Picking up a new caravan in a couple of weeks and it's our first so need to kit it out as well. I have a battery included in the deal which is a 80amp one. I can upgrade to 100amp for £20. Is it worth it?
Don't intend to get a motor mover straight away but might consider this soon. Also likely to use sites with ehu most of the time but wouldn't rule out non ehu sites. Really want to know if any downsides with having a 100amp battery as for £20 I'm minded to do it (I know it will fit).
Batteries are a storage unit for power basically so the bigger the battery you have the more power you have and if you intend having a motor mover in the future then I would consider that a 110 amp battery is a must. The people who only have an 85 ah battery with a motor mover is usually because a 110 ah is too big to fit into the battery locker but as you said the locker will accommodate the bigger size then a 110 ah is the best option.
Don't forget the bigger the battery they more weight. On modern caravans most if not all 12v lights and appliances are run off a transformer whilst hooked up to the mains. The only advantage of a bigger battery is if you are likely to use the van without hook-up or eventually get a mover but even these can happily run off an 85amp hour battery, unless its a twin axle.
Quote: Originally posted by David Klyne on 06/2/2012
Don't forget the bigger the battery they more weight. On modern caravans most if not all 12v lights and appliances are run off a transformer whilst hooked up to the mains. The only advantage of a bigger battery is if you are likely to use the van without hook-up or eventually get a mover but even these can happily run off an 85amp hour battery, unless its a twin axle.
Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 07/2/2012
For £20 it implies it is a pretty budget battery.
I would take instead of the 80 Ah battery a cash allowance and add some more to it and buy something a bit better, though not necessarily larger for the reasons David gave.
Auto factors are often much better sources for batteries than caravan dealers.
Many buy big batteries simply to off set the product not being up to spec. Ask for an EN 50342 rated battery where its C20 value is at least the 80Ah and you will get something good enough. If it is not an EN 50342 rated battery then its makers are hiding something important from you.
as david klyne said above no need at all I have run an 85amp battery since new - 07 - and it still does what it is supposed to do I have a mover on a 1350kg van (laden weight) and asked at the time it was fitted if I should upgrade the answer was try it and see I have had no problems with the mover I have moved it over rough ground over longish distances - 200yds up a 1:6 and it does the business don't waste money just because you think it might no big enough just wait and see the only thing that will happen is it will run out of juice and stop working but you will have to be giving it what ho for a quite a while for it to do that but if you are the type to go on no electric sites and all you have is one leisure battery for the whole duration then that is obviously another question lots of motor moving/fridge use will devour the amps you know best what you wioll be using the battery for so....over to you
When We bought our present caravan six years ago, I bought a new 85amp battery. Six months later we decided to buy a new Powrtouch mover which I fitted myself, only last September 2011 did I think it was starting to fail so bought a new 120amp. The old one now powers my garage alarm system (my own configuration) and only needs a top up charge every few months
hmmm...thanks for replies. Actually thinking I might not bother as will be on ehu 9 times out 10 and might not be rushing to get a motor mover. Still got a fortnight to change my mind though
I've got a motor mover which gets used to move my van no more than twenty yards at any one time and I find my 85 amp battery more than adequate for this kind of usage. I had previously used a 110 amp battery to good effect as well.
I think the biggest consideration is the battery weights and where the battery box is located. Being of a certain senior age, I find lifting an 85 amp battery is probably at the maximum limit of my physical ability and a 110 amp virtually impossible. I don't know the precise weights of each but if your battery box is towards the front of your caravan, then the heavier battery will more than likely have an effect on your noseweight. Changing to the smaller battery certainly helped with mine.
The bigger battery has no bigger output. What it will do is run for 110 hours at one amp discharge. Similarly the 85 amp will run for 85 hours at one amp discharge.
Personally I think that the weight of the two is much more of an issue unless of course you regularly go on sites where there is no mains electric available. Then of course the bigger battery is a more practical buy.
Concluding, IMHO you have to weigh up how you're going to use your caravan and then decide which battery is best for you. In buying the bigger battery, you may be buying a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Thanks vic. Have concluded don't need to upgrade. Battery is over axle so no worries there over weight and if anything my original question was motivated by do I pay extra £20 now to save any future costs.
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Topic: Is it worth upgrading the battery?
