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Hi,

I have got a swift voyager 695 and when i go wild camping the leisure battery only lasts 1 night. I run a tv, heating and lights off it. The leisure battery has ran completely flat on several occasions and is only charged from driving the vehicle or when we hook up we switch it to charge leisure battery on the control panel.

We are going wild camping for 4/5 nights and think should we buy a new good quality leisure battery and some sort of charger to keep it always fully charged.

Can anybody advise on how a charger would work when the motorhome was left in the storage? Sometimes it can be for a month or two unused. We dont mind spending the money to get power that will last a few nights so if you can recommend any equipment that would be great too.

Thanks in advance!!

Hi cole100-  Once a leisure battery runs complety flat you can say it will never recover again for any lengh of time. As regards batterys I have always been satisfied with wet cell types where you can check the state of the electrolite, and they do not cost silly money like the gell ones. Wild camping may require 2/110 amp batterys.

As regards charging when in storage and not on EHU you could go for a decent solar panel on the roof of aprox 80 watts which will be expensive or the cheaper option and take the leisure battery away with you and keep trickle charged at home.

Never let a battery get below half charge.  Then you need a new battery.

Jim

That's an intersting link Wyn..

On the subject of "leisure" batteries,having read several articles(in mags) where folk have fitted a second battery to their vehicle,I'm wondering if that may be something worth us looking into?(..as during  the summer months we be spend several "4 day weekends" at music festivals..7days in the case of Glastonbury!),although we don't tend to spend much time at the van during the festival,as our "new" van has a seperate shower,that will be getting some useage...

Our van is already fitted with a decent 100amp battery and the as the van is used regularly,it's always getting a "top up" charge(..and if it's not going to be used for a week,it gets put on hookup)..

I'm wondering if a second battery would be a bit of overkill..?

and Mick..a genny would be a no-no in our case...

Thanks for the feedback

..on hearing that,it's certainly something that I'm going to be looking at ...

Quote: Originally posted by lou -o on 22/3/2010

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I can recommend using 2 batteries - we run a fridge freezer, lights and sometimes tv of them. We go for long weekends to music/vw festivals and have always had enough power

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How can you run a TV off the leisure battery ?  what type of TV ?

forgive me we are very new to this (as you can probably tell)

also, how do you hook up at home ?

Thanks in advance,

Seanita ....To hook-up at home,I've put a just put a weather proof junction box,fitted with an exterior RCD socket,on the outside of the garage wall(..the cable is fed through the wall and just plugged into a socket above the bench)..that way we can keep it plugged in and just switch it on to top-up(..or chill the fridge)as required.. 

Our tele is 240v ,so doesn't work on 12v...you could use an inverter I suppose but we haven't bothered...

Chris

Quote: Originally posted by Ken- on 24/3/2010

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Quote: Originally posted by lou -o on 22/3/2010I can recommend using 2 batteries - we run a fridge freezer, lights and sometimes tv of them. We go for long weekends to music/vw festivals and have always had enough power

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Do you have them wired together or just change one when needed

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Quote: Originally posted by Seanita on 25/3/2010

How can you run a TV off the leisure battery ?  what type of TV ?

forgive me we are very new to this (as you can probably tell)

also, how do you hook up at home ?

Thanks in advance,

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