Winter is coming.

[Trailertrash]

I will only say that you have to be very careful what you do with the electrical systems of motor homes and Camper vans. They are generally quite complicated, sensitive and very often the manufacturers get it wrong leading to very protracted and very expensive problems. There is no way I would plug my Cali into anything other than the usual 240v mains supply. We had a Knaus motorhome in storage for ten years. When not using it I went to the facility and gave it a short run to keep the leasure batteries topped up once a month. In ten years we never had a problem and only once after nine years changed the leasure battery. Hope that helps.

 

[T6 CFO]

This may be a stupid question..... I've a Cali Beach on-order, and as I live in a 7th floor flat, and my Cali will be parked in the underground carpark.... Plugging it in, will be an issue for me (might end up visiting my parents more often!) Does anyone know if plugging a Cali into an e-Car dock/station, will charge the leisure battery?

I am planning solar panel installation which will help I guess, but maybe not over the winter months..... Another reason for the solar panels is that we hope to camp off-grid mostly also.

I am in an identical situation to you but living on the 4th floor. For that reason I will be going for the solar panels. Might be worth you checking but before getting mine I found electrical sockets on the ground floor, one in a services cupboard and the other in the metre room. I had a key for the one with metres in and am able to charge mine up from there. You might not be so lucky but worth a look as most buildings have power available somewhere for works to be done or the cleaners. Nice people in my block and no one has a problem.


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[Jonathan Duke]

I am in an identical situation to you but living on the 4th floor. For that reason I will be going for the solar panels. Might be worth you checking but before getting mine I found electrical sockets on the ground floor, one in a services cupboard and the other in the metre room. I had a key for the one with metres in and am able to charge mine up from there. You might not be so lucky but worth a look as most buildings have power available somewhere for works to be done or the cleaners. Nice people in my block and no one has a problem.


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Thanks @T6 CFO - Did a quick recce of the carpark, and I located some sockets hidden behind weather covers. Result. Just need to confirm they are live, and am now also wondering how long a charge takes? Is it an hour or two, or more like overnight?

 

[T6 CFO]

Thanks @T6 CFO - Did a quick recce of the carpark, and I located some sockets hidden behind weather covers. Result. Just need to confirm they are live, and am now also wondering how long a charge takes? Is it an hour or two, or more like overnight?

Result Sometimes they have a key alongside. Mine do but left on


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[bigmac77]

Thanks @T6 CFO - Did a quick recce of the carpark, and I located some sockets hidden behind weather covers. Result. Just need to confirm they are live, and am now also wondering how long a charge takes? Is it an hour or two, or more like overnight?

I put mine on for a min of 12 hours.

 

[briwy]

This may be a stupid question..... I've a Cali Beach on-order, and as I live in a 7th floor flat, and my Cali will be parked in the underground carpark.... Plugging it in, will be an issue for me (might end up visiting my parents more often!) Does anyone know if plugging a Cali into an e-Car dock/station, will charge the leisure battery?

I am planning solar panel installation which will help I guess, but maybe not over the winter months..... Another reason for the solar panels is that we hope to camp off-grid mostly also.

Well obiously yhe solar panel isn't going to help in an underground car park but well worth having for off grid camping and will still work OK though less efficiently in the winter. Ours generates some power virtually all the time in daylight.

 

[Lewis]

Apologies as this may have been covered elsewhere in the forum but seems pertinent here - how easy is it for people without direct mains access and issues with solar panel suitability to remove the leisure battery and charge it indoors?

Our Cali will be parked across the road from our house so charging is a no-go and sadly the on-road parking is below a set of cables so vehicles are prone to taking a major beating from pigeons - I can imagine this rendering solar panels a nightmare.

(Can't move unfortunately - our house makes the Cali affordable!)

 

[WelshGas]

Apologies as this may have been covered elsewhere in the forum but seems pertinent here - how easy is it for people without direct mains access and issues with solar panel suitability to remove the leisure battery and charge it indoors?

Our Cali will be parked across the road from our house so charging is a no-go and sadly the on-road parking is below a set of cables so vehicles are prone to taking a major beating from pigeons - I can imagine this rendering solar panels a nightmare.

(Can't move unfortunately - our house makes the Cali affordable!)

Possible, but not easy, especially the front, under seat battery.
Visit relatives or friends once a month with the California?

