Install a battery
Hello guys
I have a hobby premium 2013, it doesn't have a 12 v battery so I can only go to sites that have electric book ups, I have got a leisure battery to power the mover is it possible to retro fit it to the caravans 12v circuit.
Thanks
Eric.
Comments
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Have a look at this discussion https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/42338-batteries-in-the-hobby/
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When considering buying a Hobby we took the view that as we had no intention of using sites that did not have EHU their electrics were fine.
We bought our van new in Germany and it gave us seven trouble free years, not something I can say about the British vans we have had since then.
I believe that a Hobby bought in the UK now will be equipped in the same manner as British vans.
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I have a Dethleffs caravan which also didn't come with a battery, but it and the charger were retrofitted by the dealer. No problem. In the case of Continental caravans which don't come with a battery they also don't have a dedicated battery compartment. The battery is located under the seat which means that one must have one that doesn't require venting, such as a gel or AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery.
The 12v system is already there. It is served by a transformer which is fitted as standard.
I am sure that Hobby offer conversion kits for battery power, but there are also other proprietary systems on the market.
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Possibly for the same reason your halogen spot lights in the kitchen units of domestic properties do, safety. And no doubt to use water pumps, as not personally over keen to plonk mains into the water tank or container, and to use all the standard caravan systems like heating etc, all these being 12 V.
My and my families, plus friends continental caravans did all come factory fitted with a battery and associated charging system, as have the MHs.
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Eric
In answer to your question; Yes, you can use your motormover battery to supply 12V to the caravan services. I suggest you discuss this with a competent electrician or electrical engineer if you’re not competent to do it yourself. It’s important that the battery supplies are fused correctly and the choice of charger is important too. Intelligent chargers are common these days but don’t buy the cheapest. We have a Fendt caravan in Italy and that too had no battery when supplied but it was a simple task to modify it to ccomodate one.
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But most of the rest of the lighting in a house is mains. I recently tried to get a 12 volt led light fitting so I could butcher it to get rid of troublesome 12 volt G4 bulbs in a cooker hood, all the led fittings I could find were supplied by mains voltage. The independent shops said that was the way things were going ..... it's easier for a spark to fit and cheaper ie no separate power supplies.
But I get what you're saying
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I have no 12v lighting in my home. bathroom downlighters and even a backlite mirror which has a 240v shaver socket on the side, even my kitchen lights under the wall units are mains fed. just changed all the lamps for 240 LED's, even replaced pigmy bulbs in my extractor fan to LED.
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Here in America our batterys are mounted on the Aframe in a black plastic box with a strap so it can be nicked so you can go buy a new one and make the battery makers ritch
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Our first caravan had no battery and the first job I did was to fit a battery and charger. Very simple job but as you already have a 12 volt system you will need some technical knowledge to do it. A standard, sealed, lead acid battery can be put under a locker but it is usual to put them in a battery box with a vent tube to the outside in case of charger failure causing the battery to leak hydrogen. Having said that, looking at the plastic battery box and flimsy tube in my motorhome I don’t think it would be all that effective.
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My son has recently purchased a Fendt caravan which has no auxillary battery fitted.I noticed that you said that you owned a Fendt caravan and that it was a fairly simple task to accommodate one.Could you please provide some details on how to do this. Thank you
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