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Topic: Leisure Battery

lexie71

07/8/2016 at 8:49pm
Location: Devon
Outfit: Swift challenger 540

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Evening everyone our Leisure battery died this weekend some of the cells cooked themselves what a smell it made!!!! My question is we are always on EHU the van is in storage where we stay so no towing if i was not to get replacement battery would all my lights in van work i know i run the risk of EHU power cut but hay we have candles!!!!

Grampian91

08/8/2016 at 1:06am
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Depends if its a charger only or charger/PSU.

I would always use a battery, even a cheap car one, it will smooth out any ripples in the power coming into the van and a backup if the power fails.

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DaveCoaches

08/8/2016 at 6:43am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Coachman Pastiche

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As Grampian says, if you're always on ehu, a second hand car battery from a breaker would do fine.

Hairywol

08/8/2016 at 8:09am
Location: Teesside
Outfit: Challenger Sport 524 + Volvo V90 D5

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Were you not to have a battery though your caravan lights etc. Would still work. They are recommended but not compulsory.

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helandchas

08/8/2016 at 10:41pm
Location: co durham
Outfit: swift challenger

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I've only ever used standard car batteries (the higher amp-hour the better) and likewise are always connected via EHU. Even an old one which will no longer start your car seems to last for ages.
As stated above the use of a battery is recommended for smoother charger delivery and I have once encountered a full site power cut due to overloading and still had the benefit of 12v electrics in the short term.
One tip I would suggest is turning off the charger from time to time to allow the battery to partially discharge, which not only reduces the chance of overcharging but also seems to prolong the battery's lifespan.
My current battery has been on for around 2 years and still holds charge well, even though it was second hand when fitted. Bearing in mind you never use your caravan without EHU and therefore would not need the resilience of a dedicated leisure battery (which could cost 10 times the price) I would recommend this as a cheap and practical solution.

DaveCoaches

09/8/2016 at 2:54pm
Location: None Entered
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I seem to recall a few years ago one of the club's cut open some leisure batteries and found a worrying number were actually ordinary car batteries with a different sticker on. The construction of a leisure battery should be different, as a leisure battery should have different plates, but given car batteries were effectively being sold as leisure batteries with a warranty, it would suggest that there is minimal difference in performance between them. It's also questionable whether leisure batteries were invented just to get a premium rate for a battery that costs no more to make, and in some cases is just a different sticker.

Colin21

09/8/2016 at 6:02pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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I'm inclined to agree. We are usually on EHU, and we only have an ordinary car battery for our 12 volt electrics. Its actually the old starting battery off my boat, and its been in the caravan for the past nearly 3 years, and its doing fine.

I usually turn the charger off overnight as it isn't really needed and tends to make a humming noise. This isn't noticeable during the day, but in the silence of the night it can get annoying.

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Best Regards,
Colin

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