BATTERIES AND CHARGERS

There was a time when house batteries in caravans, campervans and motorhomes were a ‘nice to have’ option. Those times are long gone. These days any RV without a battery is in the minority, especially for those who don’t stay in caravan parks or like to travel to remote places and need a reliable 12V supply.

Along with the batteries comes the matter of chargers and they too have developed to meet the evolving battery scene. We have moved from a ‘hot wire’ from the tow vehicle or motorhome base vehicle alternator to battery management systems, multi-stage regulators and external sources like solar panels.

LEAD-ACID BATTERY ESSENTIALS

Although there have been some great developments in the world of batteries, some of the basics have not changed at all. Irrespective of the name — conventional wet cell, sealed, AGM or gel cell — all are lead-acid batteries and work in roughly the same way, which is