Do I really need a battery??
Do I?? 
Comments
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In most cases yes. The battery will smooth out the supply to the electrics so to avoid damage to them it should be fitted. Leisure batteries are preferable but frankly if you are always on a hook up and do not have a motor mover or alarm the cheapest available
will do the job.0 -
Also there is also the time when the site electrics go down, or you trip the bollard, at least you keep your lights and heating pump / fan. Ours also runs the tracker / alarm when in storage. Although they have there own battery they will only run for a
limited time without top up.0 -
In my case the controller manufacturer's documentation says it should not be used without a battery; I accept they know why and would not wish to risk doing otherwise.
I agree this is the standard advice but some years back our battery started to overheat in France and I just disconnected it and lived without it for over a week without problem. I think in fact it is to protect the things running in the caravan which are
often far more sensitive these days and more likely to be damaged by current fluctuations.0 -
In my case the controller manufacturer's documentation says it should not be used without a battery; I accept they know why and would not wish to risk doing otherwise.
Write your comments here...
What do you mean by "controller" ?
Still a newbie (tuts
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By “controller” I mean the integrated electronics unit that deals with a multiplicity of aspects of the van’s 12 volt system, including:
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Smart charging the battery from the EHU
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Controlling, including increasing the charging voltage from the car to the battery.
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Supplying a regulated 12 Volts to the caravan’s system.
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Being the fused distribution system to the various 12 volt circuits.
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Integrating the solar panel's input.
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Switches selected systems down when coupled to the tow vehicle [“habitation relay”]
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Outputs to the local user interface control and indication panel.
In all quite a lot of electronics at several £100s replacement cost, hence as the makers says it should not be operated without a battery, I heed this.
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Cherokee, If you ever go non EHU, it's great to have 2 batterires!!
Rather than "if you ever go non EHU" I suggest it is much more "if you frequently go non EHU", and then only in winter, there becomes an argument for an extra battery.
For a user that questions if a battery is needed, so an EHU user, carrying a spare one is likely to be nothing but a very weighty burden.
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Food for thought,
Cheers guys
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A battery is also often needed as a load for the expensive electronics in the "controller".
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