HI, Could someone please help us.......We went away in our caravan last weekend for the first time. We hooked up and thought everything was fine. Later that night we could smell something burning. We discovered that it was the battery, when we opened the box the battery was red hot. (we had topped up the battery before we left home with distilled water. We have replaced the battery but need to buy a battery charger so that we can keep the battery charged up when the caravan is in storage. What type would you recommend and were would we get one from.
I Have been reading previous posts and I am now totally confussed.
With the way my Adria is wired (a modification by a previous owner).....I only use the battery for lights and fridge while driving and for an overnight stop. When I get to my campsite and hook up to the mains, I disconect the battery, probably not the norm though?
Depending on how long between trips (winter storage?) it is best remove your battery and keep it topped up by using a standard car battery charger, preferably one with an amperage indicator needle rather than L.E.D Lights. that way you can see exactly the amount of amps the battery is receiving. When the battery is well on it's way to a full charge the needle should register about 2 amps ---the higher the input reading, the flatter the battery------you can leave it for on trickle charge like this for a short while then switch it off------The normal charging unit in the van will not fully charge your battery and basically this is not good for the life of the unit so a good charge every month will be beneficial. When storing it keep it off concrete floors, this also does it no good. I have been using a little lucas car charger now for 10 years and it does the job fine.
Spend some money and invest in a good quality switched mode leisure charger, these are designed to be left attached constantly when not in use and keep the battery topped with no side effects and no remembering to remove it before it gasses the battery. A good quality one will last a life time and is well worth the money in my opinion.