Best Leisure Battery Charger for Caravans in 2021
On holiday in a motorhome or caravan, battery problems are the last thing you want to have. If you want to avoid this, we recommend that you get yourself an effective caravan battery charger. When you reply a 12 volt power supply to power your 12 V caravan TV, caravan LED lights, dry your hair, chilled wine and food and many other caravan conveniences it is important to get your leisure battery well maintained and charged.
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There are many options, including chargers that take power from DC sources to charge your battery. Other models get power from the alternator or a solar panel, and switches between them for maximum efficiency.
Whether it's scorching hot or snowing, the caravan battery chargers in this article will always provide the optimum charge. Regardless of the ambient temperature, they keep working. Being splash and dustproof, you can also use them regardless of day-to-day variations.
To learn more about the best caravan or motorhome battery chargers, keep reading!
Best Caravan Leisure Battery Chargers
This easy to use CTEK leisure battery charger is highly efficient not only in charging the battery but also in maintaining its condition. It is easy to connect while also being fully automatic, spark-free, and safe against reverse polarity.
Because of its production and testing in Sweden, it is durable, making it reliable and ideal for outdoor use in even the coldest conditions. A number of different types of lead-acid vehicle batteries are compatible with the device.
There is also a configuration in the battery charger that has a reconditioning software that works both to preserve battery life and to recondition flat batteries. If you are also in a situation where the battery needs to be removed from your car, then the battery charger will serve as a 7A power supply.
The CTEK MXS 7.0 other characteristics include:
- Protected from reverse polarity.
- Fully automatic.
- Free from sparks.
- Safe for use in all-weather.
- Can be used to recondition dying batteries.
The Noco leisure battery charger gives users the ability to charge a variety of vehicle batteries, including cars, boats, trucks, RVs, and lawnmowers, and to maintain them. All types of 12-volt and 6-volt lead-acid batteries, like gel, AGM & wet, are compatible.
The battery charger has features for tracking battery performance and maintenance, so you don't have to worry about overcharging your battery.
When you can, you can just plug it in and go away. This is a safe idea as the spark-proof technology and reverse polarity provides protection for the battery charger.
Key Features
- Maintenance mode to prolong battery lifespan
- Charges 6V & 12V lead-acid battery charges (including AGM) and 12V Lithium batteries.
- Intuitive.
- Energy-saving
- Not bulky.
- Has a five-year manufacturer’s warranty.
A five-year warranty is also provided and it has an intuitive visual diagnostic tool that can diagnose problems such as reverse polarity, low-voltage, or damaged batteries.
The AA Battery Charger & Maintainer is powered by a 12-bit AD microprocessor that has four charging stages designed to charge batteries that are fitted into a whole host of vehicles, including caravans.
The built-in microprocessor can calculate the battery condition and uses this knowledge to provide the correct current and voltage to match the requirements and specific needs of the batteries. Not only does this offer the best form of charge, but it also guarantees that the battery has the longest possible life.
For all kinds of 6V and 12V lead-acid and gel batteries, the battery charger is ideal. In circumstances where only a top-up is needed, it is also a perfect choice as it prevents any battery damage from being caused.
Key Features
- Smart built-in processor
- Provides compensation against high/low voltage.
- Easy-to-read display with LEDs.
- Offers defenses against short circuits.
- Charger memory.
- Provides protection from reverse polarity.
- Resistant to water and dust (IP65).
- Compatible for use with all 6V and 12V lead-acid and gel battery types.
As it is designed for quick charging and also has Deep Discharge Recovery and long term battery maintenance, the Numax 12V leisure battery charger is also referred to as "connect and forget."
The unit comes with Capped Eyelets and Crocodile Clips supplied with Torberry Plug Connectors for ease of installation. The charger has reverse polarity protection and also has an aluminium body. Its inbuilt cooling fan disperses heat quickly for long life and the best performance.
This heat dispersal feature prevents the battery from overheating and damaging the charger.
The full one-year warranty ensures customer confidence in the product. To cap it all, the battery charger is small and lightweight, measuring just 167 mm (length) x 103 mm ( width) x 50 mm (height).
The Numax 12V other features include:
- Quick charging with fast charging feature
- Protection from reverse polarity.
- Inbuilt ventilator.
- Ideal for battery maintenance.
- Recovery from deep discharge.
- Compact dimensions.