 

[Lewis]

Visit relatives or friends once a month with the California?

Good plan!

 

[AlisonF]

Internal roof liner will not stop the canvas from getting wet. Wet canvas, if not dried, will go mouldy if stored for any length of time.
If the only reason you cannot plug into the mains is your lead is too short then purchase a 10 or 15m lead to use as an extension while on the drive.
You would only be using the extended lead to run the Charger so it would perfectly safe.

Using the Engine Alternator to charge can only take the Leisure Batteries to about 80% capacity. NB the Control Panel does not give accurate readings.

On the T6 I've noticed my engine battery is taking the Leisure Battery to 100%. Maybe it's because they're new, or maybe they've improved the recharge. But having seen the comment about this I have been monitoring it and it's always been better than @WelshGas noted.
I would certainly agree on buying an extra cable (if that's the reason) - less than £20 on Amazon (or elsewhere) and certainly cheaper than the hassle of replacement leisure batteries...?

Just seen others had already replied...

 

[WelshGas]

On the T6 I've noticed my engine battery is taking the Leisure Battery to 100%. Maybe it's because they're new, or maybe they've improved the recharge. But having seen the comment about this I have been monitoring it and it's always been better than @WelshGas noted.
I would certainly agree on buying an extra cable (if that's the reason) - less than £20 on Amazon (or elsewhere) and certainly cheaper than the hassle of replacement leisure batteries...?

Just seen others had already replied...

My Leisure Batteries also show 100% after a drive - BUT the % charge will decrease to 90 or 80% fairly rapidly unless the Batteries have been fully charged via the Mains charger beforehand. The Alternator charge profile is very different to the Mains Charger. Also, bear in mind that the Control Panel may well give a different % reading after a Switch On/Off of the Control Panel.

The Alternator and Leisure Battery split charger circuit and Mains charger are exactly the same on the T5 and T6 down to the same part numbers .

In order to fully charge a Leisure Battery then you need a charging profile specific to the type of Battery . The Alternator does not have a varying charge profile as it has 2 main purposes only - Run the vehicle electrics when the engine is running and charge the engine battery ASAP so that it can cope with multiple starts - then and only then can any excess power be diverted to the Leisure Batteries .

 

[2CV67]

I may have missed it, but I don't think anybody mentioned that you are supposed to drain water back from the tap & pump to prevent it freezing in the pump?
Just running it until no more water comes out is not enough.
VW recommend taking out the pump fuse then opening the tap.
Others (& me) manage to find the critical tap opening which is enough to let the water drain back but not enough to turn on the pump.
Those who need to do it often add a switch in the pump circuit so they can open the tap fully without turning the pump on.

 

[Bramco]

This may be a stupid question..... I've a Cali Beach on-order, and as I live in a 7th floor flat, and my Cali will be parked in the underground carpark.... Plugging it in, will be an issue for me (might end up visiting my parents more often!) Does anyone know if plugging a Cali into an e-Car dock/station, will charge the leisure battery?

I am planning solar panel installation which will help I guess, but maybe not over the winter months..... Another reason for the solar panels is that we hope to camp off-grid mostly also.

Jonathan, if you have a Beach you don't have to worry. The reason folks get agitated is because they have a ton of kitchen etc in their vans. So the fridge runs the leisure battery down.

Our Beach doesn't have any problem with the leisure battery running down. We do have a solar panel but only for occasions when we are away and not on hookup, so need some extra to keep the battery topped up.

 

[WelshGas]

Jonathan, if you have a Beach you don't have to worry. The reason folks get agitated is because they have a ton of kitchen etc in their vans. So the fridge runs the leisure battery down.

Our Beach doesn't have any problem with the leisure battery running down. We do have a solar panel but only for occasions when we are away and not on hookup, so need some extra to keep the battery topped up.

Not quit correct if you have the Diesel Parking Heater in your Beach, and many members have a Fridge/Cool box in their Beach both of which run off the Leisure Battery.
In fact with the SE/Ocean having both the Fridge and Parking Heater it also has 2 x Leisure Batteries.

Unless a 2nd Leisure Battery is fitted I understand the Beach only has 1 Leisure Battery which could be powering a Parking Heater and a Fridge, which although not built in is still using the Leisure Battery when plugged in.

Either way, both vehicles need occasional charging via a mains charger to keep the Leisure Battery/Batteries in good condition.

