Why do we need a Leisure Battery in a Caravan or Motor Home? Caravan Tips and Tricks.

[@stewartmcdowall2285]

Thank you for this. As a novice campervan owner I found this informatin very useful indeed!

[@UsefulWisdom]

Thank You Stewart. Your comment is much appreciated.

[@irenarobh6058]

right to the point on all subjects,very clearly explained, if anyone dont understand now they never will....great vid 👍.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Thank you 😀

[@Breummybrett81]

Thank you this was very helpful 👍

[@UsefulWisdom]

I am happy you enjoyed the video,😀

[@RikHoward.]

This lovely lady explained this very well. I love getting away In our caravan. I remember back when i was a kid in the 70's. My Mum and Dad bought a little 4 berth caravan there was no electrics 240v or 12v. Sometimes we'd be away a couple wk's at a time. It makes me wonder how we survived without electricity. I don't think any sites even had electric hook up post's back then. We had a couple of lights that run of standard AA batteries, a cooler box with ice packs a Calor Gas cooker and most sites had a toilet & shower blocks. There was no TV (OH MY GOD NO TV haha) we had to make our own fun and games with other kids on the site like rounders or football etc & sometimes even the parents would get involved. We had some great holidays.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Ricky. Thank you for the compliment about the lady. Yes life has radically changed since the 70s and unfortunately, not always for the best.

[@janegriffiths378]

Very interesting video, found it very useful. Thank you for sharing

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Jane. Modern caravans electrics are very sophisticated, but now you know.👍

[@vdub8481]

Great video thank you

[@UsefulWisdom]

Thank you v dub, we are delighted you enjoyed the video.😀

[@tigertruckerman]

Can I ask you what is best thing/way to clean fly nets,great work keep it up

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi purple guy. Use a very soft brush and then soap and water on a damp cloth. However all our fly nets are made to stop but not to trap insects, so insects fly away on their own. The only exception to this is the horizontal fly screen in the bathroom skylight. Gravity being what it is, this screen needed cleaning occasionally to get rid of debris.

[@tigertruckerman]

@@UsefulWisdom sorry to be pain, meant to ask what's best for cleaning windows, thanks

[@UsefulWisdom]

​Hi @@tigertruckerman First remember these windows are perspex not glass. Inside I use a microfiber cloth with warm water, then use a clean dry window cloth to dry. Washing the caravan outside including the windows I use Fenwick's caravan cleaner concentrate with water as directed, then rinse with the hose and then apply Fenwick's Bobby Dazzler afterwash protective coating again as directed on the bottle. Hope this helps.

[@klowe3269]

Having just purchased my first van this video helped me understand completely, many thanks

[@UsefulWisdom]

We are happy that you enjoyed our video.😀

[@PD-jj4fo]

I noticed recently that when I disengaged the EHU from my motorhome, the lights worked but an electric hair dryer didn’t. Do you have any idea why the leisure battery didn’t provide the power?

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi P D. Your motorhome lights are probably 12 volt and can run off the 12 volt leisure batteries. Your electric hair dryer needs a lot of power and will therefore be on the 230 volt supply. That was disconnected when you disengaged the EHU.

[@PD-jj4fo]

So, the use of a leisure battery is restricted to electrical equipment which doesn’t drain it too quickly eg lights and not items such as hair dryers and microwaves? They can only work with an external electrical supply?

[@UsefulWisdom]

@@PD-jj4fo Yes. You have 2 electric systems. 12 volt and 230 volt. Look in your fuse box and you will see the 2 types of fuse systems.

[@brianknowles1727]

If you don't have a battery you don't have a alarm then your insurance could be void ?😆😹

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Brian. Depends on which alarm you are talking about. Also the fire alarm and the CO2 alarm run on their own internal battery as does the in built Tracker.

