Charging a caravan or motorhome lead acid leisure battery 

The Trugians channel is like the British Library of caravanning! You simply cant live without it! Thank you guys! xxx

I have the smart charger and have used it on the Land Rover for the starter & deep cycle batteries. Never thought of using on the Caravan. Guess the caravan battery will be getting a birthday soon 👍. Many thanks.

I’ve never had a leisure battery until last month for going off grid, I’ve always used the caravan on hookup and have used the onboard battery charger as a power supply for years with no trouble.

Detailed and informative vid Dan. I usually bring the battery home twice a year and give it a smart charge, hopefully they solar panel I have recently started to use will make sure the battery is kept in good condition whilst in storage. Take care, Martin

Great informative video as always, good to get the answers for things you might be too embarrassed to ask!

Hi Dan. I am so pleased that you gave the correct advice for charging batteries using a smart charger. The only thing i would say is that a AGM battery needs a higher charging voltage of 14.7 volts. I use a Optimate 7 smart charger it the dual voltage charger that does standard batteries at 14.4 volts and AGM batteries at 14.7 volts. I also have the Truma solar panel on our Bailey Pegasus Grande caravan but i have altered the settings to suit an AGM battery when the sun is out i get 14.7 volts bulk charge and 13.6 volts float charge. I have found in the past i had a 150 watt solar panel on my Elddis caravan with the CBE regulator and display panel it kept the battery great over the summer months but over the winter it didn't perform very well and i had to remove the battery and charge it at home. I always use and AGM battery because they perform better and don't sulphate as easy.

Thank you Dan. Very well presented; at last some real info on this really important topic. Graham.

Excellent Dan, thank you. Greetings from the "land down under".

Great video. My dad had battery charge fitted in the boot of the car and he always kept the battery on charge there even when not on holiday with the caravan. Everytime the car was used the caravan battery would get a charge.

Great video. I never heard of a smart charger before. Thanks.

Nice one very interesting,I've learnt something today watching this👍👍

Hi Dan just watch this video and the battery charger is actually produced by C-TEC and have been making this smart intelligent battery charger for quite some years now, the one used by the yuasa battery company has their own label on it The reconditioning step at number six is really quite good and seems to revitalise the battery a lot as you noticed your car cranked over faster the next morning

Love my solar panel. Never let me down,always good voltage ready ho go.

very informative Dan, thanks.

this was a brilliantly helpful video :)

Very useful video, thanks. Could you consider doing one on the caravan handbrake, perhaps explaining the auto reverse system and why even when the handbrake has been applied the caravan can roll back (but not forwards) a few inches if on a rearward slope? I know the feature lifts the handbrake handle up vertically, but It's a feature I don't quite fully understand and catches me out sometimes, and I'm sure many other caravaners. Thanks.

Thanks again Dan. I wondered if you had any tips on cleaning the Cadac grill? Usual burnt bits on it take a lot of elbow grease to remove. I believe you have one so thought I’d ask.

Excellent explanations as usual

Chargers such as the Sargent featured in the swift vehicle are multi-stage and although not 8-stage are an improvement on the old style float chargers.

For the cost of a decent battery you can get a solar kit and fit it to your roof nowadays and never have to worry about your battery state again, marvellous bits of kit :)

Good upload big fella. Great topic.👊🏼

Thanks Dan. Very informative. Always take your advise onboard.

Thanks, interesting about how the smart charger works.

My caravan permanently mains connected,today no lights, water pump working,I have lived in the caravan for just over 4 years,is battery just finished, do I have too turn mains off before I check with volt meter?,great video s keep them coming

Hi Dan, great video. What are your thoughts on the solar trickle chargers that you can just clip onto the battery and leave it connected while the caravan is in storage. Thanks.

Great video. I charged a completely flat Yuasa battery to fully working using a smart charger. It took 5 days to do it mind so now I have a spare. I forgot to switch off the aerial amplifier in the van and although I've got a solar panel on the roof, it wasn't enough to charge the battery vs the drain by the aerial amplifier. thats just crazy. You'd think there would be a master switch for 12 volt that would kill all of the systems in a caravan. Having said that, on the Truma charge controller, you can set how much charge goes into battery one and two. Factory default is 50% to batt 1 and 50% to batt 2 I believe. I've now changed this and set it to 90% to batt 1. I think that's the maximum that can be set. I only have 1 battery in the van so hopefully that will take care of that. Good vid Dan and up to the expert level we have been used to. Now that lock down will be eased a little, there will be a rush to buy new batteries and smart controllers me thinks. Let alone seized brakes. Cheers 👍 :-)

Thanks for the explanations in the video. But I have a doubt: how to calculate the power of the battery charger when the campervan is connected to an external source, in a camping. what the specifications of this charger are. thanks

Hi Dan, Very interesting to see how a smart charger works. On average how many years would you expect a leisure battery to last? We've owned the caravan over seven years. It's always plugged into mains even when stored. The voltage meter on control panel still shows over 13 amp. Very informative video. Best Regards. Rob

Very interesting, I’ve learnt a lot. 🎉

Hi I have only just come across your very interesting video. I would like to know if you can leave this charger on our battery constantly.

