Continual Battery Charging Over Winter
I have tried searching these forums for this topic as I am sure that it has been covered previously but the search is a bit rubbish.
In a new caravan ( only stating that so that you can guess the age of the charger / power unit ) is it ok to leave the caravan continually hooked up to electric over the winter. There is an alarm that is turned on and I understand that it needs a power supply to work.
Does the power supply unit / charger just keep what I ( with little technical knowledge ) would class as a trickle charge to the battery. The battery is also new if that makes any difference to my question / your answers.
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I can see no problem with leaving the charger on. Plenty of people go on extended holidays (or even live in their caravan) and it doesn't seem to do any harm.
That said, we have our caravan at home, and yet I don't bother to leave it connected. I have the alarm on and the battery does fine.
That said (again!) ours is rarely left more than a month or so between trips.
You could try it and check the battery level at intervals? Or just leave it connected to the mains.
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I keep my caravan at home I connect it to the mains every other week for 24 hours during the winter months.
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I've always left my battery connected to the mains at home winter and summer to make sure it's fully charged when using my mover to get it out of the drive with no problems. I've been doing this for more than 15 years.
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Don't leave it on permanently on charge.
All it needs is a few hours a month on charge to maintain the battery.
My last battery lasted 9 years before I inadvertently destroyed it by leaving my rear view camera on.
A battery or charger can and have gone faulty, and if you aren't using the caravan at the time the fault may be missed, a boiling dry battery or burnt out charger could be the result, or both.
If its got a solar panel then it probably needs no mains charging at all, providing its not under cover. And if its a swift group caravan then use the swift command to monitor the voltage at the battery.
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It will depend on the kit the van comes fitted with.
My 1991 van specifically said it "Must not" be left on EHU, my 2002 and 2008 vans recommended that during the winter lay-up that an EHU should be left connected.
You need either to see if the subject is addressed in the handbook, that all my van's did, or note the controller/charge manufacturer and ask them directly, if intending to leave on an EHU.
If not intending to leave then I would keep a check on the battery static voltage and periodically recharge should this drop below its fully charged level; that will be somewhere in the 12.7 to 12.9 volts region but actual value will depend on the lead alloying of your particular battery so needs initially checking to note what it is. The higher 13 plus volts that will be seen post recharging can be ignored as these are "surface charges" that will always dissipate quickly [ie hours up to 24 hrs].
It is dropping below the fully charged voltage, and time there that are major contributors to battery performance degradation and need avoiding.
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My caravan in the eighties had no mains electrics. My caravan in the nineties had mains electrics fitted by me but no battery, Both these relied on the car battery for some or all lights and for the water pump.
Since 2005 I have left my last two vans plugged in all the time. Not had a problem.
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General advice - NO - do not leave permanently connected. The only situation where you can do this is if you have a "smart" charger and even then I would read what it says in the manual before you do it.
The correct regime is to top up the battery every month or so (with a proper charger), monitoring in between.
The reason for this is that unless you a have a fairly sophisticated charger you will be pushing current into the battery when it is not needed and the life will suffer.
By the way, this is not just my advice, you will get the same advice from professional bodies, battery manufacturers and charger manufacturers.
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I ruined a battery by accidentally letting it go flat for too long over winter so I now take off the battery and use a trickle charger, so far so good. The solar panel on our 2016 Swift simply doesn't do the job of keeping it charged when in outside storage, however that may be another problem (some factory fit solar panels are apparently not connected properly.....).
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I nearly bought a cheap trickle charger from Halfords until I read the small print "... do not leave charger connected for extended periods as the battery life will be diminished ..". or words to that effect. Better than letting the battery go flat though.
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I recently asked the same question here on the forum and got a similar range of answers. As a result I contacted Sargent, the charger manufacturer, and asked the question. Their answer was that I could leave the charger on continually over winter.
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Well, when we go away in the caravan for three weeks, we leave the charger on constantly and it seems to manage fine.
I don't know if it's a 'smart' charger or not, it's just a cheap one that a mobile engineer fitted for us whilst on holiday once (after I burned out the fitted charger by using the mover with the mains connected - see separate thread).
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Well, when we go away in the caravan for three weeks, we leave the charger on constantly and it seems to manage fine.
I don't know if it's a 'smart' charger or not, it's just a cheap one that a mobile engineer fitted for us whilst on holiday once (after I burned out the fitted charger by using the mover with the mains connected - see separate thread).
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Well, when we go away in the caravan for three weeks, we leave the charger on constantly and it seems to manage fine.
I don't know if it's a 'smart' charger or not, it's just a cheap one that a mobile engineer fitted for us whilst on holiday once (after I burned out the fitted charger by using the mover with the mains connected - see separate thread).
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Our van is plugged in but switched off when at home. I turn it on one day a week and in 2 or 3 hours both batteries are fully charged and drawing less than 0.5 amp.. Personally, I see no benefit in having everything powered up all the time when 2 or 3 hours a week will do it.
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The Sargent system is fine as it is a "smart" unit although I have one in the motorhome but use the solar panel to keep the battery topped up.
Most caravans don't have the Sargent system, hence the general advice.
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We have been caravanning for 11 years & always leave the battery charger on from when we lay up the van from oct to march it is one I bought off Halfords, (single axle) never had a problem. just chech the electric is still on.
Our van is a Bailey Moselle 1995.
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Smart chargers on offer at Lidl next week .But check out the power ratings .
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You don't have a choice when touring because even if you switched the charger supply off and the battery became discharged, the Bailey charger would not recharge the battery properly (it only gives 13.7 volts and cannot control the charging current properly). Most caravanners use their van for just a few weeks so not a problem but could connect up at home for several months.
To those who say "I have never had a problem", how would you know? You can't tell what life you would have got if you treated the battery correctly.
I got through a couple of batteries that only lasted 3 years before I realised that they weren't being recharged properly. When I started taking the battery out and recharging with a CTek the battery lasted until we sold the van; about 7 years. I promise I don't work for CTek!
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Assuming the Alde is a decent charger it will give about 14.4 volts, dropping in stages during constant voltage and constant current modes. Conventional caravan chargers have a dual purpose - provide power for the 12 volt system and charge the battery. You can't do both properly.
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With respect, you have a top of the range van and, yes, it is fitted with a smart charger as are many Coachman caravans. Bailey do no fit smart chargers and it is rare to find them on any older vans, including Swift, however, Coachman for many years have fitted a dual charger system on their top ranges and specifically tell you that the battery can be left in situ and connected to EHU.
That's why it is always difficult to give general advice on technical issues but the caravan manual should always tell you what you should or shouldn't do concerning the battery. If it is an old van with no manual it is better to assume the worse.
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Bailey Unicorns have a Switch Mode Charger 20amp, is that not a smart charger ?
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