Posted on 16/04/2021 07:58
Just realised my battery is dead & was planning to use the van this weekend. Do I need a working battery if I'm connected fo EHU?? Checked the manual & its says the 12v system is designed to operate with a leisure battery in circuit & should not be turned on without one? Am totally confused & any help would be appreciated 😊😊
Posted on 16/04/2021 12:16
Agree with LLM and TW, definitely don't hook up to EHU if the battery is dead. By all means try removing it and charging it up at home. At one of our annual services some years ago they discovered our battery was pretty much completely dead and fitted a new one there and then. They said if we'd gone away and hooked up we'd have been risking a bill in the high three figures!
(We took their word for it, though I suppose it could just have been sales talk! 
)
Posted on 16/04/2021 17:19
Am I the only caravanner that uses the belt & braces method 🤔 that as never let us down this last 10+years.
My last 3 tow cars have only ever had a standard 7 pin trailer socket & towbar fitted, that's how they were purchased & I've had no inclination to have any of them changed to 13 pin or double 7 pin sockets to enable charging the battery & running the fridge when towing.
Therefore the caravan leisure battery was never charged while we towed, my solution was to have 2 leisure batteries, one lives in the caravan while in storage connected to a solar panel & the other is kept at home charged & is placed in the car when we tour, we have a fully charged battery 24/7 365 days a year.
I rotate the batteries usage throughout the season, the cost of the second battery is way less than having had all 3 cars converted.
It suits us fine.
Posted on 16/04/2021 17:19 by compass362Am I the only caravanner that uses the belt & braces method 🤔 that as never let us down this last 10+years.
My last 3 tow cars have only ever had a standard 7 pin trailer socket & towbar fitted, that's how they were purchased & I've had no inclination to have any of them changed to 13 pin or double 7 pin sockets to enable charging the battery & running the fridge when towing.
Therefore the caravan leisure battery was never charged while we towed, my solution was to have 2 leisure batteries, one lives in the caravan while in storage connected to a solar panel & the other is kept at home charged & is placed in the car when we tour, we have a fully charged battery 24/7 365 days a year.
I rotate the batteries usage throughout the season, the cost of the second battery is way less than having had all 3 cars converted.
It suits us fine.
Posted on 16/04/2021 20:40
.... Am I the only caravanner that uses the belt & braces method 🤔 that as never let us down this last 10+years.
It would appear so. I like having my caravan fridge powered while being towed. The caravan's leisure battery is large & heavy & I'm not inclined to fit & remove it any more than is necessary and how do you secure the other leisure battery in the car while touring?
roamingfree