How often do people charge the leisure batteries in winter

[Brianandjoy]

We have recently bought our California Ocean,can people tell us how long intervals between battery charging you can get away with without damaging the additional batteries.Currently the leisure batteries are losing 20% charge per day with nothing being used so it looks like the batteries are already damaged due to the previous owner letting them run down.I know the manual says every 4 weeks but can you get away with longer as we are often out of the country for 8 weeks in the winter

 

[marshian70]

I keep mine plugged in all the time. I believe this also trickle charges the engine battery too.

 

[GrannyJen]

If I was going away for 8 weeks I would do one of two things: Charge the batteries 100% leaving on charge for at least 24 hours, then switch everything off, including the control panel as that itself consumes electricity:

Or:

Leave on mains for that period, although personally I would be concerned leaving batteries plugged into the mains for that length of time unsupervised.

 

[Lloydfred]

I'm pretty sure, I read recently in that pinned tips post that having the Calli plugged into the mains 24/7 was not a good idea.

I could be wrong, I charge mine for 24 hours once a month.

 

[WelshGas]

We have recently bought our California Ocean,can people tell us how long intervals between battery charging you can get away with without damaging the additional batteries.Currently the leisure batteries are losing 20% charge per day with nothing being used so it looks like the batteries are already damaged due to the previous owner letting them run down.I know the manual says every 4 weeks but can you get away with longer as we are often out of the country for 8 weeks in the winter

Possibly. But if the vehicle is parked outside then a Solar Panel solves the problem.

You have said nothing is plugged in. Have you checked the 12v Socket in the boot, also the one in the cup holder between sliding door and bench seat. Also check the Inverter Socket at the base of the Passenger side B pillar. Lift the flap up and check to see if the green LED is illuminated.

Does the Control Panel Showa current draw greater than 0.2amps?

 

[WelshGas]

I'm pretty sure, I read recently in that pinned tips post that having the Calli plugged into the mains 24/7 was not a good idea.

I could be wrong, I charge mine for 24 hours once a month.

I don’t see how having the Mains Charger On is any worse than having a Solar Panel connected as far as the Leisure Batteries are concerned.
I note that the Handbook does not state any maximum time for the Mains Charger, but that doesn’t mean a lot.

 

[jts46]

You could always use a plug in timer, i have done so in the past when we have been away long periods.
During the cold spell in January and February i left mine connected 24/7 for about 7 weeks, didn't notice a drop in performance of the batteries.

 

[jts46]

Forgot to mention starter battery went flat, but ok after 24 hrs

 

[Palm]

Try to keep the charging intervals, personally i believe that every 4 to 6 weeks works as long as you don't drain the batteries completely in between. I would consider some kind of timer solution for longer intervals.

 

[WelshGas]

Forgot to mention starter battery went flat, but ok after 24 hrs

I think it was post 2006 or thereabouts that VW changed the Mains Charger so that the Engine Battery is also trickle charged. Prior to that only the Leisure Batteries were charged.

 

[Hotel California]

On hook up 24/7 is not that good , better is once in 6-8 weeks a 24h cyclus .
Even better is discharging the batteries inbetween that cyclus
Keeping the flow going in and out is the best way .

 

[Lloydfred]

Told you haha haha

 

[jts46]

You could always use a plug in timer, i have done so in the past when we have been away long periods.
During the cold spell in January and February i left mine connected 24/7 for about 7 weeks, didn't notice a drop in performance of the batteries.

I still have the original leisure batteries (11.5 years old), so must be doing something correct?

 

[Volkywagen]

It’s good to de charge the batts every so often as it stops the cells drying out. Keeps them healthy

 

[Brianandjoy]

My batteries are losing 20% a day from being fully charged ,they’ve gone down to 60% in 2 and a half days and seem stable there not dropping any further,nothing is plugged in,everything is turned off,The van is only 18 months old,do you think the batteries are damaged and will only hold 60% of the charge,they will charge up to 100%

 

[WelshGas]

My batteries are losing 20% a day from being fully charged ,they’ve gone down to 60% in 2 and a half days and seem stable there not dropping any further,nothing is plugged in,everything is turned off,The van is only 18 months old,do you think the batteries are damaged and will only hold 60% of the charge,they will charge up to 100%

Which van do you have as according to your details you are " Looking to Buy " .
If it is an Ocean then dropping to 60% in less than 3 days is wrong. However the Control Panel is not that accurate.
1. When the Control Panel shows 60% what current draw is shown? it should be about -0.2 amps
2. What voltage is shown?
3. Switch OFF Control Panel using L lower button. Wait 30 seconds. Switch on using L lower Button. Wait 10 minutes. What does the Control Panel show now, Voltage, % and Current draw?

 

[Brianandjoy]

Which van do you have as according to your details you are " Looking to Buy " .
If it is an Ocean then dropping to 60% in less than 3 days is wrong. However the Control Panel is not that accurate.
1. When the Control Panel shows 60% what current draw is shown? it should be about -0.2 amps
2. What voltage is shown?
3. Switch OFF Control Panel using L lower button. Wait 30 seconds. Switch on using L lower Button. Wait 10 minutes. What does the Control Panel show now, Voltage, % and Current draw?

