Batteries

NickYoung — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:34:00 +0000

Customers are always asking me if they can connect two batteries into their caravan or motorhome. One of the reasons is that they want to visit places which may not have mains electricity (hook-up) available or the site only has non electric pitches available. They are, therefore reliant upon battery power for their power needs.

The answer is that you can connect two batteries together in parallel (that is negative to negative and positive to positive). This in effect will give you more ampere hours (Ah) and extend your time before the batteries need recharging. Remember though, the capacity will depend on the rate of discharge. The more 12v appliances and lighting you use the quicker the batteries will drain.

Something else to remember is that you should where possible stick to the same Ah batteries if you are connecting two in parallel, ie two 85 Ah batteries or two 110 Ah batteries together. Not 1 x 85Ah and 1 x 110Ah battery connected as this will limit the capacity of the larger batter to that of the smaller rated battery.
Also, ensure you use batteries of the same type, ie don’t connect a gel battery and a wet led acid battery together.

you can also create 230V AC power from 12V DC batteries with the aid of an inverter. A word of warning though, you need to identify what wattage you want to gain from the inverter, ie what appliances do you want to run on 230V. Typically a 350watt inverter will need at least a 70Ah battery to give you any benefit. Also you may get interference from an inverter on a TV if it doesn’t have the correct wave form. It’s starting to get technical now!

Feel free to give Total Caravan Care a call if you need more advice.

Total Caravan Care - Maintenance and Servicing in Sussex and Hampshire » winter

Batteries