- Has a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Maypole is a brand that has been around for many years, and this fully automatic leisure battery charger is compatible with an extensive range of 1.2Ah-192Ah capacity (lead-acid & AGM) vehicles and batteries.
There are nine levels of charging with this battery charger, and the device automatically senses the battery's current state and voltage. It will then diagnose, charge, and recondition the battery, while it also has an LCD that displays information about charging.
Reverse polarity, short circuit, and open circuit safety are additional characteristics, plus the device is also wall mountable.
The Maypole MP7428 Electronic Battery Charger other features include:
- Charging is in 9 phases for the best output.
- Diagnosing and reconditioning function.
- Suitable for cars, 4-4s, trucks, caravans, tractors, and motorhomes.
- LCD display.
- Mountable on a wall.
- Protection from short circuits and open circuits.
Caravan Battery Charger: How to choose it?
1. Manual or automatic charger?
There are both manual chargers and those that are automated on the market. The former offers the advantage of a more affordable price with the possibility of choosing between fast and slow recharging, but their use requires good supervision at the risk of damaging the battery.
The latest models are fully automated which gives them a certain autonomy. Although more expensive, these chargers allow safe, unattended charging, in addition to several battery maintenance modes. Your choice will depend on your budget but also on whether or not you need additional options.
2. Supported voltage
Before making your choice on a particular model, it is essential to know the voltage supported by your battery. This information will guide your choice because it will necessarily be necessary to have a charger of the same capacity. Many of the chargers offered are suitable for 12-volt batteries, but there are some that are more versatile and suitable for both 6 and 12-volt batteries.
3. Load control device
If you want to acquire an automatic charger, it is necessary to check the type of charge control device incorporated. This device guarantees the autonomy of the charger and must at least include an automatic shutdown function and an LED charge indicator for greater safety. Some more sophisticated models can even be operated remotely.
4. Compactness
A battery charger is above all equipment intended to be taken everywhere, hence the advantage that it is compact and light to be easy to transport. It should not clutter the trunk of your car and should be as easy to use as possible.
5. Additional functions
Some chargers are equipped with different modes for optimizing battery life, allowing them to be serviced regularly. Thus, there are very advanced models with protection against overheating, sparks, and reverse polarity, but also with battery test, float charge maintenance, or starting aid functions. The improvement of the tool can obviously impact the price, so it will be necessary to make your choice according to your real needs.
Why buy a good car battery charger?
1. As a precaution
Short trips in the city and prolonged mobility tend to tire the car batteries, hence accidental discharges. To prevent breakdowns, it is best to have a battery charger in your trunk that allows you to troubleshoot at any time without calling a mechanic.
2. For regular maintenance
Battery chargers have become very sophisticated lately. Many are not limited to just the charging function, but also help maintain the battery so that it can hold a charge better.
3. To save money
A battery charger is a device that you can take with you everywhere to help out whenever a battery failure surprises us. It therefore considerably reduces repair costs for the mechanic. In addition, some chargers allow regular maintenance of the battery to extend its life.
4. Secure loading
The chargers newly appeared on the market are also automated, some are equipped with a safety device against overcharging, overheating, and other phenomena capable of damaging the battery. They allow autonomous and safe use, with, depending on the model, a built-in automatic shutdown function.
5. Convenience
The design of battery chargers is being improved more and more to make these devices compact and easy to carry. In addition, the automatic versions are self-contained and very easy to handle.
Tips
- Clean the battery terminals before recharging it.
- Corrosion of your battery terminals causes poor electrical contact.
- Remember to always connect the red positive (+) cable first. Then the black negative (-) cable. Then connect the charger to the mains. If you connect the negative first, you risk causing a short circuit that will damage the battery and possibly other parts of the vehicle's electrical system. Good car chargers provide protection against this.
- Slower is usually better. Fast charging can save you time, but batteries always charge better with slow charging, hence the popularity of slow chargers. Smart battery chargers work much the same way when used normally, although smart circuits can reduce charging times significantly.
- Check for a defective alternator.
- Your car's alternator should maintain the charge on the battery. If your battery continues to be dead even after a full charge, it is possible that one of your alternators is defective.
- Coat the battery terminals with grease designed for high temperatures. If you don't have a grease designed for high temperatures, it's best to check your battery clamps and terminals occasionally to make sure there is no rust build up. But, if you have some kind of fat, put it on the terminals of your battery. This will prevent rust and corrosion on the metal surface of the terminals.