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I think start looking for a good solar charger. you have plenty of time to find one. they are not the best but you may get one on flea bay or gumtree and it will help but dont rely on it to be 100%.

or even borrow one you are not going to break it and it will be safe in the window when out. or on the roof better still. just pop it out the sky light should be fairly well hidden from view if laid flat. a week is on the limit for a battery but can be done. nothing wrong with getting most of your water from the barrel into a kettle no need for the pump 70% of the time.

We have done 5 nights several times using 2 65ah batteries and a 13 watt solar panel without any problem and we do watch a couple of hours TV most nights. I would recommend getting a spare battery so if you do go flat, you can swap the batteries over and if need be, find a local garage who can recharge the battery for you. If you see one of the boys in the workshop, they will usually be more than happy to charge the battery up for the price of a pint.

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding if your battery will last a week. Top of the list would be the capacity of the battery. obviously a 110 ah battery will last significantly longer than an 85ah. Halogen bulbs will use more power than fluorescent lights and these in turn use a lot more than LED lights. If you leave the pump running while you brush your teeth will use more power (and water) than if you turn the tap off.

Why don't you try it beforehand? If you have a week this year with EHU available and don't plug in unless your battery goes flat, you can answer your question and don't have to worry about a flat battery.

 we have a 110 amp battery and  managed for 18 days without it going flat   we  used the shower every day lights for 2/3 hours a night  we were suprised how well it lasted. after that trip we bought a 40 watt solar panel to keep the battery topped up and it works very well we dont take a tv  but charge phones cameras games consoles etc using a 150 watt inverter  we choose  not to use ehu  for us its wasted money even allowing for the extra gas used we still save £ 1.50- £2 00 a night which adds up over time  

Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 13/4/2011

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Are you really sure you will not want the TV whilst the Olympics is on?

I dont think the water pump and lights if used prudently will drain the battery, within a week in the summer. To help I would change one or two most used lights bulbs to LEDs.

You can transfer power, albeit slowly from your car's battery to the caravan battery by using a small low powered inverter and smart charger, like my CTEK 3600, or I suspect the cheaper Aldi unit. Run the inverter in the car, taking its mains output to the CTEK charger in the van, to minimise losses.
These are items you might well have anyway so take them as insurance. If you have not got them they are useful things to acquire.
Obviously the car's battery needs to be well charged.

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A simpler way would be to get a 12S plug and crocodile clips so the battery can be charged directly from the car. (There is a permanent 12 volt in the 12S as well as the one normally used for charging the leisure battery) This will tend to equalise the voltage between the two, giving the leisure battery some charge but discharging the car battery. If you start the engine, it should fully recharge the leisure battery.

Quote: Originally posted by LegsDownKettleOn on 13/4/2011

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A simpler way would be to get a 12S plug and crocodile clips so the battery can be charged directly from the car. (There is a permanent 12 volt in the 12S as well as the one normally used for charging the leisure battery) This will tend to equalise the voltage between the two, giving the leisure battery some charge but discharging the car battery. If you start the engine, it should fully recharge the leisure battery.

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Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 13/4/2011

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Not keen on involving the cars battery ..... feels like a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe solar would be the way. But what size panel?

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I agree the cars of yesterday could take adaptions to the electrics.  but so many now days are totally dependant on the ECU and computers,  I  have had four cars that I have had to almost throw away because the ECU got damaged and was a couple of hundred to replace.  fine if its a dead cert its the fault but in many cases its a case of could be the ECU, then after buying one its something else that casused the ECU to go Phutt and its another 100 or so.

fine for those who have warranty and a garage to service their car  but I would need the bank of iceland to bail me out putting a top spec Volvo in a garage at £150 a hour plus parts plus vat.

so it has to be solar for me. plus I hate it when settling down for the evening and jonny boy turns his diesel on for an hour to tick over to charge his battery. worst still when he does it in the morning at breakfast because he has been up all night watching TV and the batts low.

Quote: Originally posted by D Mansworth on 13/4/2011

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Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 13/4/2011

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Not keen on involving the cars battery ..... feels like a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe solar would be the way. But what size panel?

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I agree the cars of yesterday could take adaptions to the electrics.  but so many now days are totally dependant on the ECU and computers,  I  have had four cars that I have had to almost throw away because the ECU got damaged and was a couple of hundred to replace.  fine if its a dead cert its the fault but in many cases its a case of could be the ECU, then after buying one its something else that casused the ECU to go Phutt and its another 100 or so.

fine for those who have warranty and a garage to service their car  but I would need the bank of iceland to bail me out putting a top spec Volvo in a garage at £150 a hour plus parts plus vat.

so it has to be solar for me. plus I hate it when settling down for the evening and jonny boy turns his diesel on for an hour to tick over to charge his battery. worst still when he does it in the morning at breakfast because he has been up all night watching TV and the batts low.

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Post last edited on 13/04/2011 21:56:34

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Aye .... might as well go the whole hog and use a generator