Anyone with any ideas? We have been connected to 240v & this morning I smelt a funny smell(Hylda said a bit like a drain or something) & I thought it was coming from the battery compartment because when I got closer there was also a funny noise coming from there that I hadn't noticed bafore(a bit like a computer fan noise). I turned the Projecta 10,000 Battery Charger off( a bit over a year old) as I was worried the battery was cooking(a bit over a year old also). Tonight I turned it on again & after a while the fully charged light was on & the gauge was reading 14.2v instead of the normal 13.6v so I turned the charger off again & it dropped below 12v in a minute. Can anyone tell me what is wrong please as I know little about this stuff. Also if it needs an expert should I use an Auto Electrition as there are no caravan repairers near Leeton?
Now a day later & the battery won't charge past 11.3v so I guess it's Auto electrician time on Monday Thanks. Jon
-- Edited by Hylda&Jon on Sunday 16th of May 2010 12:13:12 AM
-- Edited by Hylda&Jon on Sunday 16th of May 2010 04:54:03 PM
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Home is where we hang our hats - Home now in Yamba NSW
Can't guarantee from where I am that the the battery is the problem but if you're taking bets on the possible cause, keep the odds very short (pun not intended, saw it after I typed it) on a battery fault. The smell is probably one of the cells "boiling" although one can't be sure without seeing it.
Maybe you're still elegible for warranty claim, hope so.
Those Projecta battery chargers are rubbish and probably caused your battery failure. Auto electricians are not the right people to consult about caravan or motorhome electrics.
What brand and type of battery is fitted? More than likely the wrong type of battery has been fitted.
Martin's comments about auto electricians is rather sweeping but he is partially correct in that some do not have a handle on deep cycle batteries and their applications or the special charging requirements of these batteries. It may be better to check out a specialist battery supplier if there's one in the Leeton/Griffith area or perhaps further afield in say Wagga.
I do not know on what he bases his criticism of the Projecta product. Perhaps he can back this up and be a little more specific. I am not sufficiently familiar with their products to either confirm or contadict his assertion.
I do agree however that a good quality multi-stage "smart charger" such as a Ctek or similar is a worthwhile investment. The better ones of these can be adjusted to match the type of battery.
Batteries can fail prematurely for a variety of reasons including inappropriate charging but there are other factors too, such as deeply discharging (flattening) the battery, not storing the battery in a fully charged state, not keeping the electrolyte levels topped up or not using demineralised water to do so, physical internal damage due to excessive vibration or production flaws, or even just plain old "sh*t happens"
I also don't know how he is able to state that "More than likely the wrong type of battery has been fitted" without specific knowledge of just what type of battery is fitted, especially after asserting the probable cause that "Those Projecta battery chargers are rubbish and probably caused your battery failure."
The battery is an Amp-Tech D876 - 120 amp. After ringing the caravan repairer in Echuca (which is the direction we will be heading soon) he recommended we try an Auto electrician, so the caravan park owner recommended a local one in Leeton. He noticed the ends may be slightly buldged & there was a bit of seepage from the top, add that to the smell, bubbling sound & sitting on just over 8v on his meter at the time he thinks it is a battery problem & has taken it for testing, I asked if the charger could have caused it & he said its unlikely. I'll post the result tommorow JOn
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Home is where we hang our hats - Home now in Yamba NSW
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think that battery is an AGM sealed unit. If so my comments about checking and topping up electrolyte levels aren't relevant (you can't), however they are relevant for anyone with a "common or garden variety" wet battery. The bulging and seepage is a sure tell tale sign that it's probably "cactus" (do you like the technical terminology???).
While the charger is probably working ok and is unlikely to be the cause of a sudden failure of the battery, I would still suggest that a multi stage "smart" charger would be a good investment. It's also my understanding that AGM batteries should be charged with a charger that outputs a pure DC voltage such as that of a good quality multi-stage charger to achieve maximum longevity.
Cheaper units, including automatic ones, contain considerable "ripple" on the output that, according to the technical data for most AGM batteries (and gel batteries too), should be avoided.
