Batteries running down overnight

[franglais]

Conor:

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.

I can see that might work as a temporary fix sometimes. Clear enough sulphates to give some clean surface on the plates to hold a charge. But the crystals that were dropped off as the plates deformed* during the heating process as the battery was shorted out would always be lying on the bottom of the cells wouldn`t they? And the deformation might be enough to merely dislodge the sulphates, or might be sufficient to short the plates out internally.
A “kill or cure” scenario.
It might be a temp bodge, but not a reason to avoid buying a new battery asap.

[jd]

Not sure whether I missed crucial information in this thread, but seems that everyone focus on batteries.

How old are those batteries? No one tested for CCA (Cold Cranking Amperage, also expressed as battery health status), did they?

Alternator might not be charging (red light would have to show on dashboard); but also alternator might have a dysfunctional diode letting current flow from battery to alternator while engine stopped

Ther might be a leak from another module or component. Is it a fairly new tractor? Cause modern vehicles have many modules and electric/onic components. WHat is the within-specs current draw on rest mode for that vehicle? Is the actual current drawn by the “large fridge” referred by OP taken into account?

[chrism198328]

_JD:
Not sure whether I missed crucial information in this thread, but seems that everyone focus on batteries.

How old are those batteries? No one tested for CCA (Cold Cranking Amperage, also expressed as battery health status), did they?

Alternator might not be charging (red light would have to show on dashboard); but also alternator might have a dysfunctional diode letting current flow from battery to alternator while engine stopped

Ther might be a leak from another module or component. Is it a fairly new tractor? Cause modern vehicles have many modules and electric/onic components. WHat is the within-specs current draw on rest mode for that vehicle? Is the actual current drawn by the “large fridge” referred by OP taken into account?

It’s a 71 plate Scania. Battery’s have been replaced twice in the last month. Went into Scania last week to try and solve the battery drain. Unplugging the fridge overnight does stop the drain but now stuck with what fridge I should get to keep the batteries from going dead. I see others with the same large fridge, does everyone shut them off at night?

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[blue_estate]

chrism198328:

_JD:
Not sure whether I missed crucial information in this thread, but seems that everyone focus on batteries.

How old are those batteries? No one tested for CCA (Cold Cranking Amperage, also expressed as battery health status), did they?

Alternator might not be charging (red light would have to show on dashboard); but also alternator might have a dysfunctional diode letting current flow from battery to alternator while engine stopped

Ther might be a leak from another module or component. Is it a fairly new tractor? Cause modern vehicles have many modules and electric/onic components. WHat is the within-specs current draw on rest mode for that vehicle? Is the actual current drawn by the “large fridge” referred by OP taken into account?

It’s a 71 plate Scania. Battery’s have been replaced twice in the last month. Went into Scania last week to try and solve the battery drain. Unplugging the fridge overnight does stop the drain but now stuck with what fridge I should get to keep the batteries from going dead. I see others with the same large fridge, does everyone shut them off at night?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Any compressor type portable fridge like waeco Dometic or Alpicool
Run on 12/24 have a low power use mode also battery sense where it will go in to sleep mode if battery to low
Review on Amazon: Better than expected! amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/review/B … H2T19YFY42

[jd]

chrism198328:
]It’s a 71 plate Scania. Battery’s have been replaced twice in the last month. Went into Scania last week to try and solve the battery drain. Unplugging the fridge overnight does stop the drain but now stuck with what fridge I should get to keep the batteries from going dead. I see others with the same large fridge, does everyone shut them off at night?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Replacing the batteries twice in a month without finding the source of the problem, that sounds odd. Also, batteries get drained but not necessarily die as to not be rechargeable (plugged in the electric grid through a charger).

Batteries are specified to a given Amp·Hour which tell you how long they would last for a known load. In this case the focus is on the amperage consumed by the fridge per hour, adding then the normal operational drain in rest mode for that vehicle, plus some lights, heater, all electrical devices swithed on; all that consumption should be within the amps·h specificied in your batteries in good health condition. Ask those drivers with same fridge what their battery specs are, how many amps·h, they might’ve upgraded them.

If lorry went to Scania for this issue, they should have checked for abnormal drain beyond the fridge itself. You’d be better off knowing (ask the Scania technician) what the expected drain is for that particular vehicle on rest in miliamps. From that value within normal specifications you can tell anytime of abnormal drains and subsequently look for the cause(s)

And more importantly, I am not a qualified technician.
You do not trust not qualified technicians.

EDIT: I forgot, check the fridge in question uses the amperage it specifies, in other words, it is in good order, not somehow faulty that it draws way too much current. It may be expressed in Watts, which you convert to Amps at a 12V or 24V as it should tell too. I recall Volvos showing amps in some sub-menu on the dash display, not sure Scanias do too, that would be of help too. Though what you do really need is an ammeter, those clamp type, to check your fridge is drawing current within specifications, as well as the vehicle

.