[@hairywol]

I'm afraid that some of your advice here will result in a fridge/freezer of ruined food and a very unhappy follower. While your battery may light up your fridge LED light, it will not cool the fridge. The fridge draws far too much power for a leisure battery, which is why the fridge circuit is separate from the 12v caravan electrics and why you need a car connected and running for it to work. Were you to try to alter the wiring to hook up the fridge to the leisure battery, a 110Ah battery would be toast after 5 - 6 hours. To pre-cool the fridge before a journey without a 230v EHU, or if off-grid, you need the gas setting. Even with a car alternator powering the 12v setting, the fridge will only maintain temperature as opposed to lowering it from room level (which is what it's designed to do - maintain temp while travelling). Also, I have never come across a 6 amp plug socket. caravans have 12v and 230v

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Steve. I am a bit confused by your comment. I agree that running the fridge of the leisure battery all the time would flatten it. But I never suggested doing that in this video. As for the 6 amps comment, it is is written on the socket. Just google: caravan 6 amp socket and you will see a picture of one. But just for you next time I make this video, I will state the sockets amps and volts and that would be 12v at 6 amp.

[@hairywol]

@@UsefulWisdom Sorry to come back on this, but you say, quite clearly, in your video that your fridge will run from the leisure battery. My point, which I thought I'd said clearly, is that you are in error. The fridge cooling system will not take power from the leisure battery because of the reasons I set out. So, if you try, you won't flatten the battery, you'll just have a warm fridge. What the fridge will do is use the leisure battery to power the fridge LED for light, and to power the control panel so that, if off-grid, you can set it to gas for cooling.

[@UsefulWisdom]

@@hairywol . Steve you are obviously far more knowledgeable than I on this matter. So why don't you make a KZbin video to explain to the world how a caravan actually works, so that everybody with no technical understanding can easily comprehend the basics? When you have, please send me a link to it and I will give you my opinion of your knowledge and presentation abilities.

[@louiseblack3337]

Great information. We have a solar panel on our campervan conversion it’s on a split relay with an A rated leisure battery. We are still learning with it! Would a 6amp hook up be enough to power a ninja foodie?

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Louis. It would depend on what you have running in your caravan at the time you switch the cooker on and how much power the cooker will use. If the cooker uses more than 1380 watts plus anything you have switched on, it will trip the fuse. If it trips the fuse turn off all electrical appliances, reset the fuse and try the cooker again. When you switch anything else on, it could trip the fuse. You will soon find out what you can run and what you can't. Or you can do this mathematically by checking the power each appliance is using, but we all switch something on by mistake. In my case tis usually the kettle.

[@janewood4197]

Hi, at the moment we have our caravan at home on the Drive and two days before we go away I plug the Electric into the caravan and turn the fridge on so it’s cold for when we go away. But as from next month we are going to put the van into a Storage yard so is it ok for me to go to the Storage yard two days before we go away and put the fridge on so it will be cold for when we go away, we have a Bailey van and it has a Solar panel on the roof keeping the Battery charged. ?? Hope you can help thanks, Alan.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Jane. The solar panel depends on the sun, so I would not risk it. You could use a cool bag to keep your food cool, until the fridge has time to cool.

[@nickbarsby3687]

Great video. I've been pondering this since buying my first caravan in January! So am I right to assume then that, if the battery was disconnected (or I hadn't got one) but I was to plug in to the electric hook-up, those services described would still not work? The hook-up merely supplies the power to keep the battery charged?

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Nick. You assume correctly. you need a battery for the caravan services to work properly.

[@nickbarsby3687]

Thank you! It's good to know that the money I spent on a battery wasn't wasted! I was beginning to think the battery was just for off-grid use.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Nick. It would also have been a waste of weight, having to carry a heavy weight. Your battery is part of your caravans MRO because it is an essential part of your caravan. Caravan manufacturers tend not to supply leisure batteries with their caravans. They then give you the choice between buying a good quality battery which is heavy or a poor quality leisure battery that is lighter. The light ones are basically car batteries. Car batteries are good in cars but don't stand up to the constant power draw you get in a caravan. One thing to keep in mind is the caravans manufacturers allowance for the weight of the Leisure battery and the actual weight in yours. Having a good quality battery will reduce the payload you can carry.

