Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Long term charging
Hiya
So had my D3 plugged in to the CTEK for a few months , turned it off and the battery lasted around 7 x days before going flat , before would last around 3 x weeks
There’s no residual battery drain so thinking if I may have messed up the battery by leaving it plugged in for a few months
Am wondering if I may be able to recover it, by turning the CTEK on and off manually instead of leaving it constantly plugged in along with using the Recon feature
It’s an exide EA1000 and 3 x years old now, would be surprised if it’s knackered already , do have a split charge system
haven’t been 100% happy with the exide if I’m being totally honest , know there power hungry but at the end of the day maybe I’ve ruined the battery with just short runs, however always ensured I kept it charged with the CTEK
Would u think a month is a reasonable figure if the landy isn’t used for the battery to last plse
Keep thinking of cutting my loses and buying a yuasa 020 at halfords , as have heard really good reviews
Christ I’m rambling again
Many thks as always
1st Jan 2020 12:01 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10683
No a ctek shouldn’t have ruined it.
They go into float mode or shut down when charged.
Exide aren’t as good as they once were
But as you have all the charging setup I would get some more use out the exide before replacing.
Recondition is only meant to be used twice a year.
1st Jan 2020 12:17 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Many thks , as always pete
Indeed that’s what I thought ref the CTEK as it’s indeed designed to be left plugged in
Ah bless u as I wasn’t sure ref the recon , indeed won’t be any hardship leaving it for a bit longer and can at least then spend a lot more time searching for a battery that will last long at least a month
This is the one I’ve been looking at , can be bought for around £120
Also wondering after that battery residual drain issue I had for ages if it could have caused damage to the exide
Always use to use varta or bosch but the yuasa seems to be standing out via reviews
Plus will get the 020 instead of the 019
Many thks as always Pete
1st Jan 2020 12:33 pm
Motolab
Member Since: 18 Oct 2019
Location: Sleen
Posts: 1820
A lot of people think that a smart charger does extend battery life, can be true in some cases but there is a “but”
In the real world, that quality is limited...
(Keeping the explanation simple:)to the maximum load/unload (deep) cycles a battery has..
If that is 100 or 300 cycles... after these, it is end of life... so if you do a lot of short ride’s few times a week, it goes quick...because it cycles rather deep each time, without proper reload directly during the drive... if you later plug in the charger, it really counts as a (deep)cycle...
if you do only long rides, the life will be longer if it’s is frequently, because direct after a decharge from the start procedure, it charges enough to prevent a deep cycle... and thus “counting” the cycles slower
(It is not intelligent ofcourse, but to get the idea)
What you can do, if the Disco is there to last another 3 years or more is buy a (far more expensive)
High lead quality deep cycle battery, like; Odyssey PC1350 ( seen them for AU $520.00 /£ 274 / € 325)
And 30 kg!
They can handle more cycles than ordinary starter battery’s , Using them the way you do now, with smart charging they can last 8 till 10 years...
(Lot of people in the 4x4 world use a optima Yellow top as a second battery, these yellow tops have the same high quality lead in them and there fore are very good deep cycle resistant (but to small to use as a every day starter battery)Best regards
Harold
Always looking for Pre '55's & Pre war British Motorcycles! knowing or having one for sale? PM please. I visit the UK 6 times a year
Ps. I edit my texts quite often, english is not my native language, so I will edit My “typo’s” etc.
1st Jan 2020 12:50 pm
aja4x4
Member Since: 14 Apr 2019
Location: Westbury
Posts: 2463
I agree with Motolab about the number of cycles a battery will do but its a bit more complicated.
A battery that is discharged 10% and is then recharged may last for thousands of simular charges but the same battery discharged 90% may only last a short number of charges.
What you need to remember is the Discovery has a high power consumption everthing is electronic and is going to use up batteries faster than something like a Morris Minor.
The key to long life is as Motolab states buying a battery that is capable of a large number of deep cycles.
I have also always used good quality IUoU three stage battery chargers and never had a problem personally but it does sound like it has shortend the life of Gstuarts battery.
1st Jan 2020 1:17 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Many thks and u explaining it like that makes sense
I’ve also wondered if the current aux leisure battery can take some volts out of the main battery when off, is the T Max split charge system
Have got some battery monitors which I think I can establish that by monitoring them daily over a few weeks to see if that’s the case and proving it either way , or simply disconnect The leisure battery to see if there’s any difference to which the rate of drain may reduce in the main battery
Will look into the Odyssey PC1350 battery , appreciate the heads up as I would rather spend a few hundred quid without having to worry every 5 x minutes if the batteries have gone flat
Many thks once again
1st Jan 2020 1:20 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
aja4x4 wrote:
I agree with Motolab about the number of cycles a battery will do but its a bit more complicated.
