New batteries only 90%

Painted Pilgrim said:

Just fitted 2 new Varta LA80 Batteries and the panel said 60% when installed so I plugged the hook up in and charged them for 24 hours (with fridge on) and they were only at 90% and 12.9v, after another 24 hours with nothing on it reads 90% and 12.3v.
Should they not be on 100% after 24 hours charging or should I have charged them longer? How long is too long to leave them on charge?

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WelshGas said:

Ignore the % reading. It is a iffy calculation based on spot data.
The important reading is Voltage. Measured at least 30 minutes after you have stopped charging by EHU or engine, and with nothing consuming power.
You can leave the batteries charging for days/weeks which is what happens if you are camping on EHU.

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Painted Pilgrim said:

I see thanks, so according to that chart they’re on 12.3v today so only 70% after a 24 hour charge. I’ll plug it back in for a few days and see how I go

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WelshGas said:

Something is not right.
You shouldn’t have such a severe voltage drop over 24hrs with new batteries.
Does the Control Panel show a current draw greater than 0.2amps when illuminated?

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yossarian said:

I'm not sure how smart the built in charger is but you should see absorption voltage (around 14.5V) followed by float voltage (around 13.6V). Once you've seen those it suggests the charger has finished charging. If you don't then there for some reason your batteries are not fully charged.

A good charger will adjust these voltages with temperature.

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Painted Pilgrim said:

once charged and showing around 13.6v after a charge how long should it stay like this if not used?

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flying banana said:

you have a parasitic drain somewhere of 0.6A . check nothing is plugged in a socket anywhere. check the lights are all out. check the light in the boot goes out when you shut the tailgate. as for charging you can leave the van plugged in for as long as you want

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flying banana said:

you have a parasitic drain somewhere of 0.6A . check nothing is plugged in a socket anywhere. check the lights are all out. check the light in the boot goes out when you shut the tailgate. as for charging you can leave the van plugged in for as long as you want

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yossarian said:

And check your inverter, if fitted, is off

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Painted Pilgrim said:

Where would i find that please??

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Inverter

This is in beginners because it’s probably a daft question, but does a 10 year old T5 have an inverter? If so is it a special shaped plug thingy And where is it?

vwcaliforniaclub.com

1. Has your cube fuse been checked?
2. Is it possible that your fridge has degraded performance and is using excess power?

Painted Pilgrim said:

Yes it shows either o.6amps or 0.8amps when illuminated

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Painted Pilgrim said:

ok I had to investigate more tonight as its bugging me now.
battery was showing 12v and 20% from yesterday!
no inverter and nothing plugged in.
fridge is off, can this still draw power?
It's only the fridge and interior lights that could drain it no??
The only other thing is there is an aftermarket stereo which has been fitted that looks to be switchable between the engine battery and leisure batteries but i think it was switched off.
There is 2 switches on the b pillar and 1 on the dash. when i switch one of the b pillar switches on the current draw goes from 0.8a to 1.2a.
Are the fuses for interior lights and fridge under the passenger seat please??

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WelshGas said:

Yes the fuses for habitation lights, fridge, 12v sockets etc are under the passenger seat. There are Fuse Diagrams in the forum Resources section for VIP members.

What are those non-standard switches for?

The normal current draw on the Control Panel should be 0 to -0.2 amps which is the Control Panel screen which drops to 0amps when the screen switches off.

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Painted Pilgrim said:

ok I had to investigate more tonight as its bugging me now.
battery was showing 12v and 20% from yesterday!
no inverter and nothing plugged in.
fridge is off, can this still draw power?
It's only the fridge and interior lights that could drain it no??
The only other thing is there is an aftermarket stereo which has been fitted that looks to be switchable between the engine battery and leisure batteries but i think it was switched off.
There is 2 switches on the b pillar and 1 on the dash. when i switch one of the b pillar switches on the current draw goes from 0.8a to 1.2a.
Are the fuses for interior lights and fridge under the passenger seat please??

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Lambeth Cali said:

If a stereo isn’t wired correctly I think it can easily draw power when ‘off’. That’s a common problem with DIY stereo fitting. Those switches are clearly a modification. Can you call the previous owner? Surely they’re the most likely cause?

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Painted Pilgrim said:

any other suggestions welcome?

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Painted Pilgrim said:

After investigating today one switch is for the aftermarket TV and the other the stereo.
The TV switch ups the ampage draw by 0.2amps when switched on even with the TV off.
Not really an issue as it can be left permantly off as we'll never use it.
The stereo switch doesnt effect the draw until the actually stereo is switched on.
still showing a 0.8a draw with everything off.
I'm going to check volts on both batterys tommorow with a meter incase the fuse to the second battery is gone and pull the fuse for the fridge to see if thats drawing when off...
any other suggestions welcome?

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