In fact, I think you will find that the SE/Ocean Fridge consumes less power than many removable Fridges/Coolboxs of a similar size and the fridge is only on when you switch it on just as the Beach Fridge/Coolbox is only on when you plug it in.

"Agitation" has no part to play, just keeping Leisure Batteries in good condition for as long as possible.

 

[Roger Boeken]

My Leisure Batteries also show 100% after a drive - BUT the % charge will decrease to 90 or 80% fairly rapidly unless the Batteries have been fully charged via the Mains charger beforehand. The Alternator charge profile is very different to the Mains Charger. Also, bear in mind that the Control Panel may well give a different % reading after a Switch On/Off of the Control Panel.

The Alternator and Leisure Battery split charger circuit and Mains charger are exactly the same on the T5 and T6 down to the same part numbers .

In order to fully charge a Leisure Battery then you need a charging profile specific to the type of Battery . The Alternator does not have a varying charge profile as it has 2 main purposes only - Run the vehicle electrics when the engine is running and charge the engine battery ASAP so that it can cope with multiple starts - then and only then can any excess power be diverted to the Leisure Batteries .

Again : my T6 has 3 identical batteries, no special type of leisure battery that needs different charging profile.
When you are driving the car you can check the charging current of the leisure battery: turn on the control unit and watch the charging current while the 'G' icon is displayed. Keep it safe and don't forget to look on the road in front also...

 

[WelshGas]

Again : my T6 has 3 identical batteries, no special type of leisure battery that needs different charging profile.
When you are driving the car you can check the charging current of the leisure battery: turn on the control unit and watch the charging current while the 'G' icon is displayed. Keep it safe and don't forget to look on the road in front also...

According to the VW parts list, on the 2015 SE there are different part numbers for the 2 Leisure Batteries and the Engine Starter Battery.
You might be correct for the T6, but not apparently for the T5.
Mind you, that is presuming VW fitted the correct Engine/ Leisure Batteries in the first place.
I know mine is correct but unfortunately I cannot find any VW Part numbers for the Ocean batteries.
The Alternator cannot fully charge the Leisure Batteries as that is not its prime purpose. The Ocean Control Panel is not a very sophisticated monitoring tool. Measuring the capability of any battery should not be undertaken for at least 4 hrs after a charging episode for accurate results.
An Engine battery charged to 90% capacity is more than adequate for starting the engine and can be quickly returned to that level.
A Leisure Battery requires a specific charging profile to charge it to 100% capacity, which is what you require for extended use or high capacity use when off grid.

 

[MattBW]

Mind you, that is presuming VW fitted the correct Engine/ Leisure Batteries in the first place.

True mine wasn't the correct one.

 

[Cali4nia-Dream]

I may have missed it, but I don't think anybody mentioned that you are supposed to drain water back from the tap & pump to prevent it freezing in the pump?
Just running it until no more water comes out is not enough.
VW recommend taking out the pump fuse then opening the tap.
Others (& me) manage to find the critical tap opening which is enough to let the water drain back but not enough to turn on the pump.
Those who need to do it often add a switch in the pump circuit so they can open the tap fully without turning the pump on.

I can vouch for the problems of not draining systems properly, our old motorhome had one pump for all the water (sinks and loo). Despite trying to leave all taps open and the pump circuit isolated we had several mishaps due to a pull out shower tap. The long pipe from shower head back to the tap remained full of water and was almost impossible to empty. When it froze it popped the sections of the tap apart and caused a flood behind a panel in the bathroom. Messy, but at least it was a simple panel to remove, wouldn't like to have done similar on a Cali, its far too integrated and compact. After a couple of times where I had been able to pop the sections of the tap back together and it working all summer, I ended up replacing the shower with a simple tap that would allow drain back.
Our Cali hasn't arrived yet, but after previous problems it will be fuse out and valves and taps wide open, unless I can easily find the pump supply and fit an isolating switch.

 

[2CV67]

Depending where you live (winter minimum temperatures) you may also need to think about the fuel you have in the tank over the winter.

Diesel fuel will form wax at low temperatures which can block filters etc:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_diesel_fuel

Here in France, "winter" diesel (OK to -15°C) is sold after 1st November.

So I try to keep the tank low at this time, then make sure to fill up with winter diesel to leave through the winter.
I run the engine (obviously) and also the stationary heater for a while to purge the summer fuel.