Leisure Battery help!

[gas1man]

Have a l. battery and is hooked up to the Waeco 50 fridge.
I have also got a split charge system.

The problem is during a trip all is well. Stop for a night away and works fine till I'm asleep then ( I think)
the battery drains so far that the fridge goes off.

So the question is : Is the battery knackered or is there something else wrong?
Can someone tell me how to test the l. battery ? And if I have to use a meter , what settings to use please.

In other words the idiots guide. Please!!!!! OOOPS nearly forgot the battery is a 110 a/h size

J & P

 

[KateLovesPurple]

Just the fridge alone you should have plenty of time on the battery but it very much depends on what else you are running on the battery at the same time as to how long it will last. The Waeco fridge has a low voltage cut off too which probably means you won't get as long as you might theoretically.

What else are you running on the 12v when you are stopped? And for how long? Add up all the consumption and you will see how long you should get out of your 110Ah battery.

You could also use a current meter (clamp style would be easier) to see how much current is being pulled when it is all switched on too, to help you calculations.

Do you have a mains hookup as well? If you don't, it would be well worth investing in a set up for when you are parked up on a camp site, also perhaps think about a solar panel to help keep things topped up when there is no mains available. (Before dark obviously! Before someone comes on and says it's no use at night!!! :roll: )

 

[gas1man]

It is a new system and only running the fridge ,nothing else.
The one thing I don't know is how old the battery is. Hence the question on how to monitor consumption.
I have mains hook up for camp sites so that's side is no problem. I just need to get a transformer to drop the voltage.
Will also have a look at current draw meters.
Thanks again.

J & P

 

[ozziedog]

Not sure on how much drain that fridge is, but most that need a fridge use a gas one because it does really smack the ass of your battery when it`s just the twelve volts out of your leisure battery. I also haven`t heard of any fridges working for as long as they are supposed to from a twelve volt battery. The brother in law has one in his T whatever and has just had all the work completed a year or so ago, they told him the battery would last a long weekend but it didn`t last the first night, much to his disgust and me telling him `I told you so` :roll:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Gas mate :mrgreen:

 

[Pickles]

Have a l. battery and is hooked up to the Waeco 50 fridge.
I have also got a split charge system.

The problem is during a trip all is well. Stop for a night away and works fine till I'm asleep then ( I think)
the battery drains so far that the fridge goes off.

So the question is : Is the battery knackered or is there something else wrong?
Can someone tell me how to test the l. battery ? And if I have to use a meter , what settings to use please.

In other words the idiots guide. Please!!!!! OOOPS nearly forgot the battery is a 110 a/h size

J & P

Am assuming you have a big enough cable fitted between the fridge and battery ? But thought I would mention it any how. :roll:

 

[Haveacamper]

I have a Vitri Frigo fridge as these are supposed to be one of the most efficient out there. I have noticed that the fridge's comsumption is something like 2.3A running and 5A on start up (when it trips in). Having said that, the installation instructions/wiring diagram stipulates a 15A fuse! When I questioned this with the supplier/manufacturer they said that it is to accomodate the spike in current draw when the fridge trips on.

Now I have noticed that the fridge will stop working at some point over the weekend, but other consumers will still work, like internal lights etc. I can only presume that this is due the battery no longer having the capacity to supply the current spike required by the fridge and the comparably low current draw required by things like lights.

What I havent tried is to check with the propex heater will work when the fridge stops

so summing, I wouldn't be surprised if its the initial spike required that is stopping the fridge from firing up, but as others have said, a 110Ah battery should have the capacity to last longer then 1night. I have a battery charger that also checks the "health" of the battery before charging. not entirely sure what it actually checks, but may be worth seeing if you can get hold of one of these?

 

[john the horse]

Leisure battery again it crops up , bin the battery as the are useless for these purposes as you are droning the battery the topping it up which is the worst thing for them , use a decent car battery , also those fridges will have an under an under volt protection !


If you run a leisure battery down its well er ****** , as a car battery isn't as it's what it's designed for

 

[Haveacamper]

John,

It was my understanding that a leisure battery is designed to be charged up and then run down flat - hence the alternative name of deep cycle.

I also thought that an automotive is the opposite, in that it handle short periods of high demand - i.e. cranking - where the battery isnt drained completely before being charged.

NaFe

 

[Wannabay]

I have a Waeco 35 fridge running on a new 110AH leisure battery, and it will run for 2-3 days no problem
Invest in an 'intelligent' battery charger and it'll tell you the condition of your battery

 

[Moseley]

John,

It was my understanding that a leisure battery is designed to be charged up and then run down flat - hence the alternative name of deep cycle.

I also thought that an automotive is the opposite, in that it handle short periods of high demand - i.e. cranking - where the battery isnt drained completely before being charged.

NaFe

Yup, this is correct. Running a car battery flat will indeed bork it.

 

[gas1man]

And so thanks to everyone for all your input.
Ozziedog sorry just cant bring myself to cut a hole in the side.
Pickles the wire is the correct size I have been told.
Wannabay could you pm me on what it is you have.(tried looking up intelligent battery charger, not what I think you have).
Haveacamper I think you could be right and the battery might be ok but not for spikes when it switches on.
Madman I think a current draw meter to find out what the spike is would defo help.

Any more input will be greatly appreciated guys.

J & P