[@louiseblack3337]

We have the halfords one £175! It’s a big chunk of a battery! A rated for off grid use

[@tackleberryc6472]

So ... do we need a leisure battery or not... I'm hugely confused....

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Tackleberry. Going back in time, caravans did not have a leisure battery. A shovel was used for the toilet. Washing, you used a stream etc. So the answer is no but do you want to give up all your modern day comforts?

[@tackleberryc6472]

@@UsefulWisdom I was joking...🥰

[@UsefulWisdom]

@@tackleberryc6472 you made a valid point, we don't need all the luxuries of the 21st century.

[@tackleberryc6472]

@@UsefulWisdom Maybe, but we're used to them. And the whole point is to have a home away from home... Or you might as well buy a tent ..

[@dennisbuckley]

As a newbie ‘vanner myself, every day brings to mind a dozen new questions - and we haven’t even gone away in our new van yet! :-) The dealer was brilliant and gave us all the info to get us going but I wouldn’t expect them to think of everything and besides, I probably couldn’t retain all the info anyway. I could pester the dealer on a daily basis and I’m sure they would be only too happy to oblige but often I’m after a quick answer to a thought that pops into my head. That’s where this channel and others like it have been SO useful over recent days - thank you! Back to this clip - as I say, I’m a total newb so I can relate to the fella in the shop. I wonder whether he thought he didn’t want/need a leisure battery because he planned to only visit sites with electric hookup? I’m not planning on finding out but I am vaguely curious what would happen with no L battery on an EHU* pitch… *see, I’m getting in with jargon already :-)

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Dennis. Caravans have 2 systems of electricity, so only using EHU will give you problems such as not being able to flush your toilet and your water won't come out of the taps and lights etc ect ect.

[@dennisbuckley]

@@UsefulWisdom ah, I think get it now - thanks! 🙏 I think disconnecting the hookup in the video confused me as this suggested in my head that it would kick-in for lights, loo flush, etc without the 12v supply activated. 👍

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi @@dennisbuckley . The 12 volt system needs a 12 volt battery to work properly. When you hookup the mains power, the caravans 12 volt battery charger sends power to the battery to keep it charged (so it does not go flat). The battery is then able to delivers the 12 volts in a steady constant and smooth current, so everything works smoothly. Like an iron smooths cloths the battery smooths the supply of current.

[@richardhodson6910]

@@UsefulWisdom I am also a newbie! And had my first trip away recently without a leisure battery. Every thing worked, the water pump, heating, toilet flush while connected to 240v EHU. Am I just lucky I bought a (2006) caravan that supported the use of the equipment without a battery?

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi @@richardhodson6910 . What make of caravan have you bought. Most manufacturers advise a leisure battery is needed to protect the battery charger.

[@bradleymccreary2223]

Thank you very much. I'm new to British caravans. I've just bought a 1992 Vanroyce and your video has clarified many questions I had. Of course, my older unit isn't as streamlined with regard to its electronic systems - but your tutorial has helped nonetheless.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Happy to help and thank you for your comment. 😀

[@rajakhan354]

Just bought an old caravan no idea about anything so very helpful thank-you!!

[@UsefulWisdom]

You will find all the answers on KZbin, if you look. Have fun😀

[@enzodelbono9884]

How long will the battery last only using the leasure battery..?

[@UsefulWisdom]

It is easier to answer the old adage, how long is a piece of string? What size battery in amps and volts, what condition is it in, what are you running in amps and volts , how warm is it and have you got Solar panels? If you have, what watts do they produce, what time of year is it, how sunny is it and for how many hours, what angle and direction is it pointing, what latitude are you at?

[@enzodelbono9884]

Picking up a newer caravan Thursday with a solar panel....love your channel...

[@UsefulWisdom]

@@enzodelbono9884 Thank you. Solar panels are good for the leisure battery.

