What does a campervan leisure battery do?
House aka leisure batteries power all of the vans appliances, electric accessories and house lighting.
The best campervan batteries allow for deep discharge, so they can be run to very low or even zero charge.
They can then be recharged without suffering any damage.
Modern campervan leisure batteries can be recharged thousands of times throughout their lifetime.
Your campervan leisure battery allows for everything from charging your phone to boiling water for tea and coffee to running your air conditioner, powering electric water heaters and pumps or your portable induction cooker…
What’s the difference between a campervan house or leisure battery and the starter battery in your RV or Camper van?
While the battery in your engine compartment is for starting your van’s motor, house or leisure batteries are for powering your campervan fridge freezer, cooktop, LED lighting, roof vent fan and other accessories and appliances.
The engine battery should only be used to provide power to the starter motor used for starting the van, and cabin electronics such as dash lighting and other standard automotive accessories like radio, alarm, drivers area lights…
While it’s possible to power camping and leisure gear from the engine battery, we don’t recommend it since that will lead to shortened engine battery lifespan and substantially increases the possibility of accidental dead starter battery situation.
How do I charge my campervan battery?
Your house battery can be recharged from a number of sources.
- From solar panels
- From residual alternator energy via a Split Charge Relay
- from another battery such as a solar generator
- From AC 110/240 volt shore power hookup at campsites or home
Campervan Battery details and reviews
We answer more questions about Campervan Batteries. Please check out our Best Battery for Campervan Electrical post, located here.
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