with a tracker and the immobiliser powered off it on a London parking bay. I thought it was fine as I'd installed a solar panel from Solar Camper Solutions back in 2016, but unfortunately the panel had failed at some point. It went down to 2.8V, and the Ring "smart" charger I had refused to charge it and then failed totally. I bought a "NOCO GENIUS10UK, 10-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger", it brought that AGM battery back to life, it took about 24hrs as it seems to "nurse it" through the initial charging. The battery is now fine, it has fully discharged again in the last Xmas lockdown, this time down to 3.5V. The NOCO rescued it again.

I have now installed a new solar larger solar panel so hopefully won't be needing the charger again any time soon.

Its not a cheap charger at a bit over £100, it also has a "little brother" 5A version for about £60, but given the price of a new AGM battery, perhaps not so expensive. I actually bought a second battery too, so can say that under "no load", just stored at room temperature, the first AGM dropped from 12.9V to 12.7V over about six months, so held charge pretty well.

Might all be irrelevant though as sounds as if you might be owed replacements.

A mate of mine told me the other day that he has a big CTEK
charger that can bring them back to life, i doubted him a few times
but he was adamant.

 

[Qnapper]

I have the CTEK charger (25amp version) that does it all and your mate is correct it will "bring it back to life" but and this is the but...... the battery will never hold a full charge for a long period like a new or well look after battery. The AGM are more forgiving as you have stated, but unless you look after a battery from new it will "fall over".... Many people fail to understand the basics of battery maintenance believing that a short drive will charge the battery fully or a solar panel will after a few hours fully charge a battery. I wish............

 

[icic]

So can I ask what the breakdown of good battery maintenance is. What’s best practice

 

[Qnapper]

Here is a good read for your:

Battery Maintenance Tips: How To Care For Your Deep-Cycle Batteries

Program your battery bank properly and follow these battery maintenance tips to keep your battery bank running efficiently.

unboundsolar.com

 

[icic]

Thank you, it’s a bit overwhelming. Any simple tips ?

 

[Qnapper]

Over-Discharging the Battery​

The second leading cause of premature failure is over-discharging. The deeper you discharge a lead-acid battery, the shorter its life will be. A budget leisure battery that in reality is little different from a car battery may suffer damage if discharged below 80% of its capacity – see 'lead-shedding'.
A good quality, flooded leisure battery, will tolerate discharge down to 50% on a regular basis, as many as 200 times. AGM and gel types can nearly double this, although care needs to be taken when charging gel batteries if damage is to be avoided - see panel.

Typical performance curves for good quality leisure batteries in a caring regime

The voltage of a battery at rest, and without load, is an indication of its state of charge. The following table shows the approximate state of charge of a lead acid battery under these conditions. If you aim to stop the voltage going below 12.20 volts on a regular basis, this will greatly help battery life. This voltage equates to about 50% charge with a flooded battery, and 40% with AGM and gel types.

Approximate state of charge	Sealed or flooded lead acid battery voltage	AGM & spiral wound battery voltage	Gel battery voltage
100%	12.70+	12.80+	12.85+
75%	12.4	12.6	12.65
50%	12.2	12.3	12.35
40%	12.1	12.2	12.2
25%	12	12	12
0%	11.8	11.8	11.8

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you, it’s a bit overwhelming. Any simple tips ?

As per the Handbook. Charge on Hookup monthly for a minimum 12 hrs.

 

[Qnapper]

In the real world and not a handbook you really need to charge your batteries at least twice a week if not being used (driving for a few hours and not short journies). If being used as a daily driver you may get away with once a month full charge.

 

[WelshGas]

In the real world and not a handbook you really need to charge your batteries at least twice a week if not being used (driving for a few hours and not short journies). If being used as a daily driver you may get away with once a month full charge.

Well there are many owners on the Forum who follow the Handbook and have no problems. There is perfection and there is practicality.

 

[Qnapper]

Well there are many owners on the Forum who follow the Handbook and have no problems. There is perfection and there is practicality.

Well yes your correct there are many also who have problems with batteries!, and nearly all owners are perfectionists............ enough said.

 

[WelshGas]

Well yes your correct there are many also who have problems with batteries!, and nearly all owners are perfectionists............ enough said.

I think if you reviewed the posts regarding Leisure Battery problems there are very few, if any, that would be resolved by charging them 2 or 3 times a week rather than monthly.

 

[WelshGas]

I agree, @Qnapper , it is Sad. A large proportion of Leisure Battery problems are caused by Dealerships and Owners not following the recommendations as stated in the Handbook, as illustrated in this threads OP. If the Dealership had done as recommended they wouldn't have had to replace the Batteries. The other large group are due to electrical problems which no amount of charging would have fixed.

 

[andyinluton]

As per the Handbook. Charge on Hookup monthly for a minimum 12 hrs.

The latest California Supplements states:
If the additional battery is not charged by the alternator while the engine is running, it must be charged on the 230-volt electrical feed at regular intervals - a minimum of every four weeks - for at least 12 hours.

There is also the new Maximum Battery Charge Function, the instructions for that state:
In order to completely charge the additional battery when driving independently of the vehicle functions, you can activate the maximum battery charge function...........The function switches itself off automatically when the additional battery is fully charged.

I would read the above as if the van is being used regularly, there is no need to plug in to the mains anymore.

 

[icic]

We don’t have access to charge from the mains. So use Rogers solar panels. I am told this is enough to keep the batteries healthy, is that correct ?

 

[KGCali]

We don’t have access to charge from the mains. So use Rogers solar panels. I am told this is enough to keep the batteries healthy, is that correct ?

As long as it's used regularly for longer runs and the solar panels kept clean it should be fine.

 

[WelshGas]

We don’t have access to charge from the mains. So use Rogers solar panels. I am told this is enough to keep the batteries healthy, is that correct ?

During the Summer/Spring/Autumn - Yes

In the Winter - if the vehicle Leisure Electrics are NOT being used - then Yes.

If they are being used and only short trips being driven then Yes/No - really depends on the orientation of the panel and how many hours of sunlight they get. If out in the open and exposed to any sunlight all day then probably Yes.

Mine certainly copes with 1 panel during winter and the panel is almost 6 yrs old - From Roger.

 

[icic]

We have got two just in case, good to know it will be hopefully doing the job