Brilliant video ❤

I'm a bit confused, when putting my caravan on a seadonal pitch do I need to keep the nattery in the caravan or take it out, tried to move my van the other week with the motor mover but it would move it and my battery had been.on electric hook up for 48 hoirs

Quick question Dan. On the subject of solar panels now that you have a roof fitted unit on the Bailey how do you feel about your original 100w suitcase that you used on the Lunar. I want to install solar and am interested in your thoughts now you have had both systems.

Hi Dan, this will be my first winter with my recently purchased touring caravan. I was on a seasonal pitch all summer with an EHU, and will have it inside for winter storage. I intend removing the battery to home, and keeping it charged in my garage. Would you recommend keeping it hooked up to a smart charger until next spring when I shall be using caravan again. Thanks in advance Paul.

Hi I’ve brought this ctek Mx 5. 5.0. Is it normal when on for the battery to start getting very warm also the charger ?

Hi Dan, Quick question! My car is wired up to charge the battery while towing I also have a truma factory fitted solar panel. Will both of these charge the battery at the same time while towing? Cheers

Great Dan, but I throw the same question back at you about the best amperage smart charger to buy and use. Have been told 10 to 20% of the batteries AH rating. That little 5 amp smart charger is not designed for a 110AH leisure battery or am I wrong? Also, it is possible to replace the manufacturers dumb charger with a correct amp smart charger then when using electric hookup your battery is getting the best treatment.

@The Trugians Hello i have a leisure battery with a vent hole and caps on top do i remove the caps while charging or leave the caps on. I'm using a automatic charger. Thanks

Hi, am I right in thinking... All appliances/electrics on the caravan are powered by 12v (auxiliary battery). Connecting to an EHU merely recharges the leisure battery as it is being used. Thanks.

I have two 110ah leisure batteries in my van. can they be charged when joined together ( live/live - neg/neg)

Do you still have the x5 if so could you do a towcar comparison

Hi, when charging battery to an electric hook up do you leave the battery turned on or off? Thanks 😊

Really excellent video , I love the way that you give clear but concise information with no waffle.

Hi dan Great video very informative I have a solar panel /tracker and alarm on the van will disconnecting the battery set the tracker or alarm off thanks leigh

I am in the design phase to transform a Sprinter 211 cdi, new (2021), L1H1, all a little tight !!!!, but perfect for use here in Europe and exploring small towns, easy to park ... etc But now I got to the point of doing the electrical project, which I'm not used to doing, I'm a civil engineer, I understand 110 / 220v AC circuits. I wish you could help me with that part. I'm Brazilian, but I also live a lot here in Portugal, where I'm going to do the conversion. Well, I started making a spreadsheet, with the equipment, the necessary power and time of daily use, I have no intention of filling the motorhome with things, not least because it is a Sprinter L1H1, and I would like to have a simple electrical installation, but I would not like have gas inside, so I would prefer a stove with only one induction zone. To heat the water it would be a D6 truma, which is diesel. But from the calculations I made and compared with others I saw on the net, it seems that it ends up consuming a lot of energy, making the electrical part more expensive. I don't want to spend so much just because of induction. I don't know what other electrical equipment I would still need for everything to work, still using the car's alternator and an external 220v point when stopped at a camping site. In your opinion, which a good configuration sufficient to have a quick meal, with induction and stay out of the network for a day or two?which a good configuration sufficient to have a quick meal, with induction and stay out of the network for a day or two? Well, the result of the spreadsheet was: 220V equipment notebook - 65w - 1 hour of use - 5.4 Ah induction cooker - 1800w - 0,4 hour of use - 60 Ah 12V equipment USB - 50w - 1 hour of use - 4.2 Ah refrigerator - 45w - 8 hours of use - 30 Ah lights - 15w - 3 hours of use - 1.3 Ah water pump - 42 w - 0.5 hours of use - 1.8 Ah exhaust fan wc - 40 w - 1 hour of use - 3.3 Ah I will be very grateful if you can help me by presenting an wiring electrical diagram with the necessary equipment. I appreciate if you answer. my address is: joaolp55 @ gmail com Thanks

As always Dan, useful information to help me. Cheers

On the previous (excellent) battery video, I counted 68 mentions of battery or batteries. I had 10 minutes free today to do a comparison with this (excellent) video. This time, a mere 59 mentions. ;-)

Great video

We are first time buyers of our Coachman Amera 2011 x 4 berth……At the moment though, we can’t tow our caravan as we are changing our car….I have purchased the suitcase solar panel from one of your previous videos and waiting for delivery….but in the meantime, we wanted to purchase the Yuasa battery charger, above, but we cannot buy an 8 stage charger anywhere, only 7…..would the 7, make any or much difference? Looking forward to hearing any advice you could give, many thanks in advance…….x p.s, also because the caravan was bought from a private seller, we’re not sure, how old the leisure battery is…..

