Leisure Battery

[Nannab]

This may seem a silly question, but do we keep our leisure battery fixed up to mains all winter? I know batteries run down and I have seen loads in secure storage which are not linked to mains. Do they take the batties home and keep them recharged? We are lucky enough to have space to keep our caravan at home.

Many thanks.

 

[BeemerMal]

Linda.....I keep my van at home as well and I have a mains connection close to where the van is stored. However, if we are not using the van over the winter months then I take the battery out and connect it to a charger I have in the shed. It is a charger that monitors the charge rate and puts in a trickle top up from time to time. Additionally I connect a lamp to the battery from time to time to drain and recharge the battery. I believe this helps the individual cells to work more efficiently.

I would think most people who use external storage would remove the battery at the end of the season.

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Linda.....I have two batteries, one is 85ah and this is the one I leave in the Van during non-use to keep the alarm powered, the other is 110ah and this is the one we use all the time we take the van out. When we are not using the van, I take the 110ah home and like Beemermal, I have a trickle charger to leave on constantly until we take the van out again. As we caravan during the winter months as well, both batteries are always receiving a regular charge and they can both be taken when we are on sites without EHU,

best regards, Martin

 

[Nannab]

Thanks for your help. I will pass this on to my hubbie for him to do.

 

[Willy_5041515]

I think you would be well advised to invest in an "intelligent" battery charger from Halfords, etc. This will continuously monitor the state of your battery and maintain it in perfect condition indefinitely. The charger senses the voltage of the battery and only kicks in when this drops below a critical level. It will never overcharge your battery (fatal!) so can be left connected throughout the winter. The larger versions are also capable of fast charging a flat battery.

We had a complete failure of our caravan power supply after a lightning strike in France last year. I connected my "intelligent" charger across the caravan leisure battery, shoved it under the bunk and we had all normal services restored for the rest of our holiday. So it's well worth carrying it with you in case of problems with your caravan (or car) battery!

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Willy....That's what I was trying to say when I mentioned the Battery Charger, mine is a CTEK360 smart charger and this too can be left on indefinately. Well worth investing in one, as I cooked my previous battery when using the standard car battery charger. You learn from experience,

best regards, Martin

 

[xtrailman]

I also keep my van at home connected to the mains, as required.

I leave my 110ah battery in the van permanently, only time it comes out is once a year to top up with deionised water if required, and silicon grease the battery posts if needed.

Other than that I charge it up via the standard fit power supply, I have never had any reason to charge it above 13.7 volts.

Before a holiday I like to charge it for a couple of days to ensure enough power for the motor mover.

Leaving the battery insitue also backs up the van alarm.

 

[Nannab]

I also keep my van at home connected to the mains, as required.

I leave my 110ah battery in the van permanently, only time it comes out is once a year to top up with deionised water if required, and silicon grease the battery posts if needed.

Other than that I charge it up via the standard fit power supply, I have never had any reason to charge it above 13.7 volts.

Before a holiday I like to charge it for a couple of days to ensure enough power for the motor mover.

Leaving the battery insitue also backs up the van alarm.

Thanks everyone for your help. I have printed this page off so me husband can read through it. The intelligent charger seems a good idea.