Message Forums

i would like to fit a leisure battery for lighting in our tt, 

fitted sockets if posible and can a charger be fitted to top the battery up while connected to a EHU ?

how to basically, what i would need

cheers

John

John, If you have EHU cant you just take a table lamp or some other form of lighting? You'll be lugging a 12v battery with you with the added weight that goes with it. Seem a lot of work for the end result.

RSM.

You want one of these

Hi John,  I fitted a battery, new wiring harnesses with loads of sockets ,  made and fitted a 12 volt consumer unit last year.  The advantages are that you don't have to be connected to an EHU if it is a short break, all lighting can be 12 volt-safer and you can run afridge / cooler without overloading the car battery if you have the necessary relays.

The haynes Caravan manual is a great source of info as is the Caravan Club Web site if you are a member. ( wiring diagramsand calculating wiring sizes etc.

You will need to get a proper caravan battery charger with variable charging rates to keep your battery in good nick.

The exercise is not cheap but personally I found it worth while.

Regards Bob

understand what your saying rsm but would like the option to be able to run on 12v for short breaks as Bob said and i feel its a bit more safer,

will still use EHU where possile, but have the option if on a site without it

thanks for the link Steve, they look like a good bit of kit, do you use one?

 Does the battery have to be in a sealed box (plastic)

cheers

John

Quote: Originally posted by jonhils on 19/7/2007

---

understand what your saying rsm but would like the option to be able to run on 12v for short breaks as Bob said and i feel its a bit more safer,

will still use EHU where possile, but have the option if on a site without it

thanks for the link Steve, they look like a good bit of kit, do you use one?

Does the battery have to be in a sealed box (plastic)

cheers

John

Its a good idea to keep your battery in a plastic box because it prevents the terminals from being  shorted out if stowing gear in the same compartment and can prevent mishaps if acid is accidentally spilt.  It is also advisable to vent the battery via the breather and a tube through the bottom of the camper. (I drilled a hole through the side of the palastic box to facilitate the pipe). This should prevent the build up of explosive gas ( hydrogen) within the camper or box.  However you should be careful if getting under the camper as battery acid may drip from this pipe.

TTFN.  Bob 

A battery under this kind of use would last for about an hour lol!

They are good for running light and maybe a radio etc. but if you want to run fridge, hairdryer etc you really need a hook up.

I agree with this sort of kit you need either Electric hook up or a generator.

If you can live with freezer blocks exchanged daily instead of a fridge and using your hairdryer in the toilet block (most campsite ladies toilets have 13 amp sockets) you could run lights straight off your car battery with couple of crocodile clips. I'd recommend you run your car engine every day to recharge the used power but it worked for us for many years.

PS don't forget to disconnect the clips before driving off, i remember wondering why our tent was following us off the site one day when we first started hooking up to the car.