Yes the control panel is showing 12.2 v and 0.2 amps,however when I first turned it on the amps were a lot higher,it’s still showing 60% and has been that for 24 hours

Yes the control panel is showing 12.2 v and 0.2 amps,however when I first turned it on the amps were a lot higher,it’s still showing 60% and has been that for 24 hours

It is an Ocean 18 months old that we bought 9 weeks ago

 

[WelshGas]

It is an Ocean 18 months old that we bought 9 weeks ago

I presume it still showed 12.2 and 60% after switching Off and On.

If that is the case then it is back to the Dealership I’m afraid.

Possible causes:-

1. The previous owner or Dealer have not looked after the Leisure Batteries and they have been severely damaged.
2. Just one battery has been damaged.

Either way BOTH batteries should be replaced.

 

[Geesvw]

We have recently bought our California Ocean,can people tell us how long intervals between battery charging you can get away with without damaging the additional batteries.Currently the leisure batteries are losing 20% charge per day with nothing being used so it looks like the batteries are already damaged due to the previous owner letting them run down.I know the manual says every 4 weeks but can you get away with longer as we are often out of the country for 8 weeks in the winter

I won't keep you leisure batteries on hookup all the time as its not necessary and don't improve the longevity of the batteries. I've a 2008 California, 125000 miles mainly on holidays and on my third set of leisure batteries, but still on the original engine battery. What is important is to "condition" the leisure batteries with an intelligent charger, as least every six months. You don't have to remove them from the compartments, but make sure that you've removed the live terminal on one of the batteries so they're not linked in parallel. I've got a plug in terminal connector permanently attached to the battery under the seat for easy connection, so all I have to do is remove the live from the one under the wardrobe. Also please please make sure that the live cannot be earthed on the chassis otherwise you'll fry your leisure wiring loom!

 

[BikerGran]

I on the other hand have a 2007 Cali with similar mileage which I believe is on the original leisure batteries but had a new engine battery in late 2016 (replacing the original one).
I plug in when I think of it which is probably less than once a month, but the van is driven most days.

 

[ejmoore]

What happens if you don't charge it?
We've had our van six years, drive it about once a week in the winter, occasionally put it in hook-up if we're camping but never otherwise (not practicable as we have to park it on the street).
There doesn't seem to be any problem with it - it lasts several days (fridge & lights) without a hook-up.
Is all this nursing it really necessary?

 

[Skylark2.0]

We plug ours in once a month overnight.

 

[Skewif]

What happens if you don't charge it?
We've had our van six years, drive it about once a week in the winter, occasionally put it in hook-up if we're camping but never otherwise (not practicable as we have to park it on the street).
There doesn't seem to be any problem with it - it lasts several days (fridge & lights) without a hook-up.
Is all this nursing it really necessary?

It just helps with the battery life. Lead acid batteries need a regular ish full charge to prevent sulfation. If Sulfation occurs the battery looses its ability to take a completely full charge. To truly fully change it can take 12+ hours on a decent charger hence the advice to plug in once a month. If you plug in a few times a year that’s probably enough to keep your batteries near tip top. Batteries are a consumable item. Probably better to live in ignorant bliss and change them when knacked than constantly worry about their nursing needs.

 

[Roger Donoghue]

You get sulphation when you run a battery low and leave it there. Crystals form which short the lead plates, which reduces the battery capacity.

Alternator (driving) charging is fast but a little crude. After a while you end up with small imbalances in each individial cell inside the battery. No problem with sulphation here, just you lose a little capacity.

When you plug a battery into a mains charger with a trickle charge (float charge) facility (they pretty much all do) it charges the battery at max power, then as it nears full it tops up with a lower current charge which allows the cells to all become totally full, then it switches to a float charge - this is a very low current charge to allow for the fact batteries self discharge over time. Some people call this a maintenance charge.

Going back to sulphation. Over the years of being used, and occasionally drained too low, your battery might accumulate sulphation, decreasing its capacity/performance. Another form of maintenance charge called "desulphation" (unsurprisingly) can be run to try to fix this problem. The charger does this by charging the battery at a much higher voltage (not current) than normal - perhaps up to 20v, for a reasonable short period of time. The idea is this high voltage charge disturbs, and breaks down the lead sulphate crystals.

This option is disabled by default in most solar regulators as it is nor intended nor good for AGM batteries. It can also produce a fair amount of flamable gas when being performed on regaular batteries if they start venting at 20volts or so.

I have always left lead acid batteries on trickle (float) charge for all of the time where possible. It means they will never drop under 10v, which is the real battery killer, and they are always full. Solar regulators all drop to a trickle (float) charge when the battery is full. As should all mains chargers except the old style from yonks back. I can only assume the cali built in one does, otherwise there would be a lot of exploded overcharged batteries

So I'd leave the hookup plugged in as long as it suits. It's no difference from having a solar regulator/charger. As you are plugged in your batteries won't self discharge at all. Just check the VW charger spec to ensure it is a 3 stage charger (bulk, top-up, float)