I've had a look at both the battery and the stuff that is in a little door at the front of the van, driver's side.
Written on the side of a small black box is WALKI ELECTRONICS. Above that is a series of 6 or 8 fuses. There is an ON/OFF switch at the side which is set to ON. The black box is warm, but not hot. I will try to attach a photo.
The battery is in the centre front of the van, in between tha bars of the A frame. It has a white cover over a black battery sized cover. Written on the battery-- Supreme Deep Cycle Batteries 27DC-36 12 Volts 175 An 170 RC-Mi something. I'm guessing that it is the original battery for the van which woud make it almost 3 years old. It certainly does not look new.
So as per the original post, should I be finding a way to recharge it regularly like every 2 weeks or month, keep the electricity on to it, or just do a charge for 24 hours before the next trip? The reason is that it will most likely be stored in someone else's farm shed or I will have to clean out some garden and get new gates plus a cover to store it at home.
-- Edited by denninelli on Wednesday 14th of September 2011 03:07:47 PM
The first thing to do is determine what type of battery it is, Even if it beep cycle it could be either lead acid, gel or matt glass.
If it is a lead acid it will have six removable caps accross the top, If it is this type yopu should check the acid level by removing the caps to be able the see the fluid level.
These types require regular checking & top ups when needed, if the level is low,{ & sone times dry if never checked } then the battery cannot be charged & damage will result.
The fluid must cover the plates, If you cannot see the fluid then it needs topping up with distilled water.Fill slowly to avoid overflowing , some batteries have a section of top cover protruding downwards towards the plates, dont fill above the bottom of this indicator.
Be carefull removing caps, as this fluid is acid, highly corrosive & will turn clothing to ash if contacted. Also all battery connections need to be clean of corrosion, thats a white/green build up of a powdery substance.
If you have corrosion , remove battery, clean battery & cables with bi-carb soda & boiling water.
This will keep you out of mischeif for a few minutes.LOL
Cheers;
__________________
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Thank you both. I guess I will have to look into it further and have some major lessons to learn when I get home. I'm 98% sure it is acid, without opening it up again. I remember reading a message on the battery about being beware of acid burn.
