Hi all, Having only in the past been on caravan sites with electric hookup, I am looking at staying on sites without electric. I have already got 2 leisure batteries to use. My question is :- when one needs recharging is it possible to charge a leisure battery in the boot of the car when driving around. ie - connected to car electrics via cigar lighter and vented to the outside of car. It would have to be securely fixed so it wouldn't be thrown about. I would obviously need to pull the plug when the car is stopped. Is this all possible and SAFE or am I living in cloud cuckoo land. Thanks
Is the car fitted with a split charge relay for the 13 pin or 12S socket?
I wouldnt wire it direct to the lighter socket, If you forget and start the car with it connect there is a risk of it pulling power from the spare battery.
If you dont have a split charge relay i would fit one. Be careful on the routing of vent pipe. I have my sisters battery here which she let go flat for a while.
I put the CTEK charger on it and the vent pipe into a glass jar.
I was always taught that the water boiled away and the acid remained, but the water was very acidic, maybe because the battery was flat?
It took approx a 1kg sugar bag size of bicarbonate of soda to neutralize 1/4 of a jam jar of water/acid.
I keep plenty of bicarb in as i have a pond and it keeps the PH neutral.
No issues with your idea, just careful on the venting and use a charge controller. You could safely leave it connected when parked or when you stop and start your engine.
Thanks Grampian91 for your reply. I only have the 12N socket fitted to this car. I will look into going with your ideas. Is a split charge relay fairly easy to fit or is it a specialists job ?
The easiest way to charge a spare battery in the car boot is to fit a 12S socket as well, so that you charge the caravan battery as you drive along.
Then, when you are driving about and the van is on site, have a spare plug that is wired only to charge a battery, plug that into the car's 12S socket and feed it into the car's boot where the lid meets the car body.
This way you are changing nothing in the car and the plug and wire is only used when needed.
Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 24/7/2015
The easiest way to charge a spare battery in the car boot is to fit a 12S socket as well, so that you charge the caravan battery as you drive along.
Then, when you are driving about and the van is on site, have a spare plug that is wired only to charge a battery, plug that into the car's 12S socket and feed it into the car's boot where the lid meets the car body.
This way you are changing nothing in the car and the plug and wire is only used when needed.
Easiest way to do this is to make up a lead with an S plug on wired to use the fridge circuit, on the other end have an in line 15amp fuse on the positive feed and quick release connectors for the battery. You can hang the wire out of the hoot to the S plug and because it is wired for the fridge circuit when the engine is turned off so is the feed to your battery in the boot.,
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
The need for a second way of charging a battery will only be used now and then unless you decide that you much prefer this way of caravanning.
We used this way of charging a second battery when we rallied with our old Morris Minor, but later when we wild camped with our wee caravan, we had a 60w solar panel on the roof to make our battery last longer.
I was speaking to a couple who do lots of touring and seldom use electric hook ups. They have a solar panel that they attach to the battery and it helps to keep it topped up. I would also use a battery with a high amp hour so that it lasts longer between charges. You will be surprised how long your battery will last especially in the summer with long daylight. All it will be doing it powering your water pump, lights which you would use sparingly and not leave on , and also the fan for the blow heating. Everything else runs from gas. I would make sure I had a spare gas bottle as your gas usage will increase by quite a lot compared with being on an electric hook up. Fridge, water heater, boiling kettle and fire.
Not sure but I read a while back that the fridge runs away with the gas which is probably true as it is running 24 hours. All other appliances are only used for short durations.
I don't see how a fridge would "run away" with the gas.
A fridge burns a single flame. A cooker, a water heater or a gas fire will burn far more gas than a fridge, even if it is on 24/7. Also the fridge flame will adjust as the temperature fluctuates.
Aye maybe so. Point is its running 24 hours a day and the warmer the weather the more gas you will use.
Interesting topic here about fridges
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=8&TopicID=250054&SearchPagePosition=1&search=fridge&searchMode=phrase&searchIn=Topic&forum=8&searchSort=dateDESC&ReturnPage=Search
Grampian 91 going by other posts on this site 2 weeks with everything running from gas is about right for a 7kg bottle. Which actually works out cheaper than the £2.50 a night some sites charge for an ehu.
We have, in the past, had units that ran both types of fridge, Waeco 12v and 3-way ones.
Of the 2, we would go for 3-way every time.
Okay, the Waeco will run on more sloping ground than the 3-way, but it can be noisy, and it very much depends on how it is actually mounted as to just how noisy it is.
On the Sprintaway Caravan that we had it, the wife had to wear ear plugs at night because of its noise and the vibrations from it, mounted as it was, right next to her bed, would waken her through the night.
No such problems with a 3-way fridge which at least gives you a choice of power sources. All silent ofcourse.
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Topic: Charging a second battery
