{"id":2273,"date":"2019-08-25T19:25:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-25T17:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nationalluna.com\/us\/?p=2273"},"modified":"2019-09-03T09:50:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-03T07:50:45","slug":"why-your-auxiliary-battery-is-not-charging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalluna.com\/us\/english-articles\/why-your-auxiliary-battery-is-not-charging\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Auxiliary Battery Is Not Charging"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUESTION<\/span><\/h4>\n

My dual-battery isn\u2019t charging. I had a solenoid system installed in my 4×4 just over a year ago. The setup seemed to work fine the first time, but now there\u2019s very little power in my auxiliary battery when I get to camp. On my most recent trip I spent anywhere between 3 to 4-hours driving between camps, but by the following morning the battery was flat and my fridge wasn\u2019t running.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard reports that a solenoid-based dual-battery system doesn\u2019t work with some vehicles, and that I should switch to a DC-DC system instead. But before I fork out thousands of rands on a second system, can you offer some advice?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ANSWER<\/span><\/h4>\n

We hear these complaints on a daily basis, and the answer is surprisingly simple: You need a 220V maintenance charger<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sometime back, a leading safari rental company ran into a similar problem with their fleet of vehicles. Each vehicle was fitted with a National Luna Intelligent Solenoid<\/a> dual-battery system, along with a wet-cell 105 Amp deep cycle battery. Initially, this setup worked well, but as the months went by the auxiliary batteries weren\u2019t providing enough power \u2013 even after a long drive. But the problem had nothing to do with the vehicle\u2019s alternator or solenoid dual-battery system, and everything to do with the fact that the batteries weren\u2019t lasting.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE PROBLEM IS TWO FOLD<\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Deep cycle (wet cell) batteries are NOT necessarily the best choice, and…<\/li>\n
  2. All batteries need maintenance!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    DEEP CYCLE: THE NOT SO RIGHT CHOICE<\/h4>\n

    The 105A deep-cycle (wet cell) battery is arguably the biggest selling unit in the dual-battery market, but if you look at the graph attached, you\u2019ll see that in many cases this battery is not an ideal choice.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    \nThe graph shows typical recharge rates for a 105A deep cycle battery at various alternator outputs. There are two vitally important lessons to be learnt here\u2026<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. It takes more than just a few hours to restore full power to a deeply discharged deep-cycle battery.<\/li>\n
    2. Because a 20 amp DC-DC charger limits the current output to 20 amps, in many cases (if your alternator\u2019s output is 13.7 V or more) it slows down the recharge rate and becomes a limitation, not an advantage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      So how does all this relate to battery maintenance?<\/p>\n

      Well, most holiday travellers don\u2019t drive for more than a few hours a day, which means most deeply discharged (deep-cycle) batteries are in a permanent discharged state. Or to put that another way: Their auxiliary battery is sustaining long-term damage and losing its ability to hold a charge.<\/p>\n

      This is why your dual-battery system worked the first time, and perhaps even the second, but if you weren\u2019t maintaining the charge between trips, your battery\u2019s ability to hold a charge would\u2019ve diminished with every passing month. Contrary to popular belief, it takes a surprisingly short period of time for a battery to sustain permanent performance damage if left in a discharged state.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      \"\"
      National Luna’s very own 25A DC-DC<\/a> unit features an integrated MPPT solar regulator, as well as the ability to change the DC-DC\u2019s charging profile to match each battery type. However, if your vehicle’s alternator generates a constant voltage of 13.9V or more, in most cases, a cheaper solenoid system will outperform a 20- to 25A DC-DC unit within the first few hours of driving.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Likewise, in the case of the safari rental company: after spending considerable money on fitting DC-DC systems, the problem got worse (due to the limited 20A output), and was eventually solved by going back to the National Luna solenoid system and simply upgrading the batteries from wet-cell units, to dry-cell (AGM) batteries (which charge faster). The rental company also invested in a series of 220V maintenance chargers, and since then, their dual-battery problems have been solved.<\/p>\n

      So to summarise: If your dual-battery system is giving you troubles, there\u2019s a very good chance your battery is to blame \u2013 even if it\u2019s less than a year old. If you suspect your battery is in a partially discharged state, you need to invest in a 220V maintenance charger before the battery suffers permanent damage, along with a subsequent loss in performance.<\/p>\n

      This information was confirmed in 2016 when National Luna conducted dozens of laboratory tests on a variety of battery types and split-charging setups. The results of those tests led to the recent launch of a new Maintenance Charger<\/a>, built specifically for overland travellers.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The Charger<\/a> is designed for motorcycle and 4×4 applications; and features an 8-step recharge process that includes an analysis of your battery\u2019s charge state, along with the option to select a boost mode in cold-climate conditions.<\/p>\n

      More importantly, the charger<\/a> is programmed so that it can be left (connected to your battery) for an indefinite period, and you never have to worry about the battery heating up, or \u201cover\u201d charging.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      READ NEXT: WHY IT TOOK NATIONAL LUNA 10 YEARS TO LAUNCH A DC-DC DUAL-BATTERY SYSTEM<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      QUESTION My dual-battery isn\u2019t charging. I had a solenoid system installed in my 4×4 just over a year ago. The setup seemed to work fine the first time, but now there\u2019s very little power in my auxiliary battery when I get to camp. On my most recent trip I spent anywhere between 3 to 4-hours …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-articles","category-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWHY YOUR AUXILIARY BATTERY IS NOT CHARGING<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I had a solenoid system installed in my 4x4 just over a year ago. 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