Almost all motorhomes are now fitted with at least one leisure battery that powers the lighting, heating and any other electrical device on board whilst you're out on the road. If you've ever left your motorhome idle for any period of time, it’s likely that you’ve noticed how this battery, as well as engine battery, loses power even when it’s not in use. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to help you understand the different ways you can charge your battery to make sure it’s ready to go whenever you are.
For most motorhomes, it should be possible to charge both the leisure battery and the engine battery (although this is less common) through mains charging whenever you have access to a hook-up system. Although more basic chargers exist, a modern motorhome will probably use a multi-stage charger that is able to charge the battery at specific voltages and currents depending on how depleted it is so as to prolong the battery life. If using a mains charger, all you need to do is hook your motorhome up and leave the charger on until it’s fully topped up. This is probably the easiest way to achieve a full charge.
Another way you can charge your motorhome battery is by using the vehicle's alternator. Put simply, this method uses the engine battery to recharge the leisure battery when your motorhome is powered up and running. There are some obvious limitations with this, however, as the alternator is only designed to quickly recharge the engine battery rather than power a second battery as well. This means that using the alternator method is unlikely to charge your battery fully especially if you will only be making short journeys (therefore meaning a shorter charge time).
Using this method to charge the battery while your motorhome is stationary isn’t recommended so this isn’t the best option for anyone planning to stay in once location for extended periods of time. Although it’s perfect for anyone planning to do some short stay, off-grid camping with road trips in-between.
This is perhaps a less popular way to charge your motorhome battery but has some benefits that the other options don’t. Solar panels have increased in popularity as they have become more affordable and practical. The panel size you require will depend on how much energy you use rather than the size of your battery. If you only have a small campervan which runs simple electrics inside you will probably be fine with a small panel of no more than 80 watts. But a larger vehicle with lots of appliances and mod cons will need a much larger panel. So long as you choose the right size for your motorhome, this is a very efficient way to charge your leisure battery and there’s also the added benefit of being environmentally friendly. It’s worth noting that wind powered generators are also available although they have to be dismantled after each use and are quite noisy.
Most batteries will no longer perform optimally after five years. But there are some simple things you can do as part of your maintenance routine that will prolong your motorhome’s battery life. Avoid wear and tear by making sure you always use high quality clamps when charging the battery and make sure that the steel contact surfaces do not rust if they are spring-loaded. It’s also important that you never let a battery go completely flat as this will reduce its efficiency. Instead, aim to recharge every time the battery falls below 50% power.
For the power provided by the battery to last longer, you should try and avoid storing your motorhome anywhere it is likely to experience extreme cold or hot temperatures as this will reduce the battery performance. It’s also worth keeping an eye on your energy consumption and making sure appliances are fully disconnected when not in use. For more tips on motorhome maintenance and servicing read our motorhome spring start up guide.
