Another step along the learning curve this morning…All ready to go and turned on the motor mover to hitch up. Nothing! Leisure battery is completely drained. We have now connected to the mains at the house and wondering if we should be charging between trips? Also, how long before we can head off? Finally, will the battery charge as we drive (it’s a 3 hour drive). Any help/advice greatly appreciated!!
Leisure battery help!
- Thread starter Didi
- Start date
For a start how do you know the leisure battery is flat? If the mover won't work it does not necessarily mean you have a flat battery - it could be a handset fault. Have you used a meter to check the battery terminal voltage? Does the battery have a small window on the top which should be showing green?
If your leisure battery is flat then (a) you may need to replace it if its terminal voltage is much below about 9V and (b) if it is flat then something must have been drawing current to drain it. Did you switch the caravan power off last time you parked it up? For that matter is your towing vehicle wired to charge the battery when you are travelling?
It would be helpful to know the make/model/year of your caravan and details of your towing vehicle and the electrical connection between them (i.e. 2x 7pin or1x 13pin.) Indeed, has there been evidence that the battery has worked with you car in the past or is this a new event?
If your leisure battery is flat then (a) you may need to replace it if its terminal voltage is much below about 9V and (b) if it is flat then something must have been drawing current to drain it. Did you switch the caravan power off last time you parked it up? For that matter is your towing vehicle wired to charge the battery when you are travelling?
It would be helpful to know the make/model/year of your caravan and details of your towing vehicle and the electrical connection between them (i.e. 2x 7pin or1x 13pin.) Indeed, has there been evidence that the battery has worked with you car in the past or is this a new event?
Thanks for your reply. It's a Swift Challenger 560 and we're towing with a VW Tiguan. When we connected to the mains at the house, I left it for 15 minutes and then tried the control panel. It said 'Leisure Battery' critically low and beeped loudly. Now when I have turned on the control panel, it lights up but only the awning light button is responding.
Not much help to you at the moment but I can recomend an Ancel BM200 if your caravan is parked at home. It's so easy to open the app and check the state of your battery.
Edited as the I can't get the link to work propperly. Google Ancel BM200 - they can be bought from Amazon, eBay, AliExpress etc.
Edited as the I can't get the link to work propperly. Google Ancel BM200 - they can be bought from Amazon, eBay, AliExpress etc.
Last edited:
- Mar 14, 2005
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Traditionally you might expect the car to charge the caravan battery whilst towing, but many modern cars now have "Smart Alternators" which do not constantly produce power so it may be uncertain if your car is charging the caravan battery. You might ask your car dealer if yours has a smart alternator, or if it can be programmed to keep the trailer battery wiring active.
However regardless of whether the alternator is charging the caravan, a 3 hour trip may not be enough to fully replenish the battery, so it is potentially a good idea to at least periodically charge the battery whilst the caravan is in storage.
The other thing to do,is to make it a strict routine to check that all appliance's have been turned off when you put the caravan into storage. Some caravanners discover there can be parasitic 12V devices (tv aerial amplifier is a common one) However you may need to leave your alarm system connected if that is a criteria stipulated by your insurance. Check with your caravan dealer about how it is powered.
However regardless of whether the alternator is charging the caravan, a 3 hour trip may not be enough to fully replenish the battery, so it is potentially a good idea to at least periodically charge the battery whilst the caravan is in storage.
The other thing to do,is to make it a strict routine to check that all appliance's have been turned off when you put the caravan into storage. Some caravanners discover there can be parasitic 12V devices (tv aerial amplifier is a common one) However you may need to leave your alarm system connected if that is a criteria stipulated by your insurance. Check with your caravan dealer about how it is powered.
After my last outing I discovered that my fridge draws power from the leisure battery if it isn't turned off on the fridge selector switch (even though the caravan main panel is turned off). I noticed that the battery was getting low even though I have a small solar panel to maintain it. It was dark when I went to check and as soon as I opened the caravan door I saw that the fridge light was on (I prop the fridge door open when it isnt in use).
Mel
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- Mar 17, 2007
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Depending on how low the leisure battery has gone, it may be discharged past the point of no return. ☹️
When you are not using the Caravan make sure that the Black button on the Sargent box under the offside front seat is in the Off position ( ie up) to stop all draw on your leisure battery. Your solar panel ( if you have one) will still charge the leisure battery and the alarm will still work.
Mel
When you are not using the Caravan make sure that the Black button on the Sargent box under the offside front seat is in the Off position ( ie up) to stop all draw on your leisure battery. Your solar panel ( if you have one) will still charge the leisure battery and the alarm will still work.
Mel
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