What are you trying to achieve ?

Just to clarify your battery system, do you mean you have 2 batteries in your cvan or do you mean you have 2 batteries in your tow vehicle, one for engine starting and a deep cycle one for a fridge etc.

Rod Mac wrote:

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Just to clarify your battery system, do you mean you have 2 batteries in your cvan or do you mean you have 2 batteries in your tow vehicle, one for engine starting and a deep cycle one for a fridge etc.

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 Apologies for not being a little more explicit in my opening remarks.

The 2 batteries in Question are connected together in the special front boot of the Coromal Princeston Van.

Both batteries were installed and connected brand new about 3 years AGO.

Sooooo.....I am getting the view that I should disconnect all wires / cables from  both batteries and C.Tech charge each individually.

Current reading on the charger indication panel at 7.0pm last night was 12.8 Volts.

The charge goes up  to 13.3 when the solar is in action during the day.

I was thinking of giving the batteries a charge boost before we leave on a 3 month trip to S.Aust later this month.

Any clues would be appreciated.

Jay&Dee

P.S.  The Cruiser has a dual battery system.

 

To check each battery before your trip, charge them both together (dont disconnect) with your charger until it indicates fully charged. Disconnect the positive wires from both batteries and leave them sit for about 12 hours.

Check and compare the voltage of each battery with a voltmeter (one that reads to 2 decimal places). The voltages should be about the same. If they differ by say 0.2 of a Volt or more, charge the lower voltage battery again, let it settle o/night and do another voltage reading. If this reading is higher than the first reading it indicates the batteries are not getting fully charged when charged in the parallel connected state.

What AmpereHour rating are your batteries?

blaze wrote:

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The Travelling Dillberries wrote:

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To check each battery before your trip, charge them both together (dont disconnect) with your charger until it indicates fully charged. Disconnect the positive wires from both batteries and leave them sit for about 12 hours.

Check and compare the voltage of each battery with a voltmeter (one that reads to 2 decimal places). The voltages should be about the same. If they differ by say 0.2 of a Volt or more, charge the lower voltage battery again, let it settle o/night and do another voltage reading. If this reading is higher than the first reading it indicates the batteries are not getting fully charged when charged in the parallel connected state.

What AmpereHour rating are your batteries?

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 should never ever disconnect the positive lead first on a neg earthed battery, can make lots of sparks and explode a battery

cheers

blaze

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 Caravan battery Negatives should not be Earthed Blaze. Good point though.......

Frame will  still be earthed from the Car Battery though (for van tail lights,blinkers etc)  so yes it is still possible when the van is plugged into the car to get sparking between the van battery Positive and earth.... 

So when disconnecting the Positives wrap them up in electrical tape.

Eaglemax wrote:

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If battery nehative terminal agm in van doesnt go to frame (earth) where would it go?

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 any van or camper I have owned has an earth to the chassis somewhere, although you could build a system with all earths returning to the neg terminal through some sort of buzz bar. not my cuppa though

cheers

blaze

hi
Technically better to go to chassis but more reliable to have a wired earth .
By comparison
A car has can chassis earth in specified areas for low priority circuits .mostly easy to get to .

Some van chassis earths I can imagine are very difficult to access.

Wired earths always preffered.