TheDeckKing
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So what do I do?
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We have been away 5 weeks as well, although we are not big electric users we have a 110 battery and an 85 no solar no btob no hookup, and never came anywhere near running out of battery although we did do anything up to a hundred miles a dayBoth, just been away for five weeks, no need to hook up, no worries about maintaining charge.
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We have been away 5 weeks as well, although we are not big electric users we have a 110 battery and an 85 no solar no btob no hookup, and never came anywhere near running out of battery although we did do anything up to a hundred miles a day
I understand and agree with all you say, but we do have an 85 as well as the 110, we have had this van 2 years and it came with the 110 according to the service history it was fitted two years before that , so it is 4 years old , the 85 came free so shoved that in as well this year, as I said we are not big users of electric, shower, lights, water pump and chargeing two tablets and three phones etc but it never gets below 12 v on the dial thingy and maybe up to 14 when charging , not a very accurate dial thing so these figures might not be gospel, but unless someone has fitted a btob type of thing that I don't know about, the normal charging thing keeps it up and has never failed, without hookup or solar.What you do not state is what you are using on the single 110amp battery daily.
Many folk have phones charging, laptops charging tablets charging, TV on, shower running, I think you get the idea, so for many a single 110amp battery WILL NOT cover ALL these items. I understand that many perhaps like yourself run the MH 12 volt power on a "frugal" bases, but many want their MH to be an extension of their home and what all the comforts that that has. On average around 10amps per hour I guess would be the average MH owner usage and a 110amp battery will only give 55amps before it starts to DIE (50% of battery is used) so 5 hours of running MAX would be about right. Then you drive 100 miles ( say around 3 hours driving ) and your built in charging system regulates the amps returning to the battery ( this drops to around 3/5 amps PER HOUR after 30 minutes of driving - it will start of as 15/20amps, but drops very quickly ) so fact is your battery is only getting "topped up" nothing else NOT fully charged as many think or believe. So 3 x hours driving at 5 amps ish per hour gives you 25 amps back, but you took out 55 amps, this is why it takes 3/4/5 days of charging at 3/5 amps without a break in the charging cycle to FULLY charge a battery and NOT DRAWING power from the battery whilst charging is happening.
Most MH owners do not understand how the charging system works as long as is works!!!!! and that is why so many MH owners go through batteries like they fill up with fuel.
It has taken me months to read/understand all of this before fixing it. Now I have a system that fits my needs, which I fully understand may not be the requirements of others.
The fact is that many MH owners are not worried about 12 volts as many run on EHU ALL of the time..........
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I understand and agree with all you say, but we do have an 85 as well as the 110, we have had this van 2 years and it came with the 110 according to the service history it was fitted two years before that , so it is 4 years old , the 85 came free so shoved that in as well this year, as I said we are not big users of electric, shower, lights, water pump and chargeing two tablets and three phones etc but it never gets below 12 v on the dial thingy and maybe up to 14 when charging , not a very accurate dial thing so these figures might not be gospel, but unless someone has fitted a btob type of thing that I don't know about, the normal charging thing keeps it up and has never failed, without hookup or solar.
Btw the 110 managed quite well on its own , I only put another one in as , I said , it came free so shoved it in.
Depends if you camp in a field a lot with no EHU--
Most campers use a camp site with leccy included, so why bother with all that stuff, just hook up, sit back and forget about amps and stuff and have a beer out of a working fridge and knowing, after a winters day out walking that your MH will be warm inside after you leave your blown heating on low
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Hi, having just bought my first motor home, and Autocruise Vision, I am amazed by the feeble charging mechanisms that seem to be on all motor homes. I am used to yachts and have a domestic bank of 600 A/H - yes I know - far too much for a MH.Joner8888, I fully understand this and do NOT have a problem whatsoever with the idea after all it is their MH to do with as they see fit, however that is why I made my statement "Most MH owners do not understand how the charging system works as long as is works!!!!! and that is why so many MH owners go through batteries like they fill up with fuel. The fact is that many MH owners are not worried about 12 volts as many run on EHU ALL of the time.........."
I know that the demands of a MH are not as great as those of a yacht when you cannot get any shorepower - EHU - not heard of that before!
Ah - you've noticed!Hi, having just bought my first motor home, and Autocruise Vision, I am amazed by the feeble charging mechanisms that seem to be on all motor homes.
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EHU same as shorepower... ie Electric Hook Up .. available on most sites, and in the UK generally 16Abut can be less, maybe 10Amps.. abroad it varies greatly .. from as little as 2 amps , 6amps 10 amps and 16amps.. always check when plugging in..
cable from the alternator charging the habitation battery will be fused to protect it from overload and going on fire.. generally 25Amps , and usually found under the bonnet.. sometimes just taped to the loom..
an upgrade in the cable size will certainly reduce the volt drop..
but if you really want to improve charging install a Link Removed
Ah - you've noticed!
Yes, coming from a marine background, you will be pretty horrified. UK manufacturers appear to think we go from club or commercial site to site, never spending more than 24 hrs away from EHU (Electric Hook Up, or shorepower).
Continental vans are usually better equipped, although often still leave something to be desired.
In general and with a few honourable exceptions, dealers aren't much help either, with an almost frightening lack of knowledge about 12V systems.
All is not lost - there is a wealth of information on this site about the sensible application of marine system principles to motorhome situations. Given your background, you will be half way there already, but there are several knowledgeable people on here who can answer any questions about applying your knowledge to what is practical in a motorhome.
EHU same as shorepower... ie Electric Hook Up .. available on most sites, and in the UK generally 16Abut can be less, maybe 10Amps.. abroad it varies greatly .. from as little as 2 amps , 6amps 10 amps and 16amps.. always check when plugging in..
cable from the alternator charging the habitation battery will be fused to protect it from overload and going on fire.. generally 25Amps , and usually found under the bonnet.. sometimes just taped to the loom..
an upgrade in the cable size will certainly reduce the volt drop..
but if you really want to improve charging install a Link Removed
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To help the OP we would need to know a little more about what he wants to do, to be able to help. If he wants to tour Morroco a solar panel would be great, if he wants to overnight in Scotland over Christmas and New Year an additional battery would be helpful lol
Thanks for the input Eddie. We are only just starting out so it's hard to judge what our requirements are at the mo. We definitely need to replace the existing leisure battery as it won't hold a charge. I am going to fit a 110a replacement as it will fit in the existing locker. In future we'd like to make use of more CLs so we need a minimum of a weekends worth of power. We only have gadget chargers, led lighting and a water pump to run a the mo but will be adding a 12v freeview tv over the winter. Will the 110a battery be enough for this?
To play it safe I'll prob end up adding a 2nd battery in the void next to the existing one or a solar charger. Funds are limited so it's unlikely I'll be able to go for both and thus the original question, if I have to choose, which one do I get first?