Hi there. Was wondering if anyone could help me on this. Is it safe to be in a campervan or campervan while charging a leisure battery regarding gasses given off while charging the battery. Many thanks

How long would the process start from an assumed dead battery?

How often would you treat the battery? Biannually perhaps?

Hi Dan need some advise Bought 2 x Halfords leisure batteries agm ones class a having a problem there only showing 13.8v put on charge with the noco genius 10 but after charge cycles there still showing 13.8 now have purchased the wrong batteries or take them back to Halfords as not charging upto 14.8v or do I have that wrong or incorrect charger I’m new to this sort of thing all help would be much appreciated The reason for this question is that truma told me to reset the truma inet control panel due to fault w255h but told me over the phone that if battery is below 14.2 volt I won’t boot up and won’t show any icons for heating options etc only shows the clock and spanner options

This might a stupid question. We saw you connect the "smart" charger to the battery terminals, but what powers the charger?

Where do I charge my caravan at home? Can I do it indoors with window left open? I don’t have a garage

Thank you for the video. Interestingly the Yuasa smart charger is made in Sweden by CTEK and has the same fittings. I have the CTEK equivalent and use it on the caravan battery a couple of times each year. On the car I charge via the 13 pin towing socket using an adapter I bought from a LR forum which just saves having to lift the bonnet and use crocodile clips.

If I take the battery off,can I leave a smart charger connected all the time when the battery is not in use?

Thank you for this. I have a campervan with a normal battery and leisure battery connected by a VSR split relay. Can I charge both batterys by hooking up my charger to either battery or do I need to remove the leisure battery? Thanks!!

i mistakenly thought that my battery was dead now i have 3 perfectly good leisure battery's :)

Is it true that you need a charger that is minimum 10% of your batteries Ah. For example if you have a 100ah leisure battery would you need a minimum of a 10amp charger?

Great video as always, how do you become a member?

Superb info. Subd

Hi Dan We have a Bailey Pheonix very similar to yours. We bought it on your recommendation in a previous video. My question is with the battery being charged by the Truma solar system, can the battery be just disconnected to take home to charge with my smart charger? Or would that damage the controller? Cheers Cheers

Like a couple of others on here have used CTek on the two car batteries in my Discovery for a number of years. I have noticed however that the Optima I use doesn’t hold the charge for as long as it used to and not sure if that is because I keep the car perm plugged in when at home.

Very informative as usual - thanks Dan. I have a 100w solar panel on our van and if I wanted to take the van battery home from the storage site to use a Ctek smart charger, is there anything I need to do other than just disconnecting the battery in the correct order. Any additional steps because I have a solar panel fitted? The same again when its time to reconnect the battery? Hopefully the solar panel has kept it topped up over the past few months but using a smart charger on it seems a good idea. Thanks again Dan.

Hi Dan, would the Yuasa smart charger you have be suitable for other branded leisure batteries?

I have a solar charge and controllerr for when off grid and plugged in permanently when in storage or at sites with ehu, will I be damaging my battery by leaving it plugged in ?

Hi Dan. Do I need a smart charger if my Caravan is always on electrical hook up? When not using my caravan it is stored at the back of my house and is always plugged into the garage. Is this a good thing? Does this damage the battery always having mains connected?

Hi Dan Further to My previous comment. I had read on a forum that you should Cover the solar panels. (I use the caravan carpet) Disconnected the positive wire that runs from the panel at the controller. Disconnect the battery. Do you think this is correct or is this going overboard? Great video as usual. Cheers

Hiya, can you tell me a decent solar panel controller to buy? Many thanks...Kevin.

As I haven’t been to my caravan for over 6 months now, it’s likely that battery will be flat. Am I best removing it and then charge up using a charger, or just reconnect to the mains and continue as normal in the caravan until it’s fully charged? Cheers

If only I lived close to somebody who could lend me his smart charger ....... caravan sat nav ........... drain down kit ......... led lights .......

Dan Where can I get the 8 stage battery charger used in the presentation. Amazon would be great. Very well presented as always. Thanks Alan

I've a smart charger use it on my motorbike battery

just noticed that the only replies to the comments on this video are in reply to comments other than specific and i guess important questions are you guys to busy to reply to the actual people who support the channel or are you only interested in rewarding the posts that make you feel good

Morning just found your channel and subscribed. If you’re using the smart charger on your car. Do you have to disconnect any of the terminals? Thanks Charles

If a battery is required why don't they include it in the price of the caravan like they do for motorhomes

Dan your advice is 100 % wrong., my continental Adria does not have a leisure battery at all. But all the fittings lights, water pump etc are all running 12v from the transformer so you can 100% run 12V without a battery, . And no issue whatsoever. I am now currently into month 4 of living in the van just about full time as a site warden.

I hate to say it, but this channel is sounding and looking more and more commercialized. Enjoy you relationship with Yuasa and your multiple amazon redirect tokens. This feels like product placement so I will be unsubscribing.