Just come back from a 4-day festival, and the 18-year old knackered car battery managed to last the first 48 hours just fine, then handed over to it's much newer, bigger leisure battery - so don't let "experts" tell you it can't be done. I reckon that with a solar panel it could last all summer!
The long version - until 18 months ago, I've ALWAYS used an old car battery (not the same one) with a car charger and done just fine with it for 29 years - and during that time, often argued with "experts" who say it can't be done. The particular battery in this instance was bought new in 1996, a standard 72Ah Vauxhall battery to upgrade the OE 45Ah one in the family Nova which was increasingly being used by number one son who fitted a high power audio system which just sucked the volts out - it ran for 8 years like that, so don't believe car experts who tell you car batteries only last 3 years - so in 2004 it was relegated to the caravan where it served a further 9 years. The caravan onboard charger was switched off and a 3.6A CTEK used instead - mainly on sites with EHU, but a few without, and quite heavy motor-mover use - for which a car battery is better suited than a leisure battery as it's designed to cope with much higher current loads during starting. For the last 18 months, it's been relegated to a back-up spare - charged every month and pressed into service, more as an experiment this weekend than necessity as the current caravan battery was a new, but faulty (so free) 110Ah fully sealed leisure battery.
Since the mid-80s I've never used anything other than a fully-sealed battery with recombitant valves so no chance of topping up the fluid which I think accounts for much of the longevity - the use of a smart car charger probably accounts for the rest - I think it's a policy worthy of note for both cars and caravans
The long version - until 18 months ago, I've ALWAYS used an old car battery (not the same one) with a car charger and done just fine with it for 29 years - and during that time, often argued with "experts" who say it can't be done. The particular battery in this instance was bought new in 1996, a standard 72Ah Vauxhall battery to upgrade the OE 45Ah one in the family Nova which was increasingly being used by number one son who fitted a high power audio system which just sucked the volts out - it ran for 8 years like that, so don't believe car experts who tell you car batteries only last 3 years - so in 2004 it was relegated to the caravan where it served a further 9 years. The caravan onboard charger was switched off and a 3.6A CTEK used instead - mainly on sites with EHU, but a few without, and quite heavy motor-mover use - for which a car battery is better suited than a leisure battery as it's designed to cope with much higher current loads during starting. For the last 18 months, it's been relegated to a back-up spare - charged every month and pressed into service, more as an experiment this weekend than necessity as the current caravan battery was a new, but faulty (so free) 110Ah fully sealed leisure battery.
Since the mid-80s I've never used anything other than a fully-sealed battery with recombitant valves so no chance of topping up the fluid which I think accounts for much of the longevity - the use of a smart car charger probably accounts for the rest - I think it's a policy worthy of note for both cars and caravans
Facebook
Twitter