As a rule, the average power pack / jump start box contains a lead acid battery. A leisure battery is a lead acid battery. It's all the same, but generally a leisure battery will be bigger and heavier.
Best way to do things would be to buy a battery box to mount a battery in, from any of the many motorsport suppliers who sell these things for people wanting to alter the weight distribution of their cars. You can then bolt that down to the floor, and you have the advantage of knowing that nothing can drop across the terminals. Big lead acid batteries can lob out a lot of current in a very short time (and it's current that kills and cooks things - if power transmission lines ran at 230V, they'd melt), and would easily start a fire.
To add to the point about the leisure battery not draining quickly, if you were running a 300w inverter along with lights you could certainly drain the battery quicker than if you were simply running 12v from it.
Why not try an LED. awning light, and run on any 12v. battery you can get your hands on, it would run from your car every night without needing to give a thought to the power consumption, they vary on quantity of LED's so you can buy the illumination power to suit your tent without any problem of car battery going flat, in fact you could run several with little effect.
Regard, Dave C.....
Is this any good? I'd like something to pump up a double air bed that does not make a massive amount of noise and also run a 12v cool box. Has anyone tried this Argos one?
You won't be able to run a 12V coolbox off something that size for very long at all. A coolbox will drain the average car battery overnight, and they're lot bigger than that compressor...
Quote: Originally posted by navver on 06/9/2009Bernie 47 said, "What would be the point of the RCD? Your inverter would not be connected to the earth so there could be no earth leakage".
The possible earth leakage is through you to the ground. Thats what an RCD protects against.
That applies to normal the normal mains supply, but does not apply to an inverter which is isolated from the earth. Earth leakage can only occur if the earth is part of the circuit, as in the case of the UK mains distribution network.
This is why power tools on site must be connected to an isolating transformer, to eliminate the danger of shocks due to leakage to earth.
asda sell led lights which hang in the tent, really bright and the 3xAA last for ages, i have three think they were £4 each, beware ebay they cost £10 and they are the same ones!!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/48-Led-UFO-Camping-Light-Torch-Lamp-W-Battery-Warranty_W0QQitemZ390002337548QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches?hash=item5acdf3670c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
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