A battery that is discharged 10% and is then recharged may last for thousands of simular charges but the same battery discharged 90% may only last a short number of charges.
What you need to remember is the Discovery has a high power consumption everthing is electronic and is going to use up batteries faster than something like a Morris Minor.
The key to long life is as Motolab states buying a battery that is capable of a large number of deep cycles.
I have also always used good quality IUoU three stage battery chargers and never had a problem personally but it does sound like it has shortend the life of Gstuarts battery.
Many thks
I’ll let it drop to around 12.3vdc before I put it back on charge , if it gets to 12v it won’t crank over due to lack of power
Will find the data I kept of what the disco is using whilst off and alarmed in Miliamps
1st Jan 2020 1:25 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10683
As you don’t use the car a lot, I believe it’s better to keep it topped up rather than let it go flat.
As this in the long term is worse for the battery.
Yeah the seat drain didn’t help.
1st Jan 2020 1:29 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Can see the figures in Ma after I removed the issue that was a memory seat ecu so was within range
1st Jan 2020 1:30 pm
Motolab
Member Since: 18 Oct 2019
Location: Sleen
Posts: 1820
gstuart wrote:
I’ve also wondered if the current aux leisure battery can take some volts out of the main battery when off, is the T Max split charge system
No! Not if it is 100% functional, because it is a SPLIT system, designed to just do NOT do that
As a extra, For knowledge and understanding;
A 12v battery with 12v measured (detached) is 100% empty.. (starting to deep cycle) everything beneath this will ruin it quickly..
So 12v = 100% empty, 12,7v (or more) = 100% full/healthyBest regards
Harold
Always looking for Pre '55's & Pre war British Motorcycles! knowing or having one for sale? PM please. I visit the UK 6 times a year
Ps. I edit my texts quite often, english is not my native language, so I will edit My “typo’s” etc.
1st Jan 2020 1:38 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Just looked , my exide measures
Length 353 mm
Width 175 mm
Height inc. 190 mm
So that yuasa I’ve looked at wont fit,
Length 393mm
Width 175mm
Height 190mm
So that rules that one out
1st Jan 2020 1:53 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Motolab wrote:
gstuart wrote:
I’ve also wondered if the current aux leisure battery can take some volts out of the main battery when off, is the T Max split charge system
No! Not if it is 100% functional, because it is a SPLIT system, designed to just do NOT do that
As a extra, For knowledge and understanding;
A 12v battery with 12v measured (detached) is 100% empty.. (starting to deep cycle) everything beneath this will ruin it quickly..
So 12v = 100% empty, 12,7v (or more) = 100% full/healthy
Thank u and very handy to know
1st Jan 2020 1:56 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Pete K wrote:
As you don’t use the car a lot, I believe it’s better to keep it topped up rather than let it go flat.
As this in the long term is worse for the battery.
Yeah the seat drain didn’t help.
Cheers Pete
Indeed don’t let it go flat , will let it get to around 12.4Vdc before I plug the CTEK in again
Ah yes that was one hell of a headache
Will also revisit solar as it would just be nice to sort this out once and for all , won’t be any hardship fitting a solar panel on the roof , don’t have a sunroof and have all the rails, etc
Thks Pete
1st Jan 2020 2:01 pm
knwatkins
Member Since: 19 Sep 2018
Location: Poole, Dorset
Posts: 716
I fitted a Yuasa HSB019 a few months ago to the RRS and I'm really happy with it so far.
Make sure you get a trade card if you end up buying one from Halfords, Gary. You can get a hefty discount...
Click image to enlarge
Kev
MY2014 L405 RR Vogue SE 4.4 SDV8 in Corris Grey
MY2010 L320 RRS HSE 3.0 TDV6 in Stornoway Grey
1st Jan 2020 4:33 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14135
Hi knwatkins
Nice one and many thks, didn’t think I could get a trade card ,unless they accept expired gas safe licence or qualifications
To be honest never really looked at there list to qualify ,
that is indeed a good discount and would prefer to pick up a battery so if anything goes wrong don’t have to mess around returning it via courier
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