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Subject Topic: is a battery really needed
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08/2/2015 at 10:57am
 Location: north wales
 Outfit: Sprite Quattro FB
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Thats why battery boxes are fitted and are sealed from the inside of the van. Thats a very rare scenario and anything in your house could possibly have catastrophic failure which is why they recommend everything is switched off at the socket. Saves electric too, but who bothers.


08/2/2015 at 11:59am
 Location: Argyll Scotland
 Outfit: 1997 Bailey Ranger 470 4
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Quote: Originally posted by suggett1976 on 08/2/2015

My mother in-law was asleep in her van, during the night the charger failed and the battery (which was under her bed) was overcharging and boiling away, toxic acid fumes were venting into the van, if she hadn't of woken up god knows what could of happened.

She never put a battery back in after that.



With 12v, mains and gas, caravans are more dangerous than your house and therefore every bit of equipment should get the minimum of an annual service.

There are just too many if's and's and but's in the above statement to make any helpful comments on it, but clearly things were not serviced properly prior to this incident.


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Lobey.


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09/2/2015 at 8:43am
 Location: West Sussex
 Outfit: 2003 Swift Charisma 540
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Quite possible it hadn't had a service.
The van was aged around 2003 and was a swift.
The battery was in it self contained box.


09/2/2015 at 12:54pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 07/2/2015
"at least I have power for my water heating"

What water heater do you have that will run off 12v without running a battery flat in next to no time?



Perhaps I should clarify. The actual heating is gas, but the water heater needs a 12 volt supply for ignition, and to run. I doubt whether there is a water heater that will run for long off 12 volt, as you quite rightly say.


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Best Regards,
Colin


09/2/2015 at 12:58pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Quote: Originally posted by suggett1976 on 08/2/2015
My mother in-law was asleep in her van, during the night the charger failed and the battery (which was under her bed) was overcharging and boiling away, toxic acid fumes were venting into the van, if she hadn't of woken up god knows what could of happened.

She never put a battery back in after that.



We usually switch our battery charger off overnight. That started when we realised that it hummed when it was on, which is not noticeable during the day but is in the silence of night. It became annoying, so now we turn it off.



Post last edited on 09/02/2015 13:05:30

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


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14/2/2015 at 11:47am
 Location: West Sussex
 Outfit: 2003 Swift Charisma 540
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I wouldn't hear if ours was humming over the noise of the wife snoring!


14/2/2015 at 8:31pm
 Location: Staffordshire
 Outfit: Freelander 2 2.2GS
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Our battery is inside the van, under one of the single beds, so we have to have a sealed gel type leisure battery.

We don't usually use pitches without EHU but we do find it helpful to have a battery on board for overnight stops (say on the motorway services) or if we decide to pull over somewhere due to traffic problems. It's also nice to know it's there on site if there is a power failure.


14/2/2015 at 11:04pm
 Location: Gloucestershire
 Outfit: Renault Trafic van
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Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 07/2/2015
When you get down to the nitty gritty, there is nothing in a caravan that you "really need".
You could sleep on Li-los on the floor or sit in deck chairs. You could cook on a paraffin stove or use torches as lights.

Everything in a caravan is there for "your convenience" and a battery, along with everything else is supplied because that is what the manufacturers think you will use and 99.9% of caravan owners will use everything that is supplied.
However there will always be those who prefer not to use some of the items provided.

Caravanning, for me, is all about "Freedom of Choice" and that goes as much for where we decide to go as it is about how we decided to go.    



Nice answer Loby. 100% agree. Personally can't go caravanning without chocolate.

Feezee

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Took a break like everyone over covid, flogged the caravan and got a campervan!


15/2/2015 at 1:20am
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: None Entered
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really old caravans never had batteries.. in fact apart from the rear lights they never had electrics at all.. they did have gas light though.. he he

the first ones i used were gas only.. mind you all the portable electric gadgets didnt exist back then ether..

i am showing my age now.. he he

trog


15/2/2015 at 8:48pm
 Location: East Herts
 Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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That's right, Trog. My first two caravans were a 1963 Sprite Alpine, then a 1966 Sprite Musketeer. Neither of them had batteries until I fitted them. I kept the gas lights, and used them, but I had backup 12 volt lighting which I fitted, and a pumped water system. I rigged up a split-charging system using the then unallocated blue wire in the trailer plug, so that whenever we moved off we charged the battery. Very few sites then had EHU, and those that did were very expensive.

Showing my age too.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin



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