[@danielcoles5366]

Very well explained, thank you. Can I ask what site you were staying when this was filmed as it looks lovely?

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Daniel, Frog's Hall Camping and Caravan Site. It is a small, beautifully landscaped, piece of Suffolk countryside. As a Certificated Site with the Camping and Caravanning Club, can accommodate up to 5 caravans and some tents within an acre of land, allowing for spacious pitches. It can only accommodate Camping & Caravanning Club members, but they are more than happy to sign up non-members, either before or during your stay with them. Please contact them for more details. Sheltered on all sides by mature hedging and trees and surrounded by farmland, Frog's Hall makes an ideal location if you are looking for a peaceful campsite. They are seeking to attract those just looking for a peaceful break, nature lovers, bird watchers, walkers, dog walkers and cyclists. Frog's Hall has a network of footpaths and cycleways close by for those looking to explore the Suffolk and Norfolk countryside. The site is located just a short distance from the historic town of Eye and centrally located between Norwich, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. They want their guests to enjoy the rural surroundings whilst respecting the environment. To protect the existing landscape they do not have toilet or shower facilities, so your own sanitation is essential. A chemical disposal point. electric hook up and drinking water is provided for your convenience. If you want to visit, phone John on the phone number below and say you saw his camp on KZbin. Very important, ask him for the KZbin booking discount and ask of the pitch we were on, its the best pitch there. Tel: [phone] Or ​Mobile: [phone] Site Address Frog's Hall Camping & Caravan Site Braiseworth Lane, Braiseworh, Eye, Suffolk, IP23 7HB Web address below: www.frogshallcamping.co.uk/contact.htmlFrog's Hall

[@petersmith8113]

Ha ha ... classic

[@lisaedwards9597]

Very informative. Thankyou very much 😎

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Lisa. Thank you for your comment and we are happy we help you.

[@xntricity6446]

Thanks for the video, how many days could you get using battery for fridge. Thanks

[@iankeightley2969]

Hi Xntricity. I would not run the fridge on the battery for too long because it will eventually flatten it. Use mains electricity if you can, or run the fridge from the caravans onboard gas supply.

[@xntricity6446]

@@iankeightley2969 thanks for coming back to me, that makes sense for sure. We are going to a festival but no gas bottles allowed or electricity hookup so battery wolnt serve much good either unfortunately. We will live like in the dark ages for the weekend, which is ok hehe

[@iankeightley2969]

Hi @@xntricity6446. With power in your battery you will be able to use the toilet and you can also use fresh water from the water butt. So it is more a return to the 1900s.

[@kukichik2553]

Thank you for this simple to understand process.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Thank you for your observation Kukichik. To make make an explanation simple is more difficult than most people realise. But you have realised this and that makes you special.

[@millybrown7209]

Thank you extremely helpful and on point.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Milly. Thank you for your comment, it is nice to have positive feedback.

[@nanrod981]

Very Good - thank you..

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi James Dornan, it if good to get feedback and better if it is positive! 😀

[@BobMellor1954]

very informative, thank you

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Bob. Thank you for your comment and we are happy you enjoyed the video.

[@shancowen2765]

Nicely explained ☺️

[@UsefulWisdom]

Thank you Shan.

[@sooze610]

Awesome thank you. Just bought our first caravan, so all this info is so useful.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Sooze. Thank you for making my day.

[@georgelupu5934]

thank you very well explained

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi George, thank you😃

[@stevecampbell7589]

dont strictly need a leisure battery as such. I am powering mine with a 12v jump box at the moment. a standard car battery would suffice.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Stephen. Standard car batteries will work but they won't last. They not designed for a constant load. Their plates are too thin for this type of application. In an emergency you can remove the battery and run the caravan from the on board charger. However this is not recommended by the manufacturer as it will damage the caravans electric systems if you use it for a long period of time and you need a 240 volt supply to make everything work. So it's not much use when you come to use the motor mover or camp of grid.

