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Hi Campers

Brand new to this and just purchased my first van. Could someone tell me when the battery takes a charge. Is it only when hooked to EHU or does ot take a charge when being towed???????????  Thanks

PS I have an elddis typhoon gt 2001

Quote: Originally posted by Al+Mel on 03/10/2012

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Both, but don't expect a huge charge when towing.

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Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 03/10/2012

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I was quite lucky though because if the charge drops below 12.6 volts you can sometimes have problems kick starting the leisure battery again

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Quote: Originally posted by Stephen Bell on 03/10/2012

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Is the fact that I'm plugged into 240v enough to charge the battery or will there be something I should turn on? Sorry but I am a complete novice....

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Sorry Tango, but I beg to differ regarding the power output from the car's alternator.  Alternators on most modern cars/light trucks are rated at 50-70 Amps, which is considerably higher than the 12-15 (IIRC) my CTEK in the van is capable of, or any other domestic battery charger you might have in the garage.

Not quite sure what you mean by: "Even the onboard battery charger or generator won't charge at the same rate taking longer than expected to fully carge the battery"......same rate as what??

However, for the benefit of the OP, I always plug in the EHU 24 hours before setting out - this to ensure the battery is fully charged for use by the mover, and to get both fridges down to temperature (which in turn ensures I have ice for the G+T as soon as I get on site ).  Also, just having a 12S socket/plug is no guarantee - the van must also be wired up correctly to take the split charge.  Easy to check - plug the van into the car (12S), have someone rev the engine and put a meter across the leisure battery - if you get more than 13 volts, everything is working OK.

Del