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Elephant Cove, Denmark, Western Australia.

Monday, April 2, 2012

I Have Mice!

In the house and in the van.  How rude!!

The ones in the house are slowly being removed.  The one? in the van is there because I was a bad van keeper and left some food in there.  The cold and hungry little mousey must have thought I did it for him.  I didn't!  I was just too damn lazy to pack things away properly. 

I also have a flat battery in the van...well it is not in the van now it is here at the house...I had it connected to a charger but I don't know if it worked or not.  I haven't used this charger before and there is no light to show if it is working or not.  And the dial thing seemed to read lower after a couple of hours...I will carry the heavy thing out and reconnect it soon, when the rain stops, and if it doesn't start I will have to connect it to the other car and try and get it going that way.  At the moment it is parked out the front near the road and I need to get it back into the yard so it can be cleaned out and repacked ready to use.

I really need to get better at this camper looking after stuff.  More camps so that the van gets a decent run regularly, put stuff away, clean up properly after use, get ready for next trip so I can just up and go...all the stuff that should be, and probably is, done by good little camper owners everywhere.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Barb,

    The dial on the charger going down as the battery charges is normal. As a battery charges it will use less current until it is fully charged. Most will go down to a "float" level of about 1 - 2 amps and stay there. However, that doesn't mean you're good to go. Batteries also have an internal resistance that changes as they get older, meaning they may hold a charge for a shorter time than when they were brand new. Most batteries are only "really" good for about two years, and sometimes less in extreme temperatures. After that, they start to decline. It may look like they are charged but it won't last long. You can tell that by measuring the specific gravity of the battery, or have it tested with a proper load on it. Any auto parts store can do that for you.

    Chargers come in many sizes for different purposes. The more amps they are capable of, the faster they charge, but if left on too long, they can also boil the water in the batteries. The best thing for vehicles that are left setting for weeks or months is a small "trickle" charger just big enough to replace what the vehicle's electronics use... typically about one amp or less. However, for a battery that is completely drained below a usable voltage, a higher amperage charger will put the power back quicker, but don't leave it on any longer than necessary. If you have any questions, please let me know.

    I hope this helps, and best wishes for a new trip soon!

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  2. Thanks John. Yep, the battery worked like you said. Car now goes and 1 mouse gone too.

    I actually did/do have a triggle charger connected so was a bit peeved that the battery went flat. I will have to check that the TC is working.

    Barb.

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