[@millomweb]

I'm suspecting the electric hob doesn't run off the 12v system either.

[@UsefulWisdom]

pmailkeey, it does if you have an Inverters to turn 12 volts AC to 220 volt AC. It will even work the microwave. 😀

[@millomweb]

@@UsefulWisdom Depends on the rating of the inverter - I don't know what they're rated for and it may differ between makes & models. It's good to hear it's an option - although if running off battery, it seems a better idea to use the gas hob. And switch heating & fridge to gas.

[@regalraptor9349]

Kalo di bikin tempat tinggal KTP nya gimana ya alamat rumahnya?

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi regal rapor. My Indonesian is poor, but Google Translated informed me that you asked. "If the KTP residence is made, what is the address of the house?". Alamat rumah itu membuat kami bingung, Anda mungkin menginginkan alamat situs karavan tempat kami menginap.

[@millomweb]

I'll disagree with what you say about the car charging the van battery only when the car battery is charged. There's no need to do this as the car can charge both batteries at the same time.

[@UsefulWisdom]

pmailkeey, the car's battery need to charge fully, so it does not flatten it's battery. It is in the Bailey Caravan instruction manual.

[@millomweb]

@@UsefulWisdom It's not relevant to the caravan. It's relevant to the car battery. Read the car instruction manual regarding installed trailer power / battery charging system. There's no issue with the alternator charging both batteries at the same time.

[@SLADE330]

pmailkeey the car or van will have a dc to dc charger or a VSR. This will switch to the alternator power to both batteries once the car battery is charged. Maybe a minute or so. If the car battery and the van battery is direct wired, this is very poor practice and not recommended .

[@millomweb]

@@SLADE330 Ideally, the van battery would be connected to the alternator's second output. They used to have three outputs - the third being for the dash charge warning light and energising field coils - or something like that - it's decades since I had my head in an alternator.

[@rorymax4904]

Very well explained information, well done and thank you.

[@UsefulWisdom]

Thank you roymax. Caravan electrical systems are more complected that most people think. 😀⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

[@janscott3031]

I Think you will find with all 3 way Fridges that it is only working on 12v when the car is plugged in to the 13 pin socket and engine running. Normally without electric hook up from the site, the fridge must be run on gas. Your new Bailey may have an auto setting on the fridge which will choose the correct powers source, but it will still choose gas and not 12v if you have no 230v external supply. I think you should check this as you may end up with a "warm" fridge if off grid one day. Regards Nick

[@UsefulWisdom]

Hi Jan. Caravan and motor home fridge freezers are complex and complicated. There are many different types and everybody needs to read and adhere to the manufacturers instructions for their fridge. I demonstrated how my fridge works. Yours may be different. I can confirm that our 3 way fridge does run on the 12v leisure battery without being connected to the car. When it is connected to the car and the engine is running and the car battery is fully charged, the leisure battery will receive charge from the car battery via the 13 pin connection. My Bailey does not have an auto setting on the fridge I have to choose the correct setting and as I said in the video it is important to connect to the electric supply as soon as possible after arriving at your site or at this stage to choose to use gas. We always turn our gas off in the gas locker before traveling as advised in the Bailey Owners Manual. If you travel through the channel tunnel your gas supply is checked to make sure it is turned off before you board the train for safety reasons. Operating the appliance with gas is not permitted at petrol stations, on ferry boats and on board motor rail trains, or while transporting the caravan by transported or breakdown vehicle. During any of these circumstances the 12v leisure battery would be operating the appliance, unless I switch the fridge off as I demonstrated in the video. I would definitely choose to run my fridge from gas when off grid.

[@andrewtivey7492]

Nick is correct. For clarification: the fridge is not connected in any way to the caravan 12V system at least in terms of cooling (the light usually works off the caravan battery or power supply which is why it was on in your video) The only 12V cooling connection from the fridge is to the 13-pin or 12S car connection. It runs of mains when the EHU is in use provided it is correctly switched. It will run off gas but that should only be used on site.