Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: [GQC] Tim on August 25, 2009, 12:23:37 pm

Title: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 25, 2009, 12:23:37 pm
The cut off solenoid must have been slowly draining my battery over the weekend and monday, haven't installed a switch yet.

So the battery is all flat, have hooked it up to the charger, but the charger keeps making a clicking sound, and the *full battery* light keeps going on and off.

What's going on?  ???
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: tomy jackson on August 25, 2009, 12:28:31 pm
bad conetion ???
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 25, 2009, 12:28:58 pm
bad conetion ???

That's what I thought but no, clamps are on there just fine?
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: tomy jackson on August 25, 2009, 12:43:28 pm
have you taken em off and clean em up
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 25, 2009, 12:50:10 pm
have you taken em off and clean em up

Clamps and terminals are completely clean. It stopped clicking now, and the fully charged light has come on? Strange. Let me try and charge it again, see what happens.  ???
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 25, 2009, 12:50:57 pm
It's charging normally now, strange!

It must have been completely discharged, and the charger must have done it's magic to get it back to normal so it could be charged in a normal way?
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: jeff1 on August 26, 2009, 12:38:53 am
Your battery could have been in complete discharge and the current it was asking the charger for was to much for the charger and the overload protection was coming into operation to stop the charger from becoming overheated and damaged (the clicking you heard) so it gives the battery a little at a time to protect its self, once the battery was asking for what the charger could supply safely then it allows it to charge normally.

I'll be surprised if your battery will give you good service from now on but you may have been lucky but don't hold your breath.
Good Luck  ;)
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: Spruce on August 26, 2009, 09:11:06 am
don't some battery chargers start with a pulse charge on a discharged battery?
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 26, 2009, 10:26:51 am
Your battery could have been in complete discharge and the current it was asking the charger for was to much for the charger and the overload protection was coming into operation to stop the charger from becoming overheated and damaged (the clicking you heard) so it gives the battery a little at a time to protect its self, once the battery was asking for what the charger could supply safely then it allows it to charge normally.

I'll be surprised if your battery will give you good service from now on but you may have been lucky but don't hold your breath.
Good Luck  ;)

Had it on the charger since then and it's not full yet. Darn it.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: AuRavelling79 on August 26, 2009, 10:50:58 am
If your battery has been completely drained then sometimes that is it's deathknell. Your battery may be stuffed and not take any charge.

As said above - try it and see.

This is especially so on leisure batteries.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 26, 2009, 11:37:05 am
*sigh I really hope not, but it's been charging so long, not sure if it's going to come back.

Any recommendations on good Leisure batteries?

I've got a 100amph Energy Battery, it seemed to work fine, but didn't realise that stupid solenoid was draining the battery so much.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: stevieg on August 26, 2009, 11:40:31 am
on e bay  110 amp lucas   at £67 +11.00 delivery..top notch baTTERIES.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 26, 2009, 01:38:22 pm
Battery is charged again, I might have just gotten away with it!
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: jeff1 on August 26, 2009, 05:41:44 pm
It might be charged but Just no telling if it will now hold the charge.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 26, 2009, 07:54:35 pm
It might be charged but Just no telling if it will now hold the charge.

Very true. Battery woes.  :-[
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: elite mike on August 26, 2009, 07:57:33 pm
hi tim

just go and buy a new charger and battery

that will sort it ;)
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: dai on August 26, 2009, 09:27:31 pm
when a battery gets completely drained like this, sulphates buiid up on the plates and wreck the battery.
You can get small tablets from Halfords, I think they are called Bataids, these can remove the sulphates.
If it's a sealed battery there's nought you can do
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 26, 2009, 10:40:38 pm
when a battery gets completely drained like this, sulphates buiid up on the plates and wreck the battery.
You can get small tablets from Halfords, I think they are called Bataids, these can remove the sulphates.
If it's a sealed battery there's nought you can do

Yup it's sealed. :)

Let's see how it holds up.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: ftp on August 27, 2009, 06:25:17 pm
How long have you had the battery?
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 28, 2009, 10:48:03 am
How long have you had the battery?

About 14 months.

This is probably the one area where I'd like to know more, batteries are still a bit of a mystery to me!
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: ftp on August 28, 2009, 05:57:59 pm
I never got more than 18 months out of an 85ah leisure battery. I would expect more from a 110ah though.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 28, 2009, 10:00:03 pm
I never got more than 18 months out of an 85ah leisure battery. I would expect more from a 110ah though.

Interesting.

I need a good battery gauge though to keep check on it. Wonder if I should go with one of those digital ones on eBay. One or two you can hook up without an external powersource, just straight to the battery.
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: dave f on August 29, 2009, 06:39:33 am
why not buy an optimate 4 battry charger there all singing all dancing brings battrys from the dead that normal chargers dont igot one had got 2 battries back to life .they are not cheep but worth it {he who buys cheep buys twice}lol got mine new off evilbay
good luck. ;D ; dave f
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 29, 2009, 02:28:26 pm
why not buy an optimate 4 battry charger there all singing all dancing brings battrys from the dead that normal chargers dont igot one had got 2 battries back to life .they are not cheep but worth it {he who buys cheep buys twice}lol got mine new off evilbay
good luck. ;D ; dave f

Wow, that looks great! Doing a bit of reading now, think that might be a really very good one! :)
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on August 29, 2009, 02:47:27 pm
It says it's only for batteries up to 50amph?
Title: Re: Urgent help needed! Battery flat, now charger is acting up.
Post by: dave f on August 30, 2009, 07:50:41 am
still a handy thing to have for car/van etc