Leisure Battery
Comments
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As far as the alarm and tracker goes in the past I have used a small 12 volt gel battery I had lay around and jump leads connecting it to the caravan battery leads while I removed the old battery and fitted the new one so there was interruption in the supply
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For a conventional, wet, sealed, leisure battery the normal voltage is around 12.7 volts but as others have said the exact voltage varies slightly with manufacturer and the reading you get will depend on the accuracy of the meter. A typical 1% digital meter accuracy means plus or minus .12 volts. After charging the voltage is higher until a load is applied and the “surface charge” dissipates which can be 3 - 4 hours.
A conventional (non smart) caravan charger floats the battery at 13.8 volts which will maintain charge without doing too much harm but will stress the battery if left for a long time, hence the advice to not leave caravans hooked up permanently to EHU when not being used.
If the battery becomes partially discharged it needs 14.7 volts to fully recover but only as part of a staged charging process which you get with a smart charger like CTek or other makes. 13.8 volts won’t do it.
Solar panels are different again as they produce quite a low current so the voltage can vary.
Of course, if your van has a smart charging system like, say, Sargent, all this is taken care of automatically and will integrate the solar panel.
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Correction to the above; I meant to say that a discharged sealed battery needs 14.4 volts (not 14.7V).
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