I once had to dispose of an expensive, ‘good as new’ (except it wouldn’t charge any more) leisure battery, because I had neglected it so badly that it was irreparably damaged. It was a very upsetting waste for a Yorkshireman, and I went straight out and bought a smart charger, to ensure it never happened again.
If you’ve bought the best campervan leisure battery, I’m sure you will feel exactly the same and not want to find it’s damaged and needs replacing, when it could have been avoided. This is where leisure battery trickle charging comes in.
I’m going to add, I’m considering lead-acid leisure batteries in this piece, as lithium leisure batteries don’t discharge in the same way as their lead-acid counterparts.
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Trickle charging a leisure battery is one of the simplest ways to keep your leisure battery in prime condition. By delivering a steady low-level charge over time, trickle charging prevents the battery from going flat during long periods of inactivity, such as winter storage. Letting your battery get very flat, or leaving it with little or no charge for long periods, can be very damaging to its internal cells, hardly ideal if you want to extend the life of your motorhome’s leisure battery.
Trickle charging keeps the voltage stable and extends the overall life of the battery, saving you money in the long run. It also means that your onboard systems – lights, fridge, heating and water pump – are always ready to go when you arrive.
Using a smart charger or solar panel trickle system ensures safe, efficient charging without overloading. Smart chargers and solar control units ensure that your battery receives a charge current only when it’s needed, to keep the cells in tip-top condition.
Trickle charging can be easy at home, where you can plug a charger in, but it may be more difficult in secure storage facilities.
Here, having a campervan solar panel is often a better bet, as it keeps your battery charged and also plays a part in keeping your motorhome security systems, such as your alarm and tracker, working all year round. Remember, if you use a motorhome cover, you’ll need a cover with a transparent window in position over your solar panel.
As an example, one charger you could consider is the CTEK MXS 5.0.
And when we’re talking about the things to not forget about in a ‘van, make sure you know how to maintain your motorhome’s fresh and waste water tanks too.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Motorhome, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. Double check any warranty is not affected before proceeding.
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