I am going to be leaving my caravan on a seasonal site with hook up and wondered if I need to have a leisure battery or will mains electricity power everything. Just bought a second hand van without a battery.
On the transformer/charger is there a slide switch marked float & 3 way? Position switch to float to run without battery. Otherwise just try it with interior lights on. If it is unsuitable to use without a battery it will blow a fuse after a short time.
The thicknes of 12 volt cable (battery power) is much thinner than 240 volt mains cable so any appliances used by battery power need to be protected by the 12 volt fuses. If the caravan will be insured then it's best to play it safe and fit a leisure battery otherwise any malfunction could be catastrophic and cost a lot more than just a battery.
You don’t need a battery. The caravan is fitted as standard with a transformer/charger. Transformer means it steps down 230v to 12v with stabilised supply to run the 12v equipment. The only purpose of a battery is if you need to run without ehu. This will be if a mover is fitted or if you wish to use caravan on a site without ehu. Battery should not be required just for stabilised low voltage supply for caravan permanently on mains supply.
Read the instructions supplied with any caravan transformer/charger. It will state it can be used with or without battery.
I’m assuming here that caravan is reasonably modern & still has original fitted electrical equipment that is in full working order? Are knowledgible enough to be able to identify & understand purpose of fitted electrics?
It is a bailey pageant vendee 2005 with the original fitted equipment. However my knowledge of electrics is pretty rudimentary so I would not want to be blowing fuses etc and thought that I might need the battery for the lights, water pump, etc that can be run when not hooked up. There will not be a motor mover, just the standard equipment. What I am not sure about is whether there are 2 separate circuits one for the battery and one for mains hook up, and that if I did not have the battery I would not be able to use the lights/sockets/pump that work from the battery.
You have a transformer/charger fitted to caravan. This is single unit fitted inside the caravan somewhere. Locate it by following mains cable inside caravan from hookup point to unit. As pointed out in previous post it might be switchable if it is ensure switch is on float.
If you would rather fit a battery then do so but if you are not using caravan in winter & it is unplugged from ehu then you will need to bring battery home & charge it once a month to preserve it’s life.
As pointed out. Ensure battery leads are taped up so they do not short out then try it without battery & if it works ok then ok.
Quote: Originally posted by Kelper on 10/1/2018
We didn't have a battery in our new van for the first year ... no problems whatsoever.
The only reason we got a battery, last year, was because we had movers fitted.
Otherwise, if you have access to ehu, as mentioned above, you don't need a battery.
You probably don't need a leisure battery installed in YOUR caravan as it's new and technology has moved on in the last five to ten years. The OP has a 2005 model which is only a year younger than mine and in my handbook it states that a leisure battery must be connected in circuit to stabilise the current so my advice based on the OP's info would to be to fit one disregards the incorrect advice saying "you don't need a battery".
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Topic: Do I need a leisure battery on hook up
