Does anyone else have this problem I’ve been rescued 3 times in a month with flat batteries. The only thing I have going overnight is my large fridge from Halfords which is plugged into the 24v plug. Nothing else is on yet the batteries keep running down to the point the night heater won’t come on and the truck won’t start. Getting annoying if I’m honest.
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Battery or batteries are knackered and needs replacing. Once any of the batteries drops below 11.6V then that individual battery is knackered, even if it just runs flat once. That’s because once the voltage drops below 11.6V a thing called sulphation occurs insude the battery where you get crystals forming on the plates in the batteries so it can’t hold a charge. If you’re using the vehicle daily you’ll usually not notice until you get a freezing cold night or it’s been stood for a couple of days.
Yup batteries.
If these are call outs, then one call out alone will probably be the cost of a battery and if you’re grabbing jump starts from other vehicles you are making it too easy for the vehicle owner, who might be happy for you to carry on.
Personally i’m wary of jump starting modern vehicles myself, too much high tech equipment involved.
When I did…
Have a Halfords fridge, I’d always unplug it overnight. Just got a better nights kip knowing it was off. Obviously if you are keeping fresh scallops, squid and prawns for your seafood jamboree cook out, then yeh, leave it on.
Get the battery checked, it’s quite possibly shagged.
Logically if a truck has two batteries and one is capable of starting the truck, you wouldn’t think it would be arranged in such a way that using the 24v socket would affect the ability to start the truck.
Happy to be enlightened, every day is a learning day.
Noremac:
Logically if a truck has two batteries and one is capable of starting the truck, you wouldn’t think it would be arranged in such a way that using the 24v socket would affect the ability to start the truck.Happy to be enlightened, every day is a learning day.
24v starter, needs both batteries. The reason it has two batteries is because you can’t get one battery with enough cranking capacity. 14 litre diesel engines take a fair bit of grunt to turn over.
Normally it wouldn’t affect the ability. Many vehicles have a low voltage cut off that will turn off all the electrics once the battery voltage drops to a certain level, leaving enough in to start the truck. The only problem is the internal damage continues to cause the battery voltage to drop even with no load on it so you’ll still wake up unable to start the truck.
Happened to me last Wednesday in Branson Cross.
3 year old XFSSC which I got new before I left and went elsewhere. Came back last week to the same truck, and on my night out on Wednesday, woke up Thursday morning to dead batteries. New ones got fitted on Friday.
Funnily enough, the sister truck had new ones fitted a while ago as well.
Ken.
What kinda fridge is it ? If it’s the cool box type they are power hungry and will kill battery’s overnight , if it’s a compressor type you should be ok.
Recently had 2 new batteries on my 2.5 Yr old Scania.
when I had my Daf 85 on contract maintenance scheme the dealer replaced the batteries during the Oct/Nov service every 2 years 'cos that was cheaper, easier and more convenient for them AND me!
The bane of my bloody life are truck batteries! I once worked for a place that would only change the batteries one at a time! The fact that the old battery dragged the new one down to its level didn’t even occur to them.
Where I am now all the vehicles are leased and lease companies are notorious for not wanting to authorise a battery change despite receiving the call out bills, and as we are one of them companies who ■■■■ and bleat about vehicles ticking over and would rather you stopped and started the engine fifteen times before you even leave the yard the batteries take a right kicking.
My solution to that has always been when I know that the batteries are dying I’ll flatten them at the other end of the country and force their hands to fit new ones.
Noremac:
Logically if a truck has two batteries and one is capable of starting the truck, you wouldn’t think it would be arranged in such a way that using the 24v socket would affect the ability to start the truck.Happy to be enlightened, every day is a learning day.
I’ve said for years that truck batteries should be configured in the same way as the batteries on my narrowboat. I have two 120aH leisure batteries, which power the lights, fridge, inverter for the 240v supply etc, and one 90aH starter battery, which powers the starter motor.
When the engine isn’t running, the leisure batteries and starter battery are electrically separated so no matter how much the leisure batteries are depleted, the starter battery remains full and will always start the engine. When the engine is running the batteries are electrically joined using a split charge relay so that all three are charged to the same state. Even just using 2x 230aH batteries, this could easily be done on trucks and a split charge relay costs around £6 retail.
Conor:
Battery or batteries are knackered and needs replacing. Once any of the batteries drops below 11.6V then that individual battery is knackered, even if it just runs flat once. That’s because once the voltage drops below 11.6V a thing called sulphation occurs insude the battery where you get crystals forming on the plates in the batteries so it can’t hold a charge. If you’re using the vehicle daily you’ll usually not notice until you get a freezing cold night or it’s been stood for a couple of days.
Hold a bar across the terminal’s warms the plates up and the crystals drop off then charge the battery up .
> Punchy Dan:
> Hold a bar across the terminal’s warms the plates up and the crystals drop off then charge the battery up .
Can’t beat a good ‘Bush Mechanic’
.
yourhavingalarf:
When I did…Have a Halfords fridge, I’d always unplug it overnight. Just got a better nights kip knowing it was off. Obviously if you are keeping fresh scallops, squid and prawns for your seafood jamboree cook out, then yeh, leave it on.
Get the battery checked, it’s quite possibly shagged.
Me to , generally just carry milk , yogurt , cheese , water , Mayo , and some other bits & pieces .
Turn off last thing at night keep lid closed then plug in after I start vehicle in morning .
The chill from running it all day should stay in the fridge until morning . Never leave on over a weekend all items I put in a cool box and take home . And like you say apart from possibly draining batteries you get a decent nights sleep.
I have left it running over night a couple of times when not on nights out and forgot to turn off and all ok , but I prefer not to take the chance .
Never leave night heater on all night either ,
Lots of people don’t realise batteries are as much an item that needs changing as oil is, just much less often
switchlogic:
Lots of people don’t realise batteries are as much an item that needs changing as oil is, just much less often
I had one fail in my van when I was on for Amazon or DX in Oxford, 10 or 15 stops in, no clues of slow cranking beforehand, then click click no crank at all. AA jump started me then a detour to Euros for a new battery before my next drop.
whisperingsmith:
> Punchy Dan:
> Hold a bar across the terminal’s warms the plates up and the crystals drop off then charge the battery up .Can’t beat a good ‘Bush Mechanic’
You can-but they do tend to fight back 
whisperingsmith:
> Punchy Dan:
> Hold a bar across the terminal’s warms the plates up and the crystals drop off then charge the battery up .Can’t beat a good ‘Bush Mechanic’
If that worked then you’d never have the problem as you draw a massive current every time you start the truck.
I’m guessing it’s just another myth that’s gained traction because someone tried it and thought it worked because the work pattern of the truck after they did it meant the batteries didn’t get flat enough to stop it starting for a while so they assumed it worked.