Can I save my van battery?

[dilby]

I have a 2017 Citroen relay van (ducato/jumper/box etc) that I’m converting into a campervan. The conversion is taking longer than expected and the van hasn’t been getting as much use as it should and the battery is suffering. I wasn’t aware at first just how much power can drain even when the van isn’t running and the battery went flat several times over the winter. Now I’ve learned to disconnect the negative terminal when it’s sitting for a while however even when doing that now the battery will go flat in about 4 days even in warmer weather. I’ve bought a battery charger that is meant to recondition the battery but this still happens. Is it time to replace my battery or is there something I can do to save it and make it reliable again?

[trickywoo]

It’s goosed. You can at least weight it in at your local scrappy for a few quid.

[dilby]

Thanks. Is that a really short lifespan for a battery (7 years) or is that par for the course , particularly if its an ex-fleet vehicle that may have been sitting for a bit.

[E-bmw]

Once a battery has gone flat there is little chance that it will ever recover, the worse it was to start with the less is the chance of recovery.

Buy a new one & make sure it is fully charged every few weeks & it will last a very long time.

[trickywoo]

dilby said:

Thanks. Is that a really short lifespan for a battery (7 years) or is that par for the course , particularly if its an ex-fleet vehicle that may have been sitting for a bit.

You’ve done well to get 7 years. The average is 5 years but it does depend on use and environment.

Contrary to what a lot of people think cold is kinder to a lead acid battery than the hot. It’s just that cold cranking performance is worse at lower temperatures.

[OldGermanHeaps]

If you are doing a camper put some solar panels on the roof and a decent mppt with 2 battery connections, it will keep the vehicle and house batteries topped up.

[Magicmushroom666]

Letting a normal car battery go completely flat really does mess them up so its time to replace.

Look into getting a 'deep cycle' battery or leisure battery which are designed to be able to discharge right down and then charge right up again without too much trouble. If its the only battery it'll have to be plenty oversize to be able to start the van. Split charge could be a way to go with a normal battery just for starting.

[tapkaJohnD]

Get a CTEK or similar 'smart' battery charger, so that you can leave the van on charge all the time you're not using it.
JOhn

[AW10]

I have a car (Sept 15 build) still on its original AGM battery and it has gone flat twice, one from a power failure and the charger not restarting and once from my forgetting to connect the charger over the winter. It’s still going strong and my battery tester reports a state of health figure of over 90%. I don’t know enough about the internals of AGM batteries but this one seems to have survived two deep discharges without issue.

[Chris32345]

dilby said:

Thanks. Is that a really short lifespan for a battery (7 years) or is that par for the course , particularly if its an ex-fleet vehicle that may have been sitting for a bit.

7 years is quite good for. Battery these days