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Topic: Leisure battery & 3 pin sockets ?

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freeatlast

31/3/2015 at 2:53pm
Location: Teesside
Outfit: Mitsubishi ASX4

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Most everything I have charges from a 5v usb socket. Phone, camera, tablet, Kindle etc. Easy enough to tuck a panel mounting 2amp USB socket away in a cupboard for charging.

trog100

31/3/2015 at 5:18pm
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i have several 12 volt to USB adapters and some 240 to USB ones.. 5 volt USB charges single cell lithium battery devices very neatly.. lots of thing are now run off single cell lithium batteries for this very reason..

but not everything is single cell.. my cameras are all mains only chargers and have twin cell lithium batteries..

several things i have come with mains only chargers.. USB is no use at all for such things nether is 12 volts.. tis a shame but that is how it is..

for such things a small inverter powered by car or caravan battery is the only answer when mains is not available.. however much people on here seem to dislike inverters they can have their uses.. he he

if you dont need one you dont need one.. but i do.. :)

tis a shame i even mentioned such things.. but it was in connection with people expecting mains power from their 12 volt van battery.. if anyone wants (or needs) mains power from their 12 volt van or car battery an inverter is the only way to get it.. simple as that.. he he

trog

poobob69

31/3/2015 at 5:38pm
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Very interesting comments on here. Bit divided on the use of inverters. I think we will stick to the EHU till we get fully fledged caravanners then think about an inverter. Have looked at them on various websites since posting this query. Cheers once again folks.
Very much appreciated as always!

the black fox

31/3/2015 at 6:52pm
Location: flint north wales
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poobob69 a word of warning here as your inexperienced ,even though you have just put in a brand new leisure battery ,if your leaving it for any length of time without an electrical hook up available or a solar panel top up system it will drain it down below a re-chargeable level very quickly indeed .

cold weather i.e frosty nights will speed up this process once a battery drops below around 11.5 volts might even be higher its just so much scrap . and as you have been testing things its a fair guarantee you will already have taken a charge out of it.

my advise would be to get it home in the garage on a top up charger asap ,then refit a few days before leaving

trog100

01/4/2015 at 10:45am
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what kills them is being left flat for two long..

taking them down to 11.5 volts wont hurt them they will charge up again no problem..

if they are left flat for too long a hard sulphate layer builds up on the plates and the battery really is dead..

batteries wear out in two ways.. the plate material erodes away and ends up on the floor of the battery.. or the plates develop a hard sulphate layer on them..

material moves form the electrolyte onto the plates when the battery is being run down and from the plates into the electrolyte when its being charged up..

when flat all the material is on the plates.. if left this way for too long.. (some weeks) it hardens and never comes off again.. the battery will not take a charge..

deep cycles will wear them out quicker than shallow cycles.. leaving them fully flat for too long will rapidly kill them..

a fully charged good battery with nothing taking current from it will be okay for months.. its best to disconnect them if not sure.. alarms and the like will run them down..

just a little extra information for those that are interested.. it can be ignored by those that are not..

batteries can be run down the idea that they have to be kept fully charged all the time defeats the purpose of having them.. what is important is never to leave them in the fully flat state for too long.. this really will quickly damage them..

a small solar panel when in storage isnt a bad idea but its not essential.. what is essential is to make sure they are not left in the fully flat state for too long..

for what its worth alarms are a battery killer.. they run them down flat without people knowing.. they get left this way and the result is a dead battery..

trog

Post last edited on 01/04/2015 11:02:01

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