Batteries
Batteries are an essential part of your vehicle power system and many of the
potential power related problems stem from the batteries or the battery
charging systems either being substandard or faulty. Batteries supplied by caravan and motorhome manufacturers are designed for very basic low consumption appliances, so any high consumption appliance additions also require the
batteries and perhaps the charging circuit to be upgraded i.e. roof top air conditioning on the move.
Leisure Batteries on your vehicle are known as deep cycle or traction
batteries; they are designed for discharging 60-80% of capacity before
being recharged. There are 3 main types of leisure batteries - wet lead acid, AGM and Gel.
Wet Lead Acid – Supplied as standard to most motorhomes and caravans, for basic low consumption applications. 5-year life span.
AGM – Absorbed Glass Mat battery. The battery acid is absorbed into a fine glass fibre, which provide insulation between the battery plates and a very low resistance. This makes for a very robust and maintenance free battery, which is good for use with basic and modersate consumption power
systems. 10-year life span.
Gel – The battery acid is suspended in a gel and is therefore completely maintenance free and preventing the formation of gas. Good for use in high consumption power systems. 15-year life span. |
