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Topic: can i run my caravan without a battery?

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south africans

31/10/2018 at 10:49am
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I tend to visit sites where there is electrical hookup and would like to know if i can use my caravan without a battery fitted?

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South African campers

chrisn7

31/10/2018 at 10:55am
Location: West Yorkshire
Outfit: Bessacarr Cameo 625 2011

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If the van has 12 volt lighting and accessory points, a battery is fitted as a 'smoothing' device. Dependent on the electrical load, the 12v output from the charger may not be able to keep up, particularly if the lighting is non-led

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Grampian91

31/10/2018 at 11:02am
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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As above. Even if its rated for running the van i would still fit a battery.

Small risk but what will you do if there is a powercut?

If money is tight just get a cheap car battery, personally i think thats better value than a so called leisure battery thats half as much again and possibly identical in every way.

saxo1

31/10/2018 at 11:06am
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Some caravans have a 230V/12V converter and don't require a battery.
You need to hookup to the mains and see if the 12v lights etc work, if they do, you don't necessarily need one.
saxo1

DaveMiller

31/10/2018 at 11:37am
Location: Northamptonshire
Outfit: Lunar SB + Volvo XC70

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Check your caravan's manual, most don't need a battery, but it's wise to check. The advice to fit a small battery as a stand-by has merit.

My Lunar manual says, "The PDU contains both the 230v ac equipment and the Power Supply to give 12 volts dc. This is capable of running the 12 volts system on its own or in conjunction with a leisure battery. It is however advisable to run with a battery in circuit."

It goes on to say, "Fully automatic power supply capable of running the 12 volt system up to 20 amps at 13.8 volts.".

oxter

31/10/2018 at 1:47pm
Location: NE Scotland
Outfit: Bailey Phoenix + CRV

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As above. If you always use hook up, buy the cheapest car battery you can get or a second hand one off Gumtree etc. It will do you just fine.

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Colin21

31/10/2018 at 2:59pm
Location: East Herts
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As long as you don't want to use a motor mover, the answer is yes you can run without a battery, but it's advisable to use one anyway. As others have said it gives you a back-up in event of a power outage, if only to run your water pump. Also it does help to smooth the 12 volt supply. A car battery would do.

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Colin

iank01

31/10/2018 at 3:28pm
Location: Worcestershire
Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser

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Quote: Originally posted by south africans on 31/10/2018
I tend to visit sites where there is electrical hookup and would like to know if i can use my caravan without a battery fitted?

Hoe gaan dit? We are also ex-South African. Some caravans like the Bailey caravan require a battery to be in circuit for stuff like pump and lights to operate correctly.

navver

31/10/2018 at 7:42pm
Location: West country
Outfit: Mondeo

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My Bailey caravan manual says this:

19. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM- 12v Your caravan is fitted with a 12v charger as standard. This converts the 230v AC supply into 12v DC. This enables the 12v equipment in the caravan to function and charges the caravan leisure battery. A fully charged caravan leisure battery should read 13.8 volts on the voltmeter mounted in the control panel. The charger is capable of charging leisure batteries and will not overcharge.

The 12v system is designed to operate with a leisure battery in circuit and should not be turned on without one connected. The 12v supply to the caravan services can be isolated via the 12v on/off switch on the control panel.

navver

31/10/2018 at 7:50pm
Location: West country
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The conflicting advise comes about because caravan chargers can either be a simple charger or a combined charger and power supply unit.

A simple charger needs a battery.

A Power Supply Unit doesn't need a battery.

The difference is that a Power Supply Unit has a greater power output together with the necessary voltage stabilisation and smoothing.

A charger may have an output which looks a bit like this:
- - - - - -

or this:
n n n n n n n

a Power Supply Unit will have an outlut which looks like this:
_______________________

Kelper

01/11/2018 at 9:49am
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Sterckeman Alize Concept CP480

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We didn't have a battery for the first two years ... then we fitted a mover, for which a battery is necessary.

Before fitting the mover everything worked fine without a battery.

tango55

01/11/2018 at 11:23am
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450

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You wouldn't ever think of removing the battery from your mobile phone then plugging it directly into the mains via the charger as it's obviously going to cause some kind of damage so why is the principle of a caravan battery any different?
Also a caravan without a battery connected there's a chance that the battery terminals could make contact thus blowing a fuse which has happened previously with one particular thread about 2 years ago.
In my view it's still best to fit a battery of some description to stabilise the current from the charger as the charger will deliver about 14 volts output.

saxo1

01/11/2018 at 11:52am
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I can't see what damage could be caused by charging a phone battery when removed from the phone provided the dedicated charger were used,there is no difference.
A dedicated 12V power supply doesn't need any form of smoothing or stabilising circuitry.
The majority of foreign caravans aren't supplied with a battery and charger, they just have a 230V/12V converter.
saxo1

trog100

01/11/2018 at 12:48pm
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why would anyone want a caravan that is totally dependent on hook up power for its essentials..

so yes it an be done but why would anybody want to..

trog

tango55

01/11/2018 at 2:32pm
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450

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Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 01/11/2018
I can't see what damage could be caused by charging a phone battery when removed from the phone provided the dedicated charger were used,there is no difference.
A dedicated 12V power supply doesn't need any form of smoothing or stabilising circuitry.
The majority of foreign caravans aren't supplied with a battery and charger, they just have a 230V/12V converter.
saxo1

I didn't mean taking the phone battery out the mobile phone and charging it independently as that's exactly what I do with my leisure battery and charge it independently at home.
A phone charger always plugs directly into the mobile phone then connected to the mains at the opposite end. This is what I was referring to, the phone having an absent battery and then plugging the charger into the mains without the battery installed. It's the same principle of having an absent battery in the caravan then connecting up to the 240 volt mains supply.

romany girl

01/11/2018 at 2:47pm
Location: Derbyshire
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If you plan to use a Motor Mover with your caravan, then a good Leisure battery is a must. A car battery is designed to give short bursts of power to start the engine, and not for longer periods of sustained power as in using a Mover.

Julia

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Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!

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