Battery

[Martin_374319553]

Hi all. New caravanner here.

I have a question re the van battery. How long do you think the van could remain in storage before the battery needs a recharge?

If I use the van every 6 weeks or so then it will get charged by the car and then at the site (will always be going to sites with electric). Will that be sufficient? Should I remove the battery and charge it at home?

What if I leave the van for a couple of months?

I have a very sophisticated charger at home but the van is in storage so wanted to avoid removing the battery if possible to save hassle.

Thanks

 

[Pat_374304630]

Hi Martin,

What type of battery is it.Is it a leisure battery or a normal car battery??

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi martin

I recomend removing the battery and charging at home it will last much longer

taking it off is absolutly no hassle at all if you change the standard battery clamps for the quick release type sold in accsesory shops (

 

[rob_jax]

Martin,

There's a load of threads on this subject - do a search and you'll find them. But in summary:

1. Below 50% charge, the lead acid battery plates will start to suffer irreversible sulfation - so the battery must either be trickle charged all the time or recharged on a regular basis.

2. Lead acid batteries have an internal self discharge of around 0.5 AH per day (varies from maker to maker, but that's a good figure)

If you have a 100 AH battery, 100% to 50% will take around 100 days (50 AH divided by 0.5 AH)

Either fully recharge the battery once a month, or fit a 20 Watt solar panel and let that trickle charge the battery

Robert