[GREENCLEANWINDOWS]

Afternoon all.
Water stopped flowing this morning so I went to check the controller and “bat 0” was showing. I switched to back up battery and it did the same. Put multimeter on both and they were showing 11.8v.
I put one on charge for an hour and it showed 13.4v on multimeter and flowmaster display, so off I went again. Did 1.5 houses and it did it again- “Bat 0”.
The controller is telling me it’s draining the batteries almost instantly- any ideas where to start please?

[Simon Trapani]

Bad connection somewhere, dodgy controller or pump? In that order.

[Spruce]

Afternoon all.
Water stopped flowing this morning so I went to check the controller and “bat 0” was showing. I switched to back up battery and it did the same. Put multimeter on both and they were showing 11.8v.
I put one on charge for an hour and it showed 13.4v on multimeter and flowmaster display, so off I went again. Did 1.5 houses and it did it again- “Bat 0”.
The controller is telling me it’s draining the batteries almost instantly- any ideas where to start please?

If you could watch your controller you could well see that the voltage registering on the controller had dropped to 10.5v (or is it 10.4V) under load when the controller switched off.  As you are walking back to the van the battery voltage is starting to recover and could have reached 11.8v. If you left the battery idle for around 4 hours your battery voltage could have recovered to around 12.0v.

If this is correct then your battery is either flat or kaput.

You say your battery voltage showed 13.4v on your multimeter and controller after a quick charge. This would be correct but it doesn't mean you battery is fully charged. If you left the battery idle for 4 hours then you would have a true idea of how charged your battery is. 13.4v is showing residual charging voltage which takes time to dissipate.

If your battery is still performing to spec there is a pretty good chance your battery hardly accepted a charge in that hour.
What charger have you got?
For example, if you have a Ctek 5.0amp charger you would only have put a maximum of 5 amps into the battery in an hour. That's not going to get you very far. A Shurflo pump draws around 4amps an hour.

If you are draining your battery flat everyday your battery isn't going to last long. Over time the capacity of your battery becomes less. Its due to the process of the chemical reaction that occurs inside the battery during use.  If you have a 110 amph battery you could end up with a 20 amph capacity. Your battery will show fully charged but it won't last long pumping water.

For battery longevity you should draw no more than 50% of your fully charged batteries capacity. This means you have 55 amps of usable current from a 110 amph leisure battery. Your battery should be recharged asap. Your battery will last much longer if you only use 20% of it's capacity and recharge it every night.

Numax told me many years ago that a leisure battery shouldn't be charged at more than 10% of its capacity. A 110 amp battery would mean 11 amps an hour.

If you have a 10 amph charger charging a flat 110 amp leisure battery it will take longer than 11 hours to fully charge that battery. As the battery gets a fuller and fuller charge it accepts less and less of a charge - the rate of charge drops.  At 90% charged that battery might only be accepting 3 amps from the 10amph charger so the last 10 amps might take 3 hours or longer.

[NWH]

An hour is nothing as far as charging goes as said connection or battery just get another battery at least you’ll have a spare if it’s not that.

[GREENCLEANWINDOWS]

Thanks for all the info so far. I’ve checked every connection and all seem good. I have 2x 110Ah Leisure batteries which I keep in the van. When one goes too low to operate the pump controller I swap batteries and put one on charge overnight.

I didn’t realise I should be charging more regularly- mine last weeks usually but I don’t have a particularly busy round.

I’ve got both on charge now- one using a cheap and cheerful 6/12V charger and the other on my Sealey SMC01.V2

[Simon Trapani]

I think most window cleaners are still unaware of the importance of regular mains charging of their leisure battery. I was ignorant of it until recently, just relying on my scr or sterling unit alone. Now I plug in both vans every night.

Just because someone’s pump works doesn’t mean their battery is fine. By the time most realise, the battery is already permanently damaged & it’s life shortened.

[NWH]

Yeah spot on about batteries they need to be looked after or they will let you down I plug mine in the side of the van every night I may not need to but i do regardless,if you are only running a pump or 2 it’s not needed I used to use a C-Tek charger before I’ve never heard of the ones you are using.

[SB Cleaning]

Have you looked at the battery terminals ? May be a loose wire, its happened to me a couple of times.

[Spruce]

Thanks for all the info so far. I’ve checked every connection and all seem good. I have 2x 110Ah Leisure batteries which I keep in the van. When one goes too low to operate the pump controller I swap batteries and put one on charge overnight.

I didn’t realise I should be charging more regularly- mine last weeks usually but I don’t have a particularly busy round.

I’ve got both on charge now- one using a cheap and cheerful 6/12V charger and the other on my Sealey SMC01.V2

You need a proper 10 amph leisure battery charger for marine and motorhome applications. These chargers are designed to leave connected for extended periods of time and they monitor the battery's charge condition, topping up as and when necessary.

Your Sealey charger has a 2amp output which isn't going to charge a 110 amph battery this side of next week.

Your cheap and cheerful 6v/12v is not ideal for leisure battery charging either. Its good enough to push a bit of current into a starter battery to start the car's engine and that's about it.

Leisure batteries need a charger designed for charging leisure batteries with the correct algorithm.  Starter battery chargers are very basic and just cut charging power when the battery reaches a set voltage. Charging a leisure battery with the incorrect charger can also reduce the longevity of a leisure battery. I read once that a good quality leisure battery charger will increase a leisure battery's capacity by another 15 to 25% over a standard car starter charger.

[Ian Sheppard]

Agree fully with the guys comments. Regular bench charging of batteries helps keep them in good condition, Split relays are great but depending on a number of factors may not put all the charge used back. Over time this can lead to the battery being  exhausted as mentioned by Spruce.

The following link is a good one for explaining the discharge - recharge process of a battery. https://www.progressivedyn.com/service/battery-basics/

Keep safe out there
Cheers

[NWH]

A good split charge and home charge setup for batteries is essential as I’ve learnt over the last few years,apart from the clean water you need to work with they are next in line for making sure all is well.

[P @ F]

I learnt the hard way too , tried all manner of setups , solar , alternator , both together, didn’t work great in winter months which would drag batteries down without you noticing.

This time round I went for the same Numax battery but forked out an extra £100 for a Ctek MXS 5 to look after it , I bench every night now with no exception

[NWH]

This time of year they need charging every night.