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I bought a smart charger manufactured by Durite with a 3 amp. charge rate and charges in 4 stages which is a proper trickle charger. A car battery charger is usually too powerful and is likely to buckle the internal lead plates if they get too hot too quick as they normally charge at a rate of approx. 8 amps. I remove the 110 ah leisure from the caravan, take it home and leave it on 24/7 as it keeps the battery in tip top condition. I used to charge my battery once every month but I found that my batteries were only lasting around two years so I do this method now and after 3 years my battery is still okay. The battery charger I have is not cheap but you get what you pay for but I do believe that Aldi occassionally have these type of chargers on offer according to previous posts on here but here is a link showing which one I use. The advice also is not to place the battery on a concrete floor as it can slowly discharge the battery for some reason.

http://www.thetoolboxshop.com/0-647-13-durite-12v-automatic-battery-charger-3a-5128-p.asp

Don't leave your battery on permanent charge as it will, without doubt, ruin it.

I charge ours up for 24 hours once a month.

I also leave mine on the caravan, as I do with the two batteries on my boat.  They take no harm at all.  Having said that, it is a good idea to take them off and charge periodically.

A car battery charger is fine, they don't charge at a constant rate. Not a good idea to leave it on though.  Mine might start at 10 amps,which is nothing compared with what your car's alternator will put in just after startup.  Over time, it will reduce to almost nothing.  It's not a smart charger, it's over 30 years old.

In the Spring, I am confident the battery will still be fine, just as I am confident the boat will start without problems.

It's certainly better to keep the battery exercised regularly, but they will take quite a bit of abuse. It doesn't seem to make any difference to how long they last.

Jim

lots of good advice here,see battery charging

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/technicalhelp/datasheets/

Looking after your Leisure Battery

we are lucky to have the caravan on the drive linked up to EHU 24/7 on a timer.this comes on for 4 hours a day and charges the battery/tops up.been like this for a few years without any problems.this way the mover is always ready to go.