[geefree]

Hi

Im using my 12v backpack battery for a van mount...

a guy gave me a 85a leisure battery today as he has just bought a motor home and travelling europe... so he wanted to be safe with a new one.

how can i test it? what sort of water should i put in and does anyone know if the backpack charger will work... or what charger should i buy.... if it works lol. cheers for any help here.

Gary.

[ScrimShady]

i would take it to a local caravan shop or even halfords and get them to load test it, if that comes out ok then use it as normal, as for charging it you mite have to get a charger that charges wet batterys i dont know if your backpack charger is designed for gel batterys only.
Hope that helps

[geefree]

yes thanks for the advice,,, do i need a special charger ..for a 85a..... when i look on ebay they say 12v charger 11amps etc... confused.

[matt]

halfords have "intelligent chargers" they will charge and when allmost full they will maintain it at that

as for topping it up with water, i use some "Pure water" and it works fine

[ScrimShady]

when it say charging at 11 amps that means what amps are going into the battery from the charger, my charger charges at 8amps, but mine is a marine charger that i managed to 'borrow' from work that we use to charge our leisure batterys, i am not sure but i would say that 11 amps is a bit to high, i only use gel batterys but there is other people on here that know a more then i do.

[jeff1]

Don't panic scrim, 11 amps if fine, this Just means if your battery needs 4amps to charge it, then your charger can supply it, if your battery needs 11 amps then it can charge that to.

[geefree]

thanks lads ,

just asked in halfords , they said 1 can get 4 amp ... 11 amp chargers etc..... for an 85 amp battery.... if i get a 4amp it means 4amp per hour of charge its putting into the battery..... so mine will take all weekend to charge and last a week... lol