Leisure batteries are an electrical storage device that uses a reversible chemical reaction to store that all important power. The 12v leisure battery works by having 6 x 2v cells, each cell has 2 plates of lead and lead dioxide immersed in sulphuric acid (electrolyte).The chemical reaction between the lead and electrolyte produces electricity. When in use the power depletes, power can be restored by charging via a battery charger, alternator or a solar panel.
A leisure batteries power is measure in amps (ah) in order to calculate a batteries ah we have a quick guide below.
Make a list of all your caravan or motor homes appliances together with they requirements in ah If you don't know these requirements remember this formula amps= watts/volts. You can work out the number of Ah by number of watts by the number of volts. So for example a 12v TV is 50w, 50w/12v =4.2 Ah per hour so 10 hours is 42ah.
Add all your appliances Ah together by time used and add another 25% of this total to the total am sum. This will give you your total ah figure for one day. Always try to get the biggest battery possible better safe then sorry better to have to much power then too little.
A rough guide to caravan or motor home appliances
Make a list of all your caravan or motor homes appliances together with they requirements in ah If you don't know these requirements remember this formula amps= watts/volts. You can work out the number of Ah by number of watts by the number of volts. So for example a 12v TV is 50w, 50w/12v =4.2 Ah per hour so 10 hours is 42ah.
Add all your appliances Ah together by time used and add another 25% of this total to the total am sum. This will give you your total ah figure for one day. Always try to get the biggest battery possible better safe then sorry better to have to much power then too little.
A rough guide to caravan or motor home appliances
- Water pump 3Ah
- Lighting 1Ah
- Spotlight 1.5Ah
- Caravan mover 22Ah
- 12v TV 4-5Ah
- DVD player 3Ah
- Blow heating 2Ah
- Cassette toilet electric flush 3Ah
As you all ready know leisure batteries can cost a fortune, A few easy tips will see you get the best out of your battery.
- Ensure the battery is clean and dry
- Coat the terminals with grease
- Don't tighten you battery to tight you can crack the case
- If your leisure battery is self service make sure you the levels are ok, if not top up with de-ionised water.
- Don't let the battery totally discharge for any length of time
- Disconnect during winter or long periods , store in a cool dry place and keep a check on the voltage.
A quick way to check a battery is to look for bulging sides and corrosion around the terminals, this is a indication the battery is no good. Buy a decent volt tester, these can be as cheap as £1.99
Don't think that all leisure batteries are the same here are a few extra features that you may find on the more premium models.
- Duel terminals- having 2 connection types these are usually threaded nut and crimp type.
- Cycles- determines how many times a battery can be charged and discharged.
- Magic eye - a built in hydrometer tells you the state of the charge, very handy feature.
- Guarantee - 1- to 3 years is the standard guarantee for leisure batteries. Make sure you check.
- REACH - this is the name for a EU coming in to force, it stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorizing, Chemicals just to make sure the details and specs are not misleading.
Disclaimer caravansbuyersguide.co.uk is not responsible for any purchase that you make, all downloads are used at you own risk. No warranty is implied or given with our guides or downloads.We are not affiliated with any other price guide, pricing service or any manufactures, prices listed are "as is" all prices are the editors guide to their valuation.
