bowmarsh Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Is it possible to add another leisure battery to my motorhome, the one that's on only lasts about 1 day when wild camping and do I connect red to red and black to black, if you know what I mean Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Hi bowmarsh Yes you can but make sure your new battery is the same capacity as the one you have at present,eg 110a. It is best to have batteries of the same type and age when linked together, but if your exsisting battery is fairly new and in good condition you should not have a problem. Use proper 100amp heavy duty cable with soldered or properly crimped connectors. Your local auto electrical centre can make these up if you cannot get them ready made, or you do not feel comfortable making them up your self. Keep the connecting cables as short as possible and make sure you secure the battery so it cannot move around. It must also have adequate ventilation. It will of course take longer to charge 2 batteries rather than one. hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 that doesn't seem a very long time to me - not that I can do tekkie stuff - but - how old is it, what capacity is it, and what are you running off it [that last question's sheer nosiness :-> ] B-) ps welcome to the site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 bowmarsh - 2007-12-27 9:21 PM Is it possible to add another leisure battery to my motorhome, the one that's on only lasts about 1 day when wild camping and do I connect red to red and black to black, if you know what I mean Thank you Depends on it's capacity but it is not unusual for a battery to only last one day, particularly if it has to power diesel powered heating or other power hungry devices - which is why most of us fit a second or even a second and third battery. Red to red, black to black. I would use use proper battery clamps and heavy enough cable to carry up to 30amps and place inline 30amp fuses in the positive (red) cables. Remember to secure the batteries from taking flight in the event of a collision or heavy braking and an acid proof tray below them is not a bad idea. They should also be vented to the outside. Linked batteries should always be of a similar capacity (AH) and age for best results. Any doubts best get a caravan specialist or auto electrician to do it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowmarsh Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 Hi Thanks for that info, the battery I think is a 105 Amh it was supplied with the vehicle from new (Autotrail) so it's just one year and a bit old. We have the little flip down tv and lighting plus the usual useage of water pumps but into the second day it starts to fade, We do tend to keep the luxuries down to a minimum, lights and tv. So I need to check that it is the 105 Amh as opposed to the 85 Amh. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Out of interest, is this winter use, or summer? Its just that we can do about 5 days on 85AH in summer, using lights, water heater (washing up, washing, but not showers), and no telly. On that basis, 105 AH would be enough for roughly a week for us. Winter use would be that much heavier with lighting on for longer and heater running, but even so, one day still seems a bit short. Are you sure your 105AH battery is actually starting off fully charged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 agree with Brian - we don't normally wild camp and make full use of sites facilities, but don't bother with EHU unless it's for over two nights - and sometimes not even then depending on circumstances. we've never had a problem and the gauge rarely gets below half way. battery is 110ah perhaps you should start by getting the battery checked ?? go have a whinge at the dealer who sold you the van perhaps ?? B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 This is not the first time I've heard of Autotrail motorhomes from the last couple of years having a short battery life. There are several points to consider: Lighting: Autotrail tend to use plenty of lights, if you have most of them on they can cause quite a heavy drain on your battery. Battery position: Most Autotrails I've seen from recent years have the leisure battery(ies) housed in an outside locker on the nearside just behind the passenger cab door. This locker is not heated and so in cold weather the batteries capacity can be severely reduced. Flip down TV: I assume you mean the one mounted in the cab roof. To operate this for TV requires the screen to be powered, the control box for the screen to be powered, either the aerial and freeview box to be powered or a satellite receiver and dish controller to be powered. All this can add up to a couple of amps just to watch TV on a small screen! Heater: if you're camping in cooler climes (like UK at this time of year) you will likely utilise the space heater. Thankfully Autotrail still favour the old faithful Truma convector heater but if you utilise the blown air element of this system it can add to the battery drain. Assuming your battery is where I said earlier you can easily add another, (yes for best results it should be matched to the existing, in fact for very best results you should replace the existing battery with a new matched pair but unless your existing battery is failing you probably don't need to go that far) as the locker has ample space for two batteries. As they will be close together and the cables won't be passing through any bulkheads you don't need the fuses between the two batteries but use good stout cable to connect them. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowmarsh Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 So many knowledgable people on here it's mind boggling... The battery is mounted underneath the lounge seating and is accessd by lifting the seat and not an outside locker, the telly is the flip down type and the lighting is kept down to a minimum, but usage whilst wild camping is mainly winter times, and the main use of the battery starts aroung 4 ish I would say, I think the best we got out of it was just 2 days then I had to run the engine as I didn;t want to flatten the main battery as I beleive that when the aux battery is flat it then starts to draw power fron the engine battery. The battery ws showing a full charge on day 1 so to speak, The vehicle is the Cheyenne 635 lowline and I have heard that others may have had the same problem, and the battery is a 105 Amh so it may be best to get it checked out, what I thought of doing was to completely flatten the battery and then fully charge (out of van) and see if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowmarsh Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 Almost forgot, we use the Truma heater on gas so that keeps the 12v usage to a minimum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Dont fully discharge your battery, this is the worst thing you can do. as to your truma heater, this uses quite a bit of power when the fan is running on high, to use less power keep the thermistat turned down as low as possible, advice given to me by truma. I would definately fit an extra battery. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Is your battery mounted in a plastic box beneath the floor of the seat locker? If so then the only place you can really fit a second battery will be in the seat locker itself, again as it will be very close to the existing battery and the cables will not need to pass through any bulkheads you can miss out the fuses between the batteries. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowmarsh Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 Hi Dave yes it is a little box underneath the seat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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