Hi we have an old (1980?) Swift conquer and wondered if anyone can tell us what should work off of the leisure battery and can we get a portable solar panel to keep it charged? As there is no door on the side of the van the battery is in the main cupboard (wardrobe) under a removable bottom!!! Also can we use a 12v TV?
Using the battery and what should work off of it
- Thread starter Karen1961
- Start date
Parksy
Moderator
Hi Karen, welcome to the forum. 
Your caravan will usually have three sources of energy, lpg for the cooker and probably the heater, 230v mains electricity for the battery charger, some of the interior lights, plug sockets, the fridge, the water heater and blow air heating if any or all of these items are fitted, they may not be.
Some or maybe all of your interior lighting will be 12v, a 12v electric water pump and electric toilet flush if fitted will also work from your leisure battery.
Provided that your battery holds enough charge a 12v tv will work ok with a decent aerial connection. Look to see if there's a 230v plug socket near to where the tv usually sits, in which case a small portable mains tv would be fine (Aldi do a reasonable model for not much money)
There should be an onboard battery charger, quite possible a Zig unit which would charge your battery if it's working ok. Look for the unit under the seats or in lockers, and for switches that would turn it on and off.
Has your caravan got an electric hook up lead with an inlet socket point on the side of the caravan (ehu) ?
Your caravan will usually have three sources of energy, lpg for the cooker and probably the heater, 230v mains electricity for the battery charger, some of the interior lights, plug sockets, the fridge, the water heater and blow air heating if any or all of these items are fitted, they may not be.
Some or maybe all of your interior lighting will be 12v, a 12v electric water pump and electric toilet flush if fitted will also work from your leisure battery.
Provided that your battery holds enough charge a 12v tv will work ok with a decent aerial connection. Look to see if there's a 230v plug socket near to where the tv usually sits, in which case a small portable mains tv would be fine (Aldi do a reasonable model for not much money)
There should be an onboard battery charger, quite possible a Zig unit which would charge your battery if it's working ok. Look for the unit under the seats or in lockers, and for switches that would turn it on and off.
Has your caravan got an electric hook up lead with an inlet socket point on the side of the caravan (ehu) ?
Hi thankyou for replying so quickly. Yes we do have an electric hookup. The blowair heating doesnt work but we are fine with that. At the moment we are on a site with no hookup and just wondered as every one has solar but much newer vans an easy access to the battery. The lights and water pump work and the TV works either with ehu or our generator as does the fridge. That is why we wondered what should work on the battery.
Sorry forgot to say there is a socket behind the TV but doesnt work if not on hookup or generator
Hi Karen1961 and welcome
I assume the socket behind the TV is a 3 pin 240v socket, none of your 240v sockets will work off the battery as the battery output is nominally 12volts, there is nothing wrong with your socket, it just works on a different voltage.
Think of the caravan as having 2 different electrical systems, one 12v and the other 240v.
I assume the socket behind the TV is a 3 pin 240v socket, none of your 240v sockets will work off the battery as the battery output is nominally 12volts, there is nothing wrong with your socket, it just works on a different voltage.
Think of the caravan as having 2 different electrical systems, one 12v and the other 240v.
Parksy
Moderator
There are various free standing solar panels on sale which will would top up the battery charge in bright weather.
Make sure that the panel has a charge controller, sometimes called a regulator.
The only challenge would be to get the cables from the charger to reach the battery in the wardrobe.
Enter Solar Power into the website search box (click on the text that says Search) to see previous forum posts
Make sure that the panel has a charge controller, sometimes called a regulator.
The only challenge would be to get the cables from the charger to reach the battery in the wardrobe.
Enter Solar Power into the website search box (click on the text that says Search) to see previous forum posts
Welcome to the forum. I am a bit confused with the description. If you are connected up to a hook up then the television should work off the three pin plug if wired correctly. At that age possibly the only other thing that works off mains may be the fridge, thinking back to our caravans of that vintage.
The blown air facility is probably only through the heater itself and ours only ever worked if the heating was on.
I do wonder if there are problems with the caravan or some equipment and that it might be better to get a mobile engineer to look it over. He might be able to show you how to get things to work or establish if there is a problem. You will find a list of approved engineers on the National Caravan Council website
The blown air facility is probably only through the heater itself and ours only ever worked if the heating was on.
I do wonder if there are problems with the caravan or some equipment and that it might be better to get a mobile engineer to look it over. He might be able to show you how to get things to work or establish if there is a problem. You will find a list of approved engineers on the National Caravan Council website
Older vans have a 12 volt socket that has 2 blades not like the modern round thing. If you have that you can get a converter to a round socket at most dealers. I spend most of the summer on battery with a panel but can’t comment on your setup. If you buy a portable panel buy at least 90watts and make sure it’s got blue cells. If you buy from a reputable seller it should come with a controller built in. Buy a good bike lock so you can lock the panel to something, they’re nickable. Modern Bailey caravans have the battery in the floor and I know several owners who connect up a panel. A good Bailey technician might advise. Going off grid saves mega bucks. (Last weekend we had 3 nights away with entertainment each evening for a total of £42.50. )
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