LEISURE BATTERY ON SYMBOL

Hi

Got a new Symbol in Sept. and the Leisure Battery was flat. Border Cars in Ayr charged it a bit and found a loose charging cable. Seemed to charge up over a week on EHU from single figure Amp Hour % to over 90%. When we returned from our 909 mile trip it was at 60%.
In a garage on EHU for 2 weeks and now only 30%!! 

I am taking it back for another minor problem and have mentioned the battery issue but wondered if anyone can advise me? 

Also is it normal to use up water really quickly even when we never used the shower??
It has a 67 litre fresh water tank but it seemed to empty very fast and there is no leak...Border Cars have checked for this.

Steep learning curve for us newbies! 

Cheers
John

Hi John

If your battery was pancake flat, it's almost certainly knackered. I would press for a new one, specially with the recent performance figures you quote, which further suggests a serious problem.

As for the water, no two people use it at the same rate, but it is surprising how quickly you can get through it with only cups of tea and washing up.

I would suggest you drain your tank and fill it manually with a watering can, just to check that it is filling completely. It is possible that your breather pipe is obstructed and the tank is only partially filling. Unlikely though.

At the same time as you fill up, keep checking the gauge and make a note of how much you have put in when it changes to a quarter full, half full etc.. Then you will have a better idea of how much is left during a holiday.

Be aware that the figures you noted when filling will indicate the remaining water just as the gauge drops below the marks. An indicated half full (for example) can mean anything from just a half, to very nearly three quarters full. In practical use it only indicates a genuine half full just as the gauge drops down to a quarter full.

Hope this helps

Dave

Hi dave

Thanks again for your helpful advice.
I thought the battery is knackered having had similar problems in the past with car batteries as once they are totally flat they never recover.
I take it the Amp Hours should be up near 100%?
I'll push for a replacement!
As you say it's amazing how much water you go through without realising it!

Cheers
John

Hi John
We have a 2014 Symbol.
Have you checked the battery with a multimeter ?
We had a problem with the display panel showing a drain on the battery, negative amps and battery charge capacity, even when on electric hook-up.
I thought the charger wasn't working. Talked to Sargent (panel manufacturers - very helpful) who suggested re-setting/callibrating the panel. There are instructions on their website how to do this. The panel had obviously not been calibrated at the dealers.
Since then everything has been fine i.e. positive amps on EHU and no drop in charge capacity.
As Dave has said, if the battery has been left flat for any length of time then it is likely to be unable to hold a decent charge.

Hope the above helps.
Enjoy your Symbol.

Hubert

Regarding the battery - yes, you're right - if it's been completely flattened it will never recover fully (especially if it had sat at the dealer's for a while in a flattened state). On a brand new van you should not have to accept that!

Hi, are you filling up with water before you leave home. we found that quite a bit of water comes out of the breather when driving so you may think you started with a full tank but have lost some during the drive.