keep your leisure battery charged up without using the battery? We have a mover on the caravan so a flat battery could be a nightmare. I've seen solar panels but is this the best way??
It depends how much you use the mover,they use quite a lot of current and you would need quite a large solar panel to effectively recharge it,the split relay is probably the easiest and cheapest method.
Saxo1
Using a site without hook up requires a different approach to the use of the vans equipment e.g. gas for heating. By the same token, maybe the limitations of the battery, and the need to conserve its energy for the really important equipment should be recognised. So, maybe reverse onto the pitch using the car, check side to side level and if you need to use levellers then move the van up the leveller using the car and van still hitched. Actually, rising up a leveller being pulled by the car means both van wheels move in the same direction and at the same rotation. Using a mover and the wheel not climbing moves slightly quicker, turning the van off centre, due to friction, so there is some advantage in this method of levelling.
Does the mover have to be used?
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
as above why use the mover. i travel for 6 mnths of the year .never have hook up .do use a battery to battery charger whilr on the move (24 volt to 12volt). have 3x80wt panels on the roof of trailer .have 400-600 amp battery basnk. use gas lights ,gas heater cook on gas. have normal 12v lights as well . use a 12v surflo pump for water . yes there is times we have to be carefull .by the way we use a household 240v fridge through an inverter. .in the darkest days of winter we turn the fridge off at night. at the moment the solar is powering through the inverter my fridge and the freezer in my house. shame to waste all that power .i run a lead in doors. if the fridge light isnt working plug back into mains and hope the sun shines tomorrow. .as said reverse on park places and be warry of what leccy you use. solar is cheap now look on ebay 80wt panels at 185quid ,they used to be 4-500 quid each. i boughty mine in maroc 10 yr ago saved a fortune and still saving now. remember when you park the split charger does nothing.
No the mover doesn't have to be used its only a single axle tourer reversing wouldn't be a problem. Im just considering what options would be available to us as I really fancy trying some more basic sites
Can I suggest that the word "basic" is the operative word that dictates how we manage on such sites. Conserve the electricity as we run on battery and adjust accordingly. Keep it simple I suppose.
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
get yourselves over to spain or portugal in the winter then you meet with so many thatnever use sites there are loads of ways not gto use things we take for granted here. basic in uk is luxury in other places.i prefer maroc much more basic in fact much more nothing.
I have 2 x 40watt panels on my caravan , during the summer they keep my battery charged up when on a non electric pitch , but the battery can run low if we get 3+ cloudy days . We have a motor mover but try to avoid using it when getting on to a non electric pitch .
We do not alter our electric use when not on hook up apart from using gas for water heating, fridge and space heating. Using the pump whenever necessary, lights for a couple of hours a night (outside of May to September I seek hook up ), and the TV/DVD for two or three hours a night and we find that a 110amp battery lasts at least 5 days. I carry two batteries and after the first 5 days I replace the battery and put the used one in the car boot where I plug a lead into the S socket of the car using the pins that power the fridge ( this is the only set of pins that are live when the car engine is running and has no voltage when the engine is stopped ), I then have a set of quick release clamps that go to the battery and whenever we are out the battery gets charged, with reasonable use it will be fully charged after a few days of normal travel. In this way I use the split realy that is already fitted to th car and the cost of setting it up is minimal.
You could of course just use one battery and keep transferring it from the car to the battery box and providing you go out regularly the battery will last almost indefinitely, but it is not as convenient.
------------- 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
Connect the battery to the car with the engine running, You will put more charge into the battery in 5 or 10 minutes than a cheap solar panel will in 2 days.
solar panels are coming down now look on e bay.80 watts for 180 quid or there abouts . got to be better .staring car gets yuou no friends .its as bad as having a genny going on. and if you wild camp draws attention you might not want. i have 3 80 watt panels on my trailer roof and have just bought 3 more. have loads power then. i also power fridges and deep freezers when at home just run an extension lead in doors. saves buying leccy.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: When without hook up how do you
