How long should a leisure battery last? We don't have an integral charger in our van, it seems, and despite only using our leisure battery for lighting, it died after less than 2 weeks. Is this right? Should we have been trickle charging it through the day?
It all depends on the size of the battery and how much power you consume. Each time you draw power from the battery it basically needs replacing sometime during the day if possible. For example, if you do all your cooking in the caravan then you will wash up more often so each time you wash up you consume more power to feed the water pump. Also if you have have a cassette toilet with an electric flush this will also consume more power and if you have a 4 berth unit then you have more people flushing the loo plus washing their hands afterwards so it depends on all these factors. There are extra's too that you have to include such as a television which will also consume more power. On an 85ah battery with a manual flush toilet, no television or other gadgets we found the battery to last around 3-4 days but the problem is then is when you come to re-charge it takes a long time to replenish the charge that's why it's best to re-charge daily if you can.
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if its lasting nearly two weeks your doing well , if your on electric hook up a small battery charger might be a good idea to top up your battery or alternatively a solar panel
Quote: Originally posted by exessexmum on 13/10/2011
How long should a leisure battery last? We don't have an integral charger in our van, it seems, and despite only using our leisure battery for lighting, it died after less than 2 weeks. Is this right? Should we have been trickle charging it through the day?
two weeks is all you will get from a battery if not charged within that time.110 amp will improve things but only by about two days.also heavy and expensive.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Two weeks sounds a long time for a battery, IMHO, but I suppose it depends on how much you use it. I would find a way of trickle charging it, if I were you.