Leisure Batteries, how long do they last before needing to be charged?

[David Stock]

Apologies if this has been tackled before, but there are over 3600 threads on the T5/T6 forum to check to see if the answer is already there. I’m looking at how long we can camp for on the leisure batteries before they run out of charge. So far we have either had electric hookup, or had one night on the batteries. Any advice and your experience would be appreciated. Normal used rather than any particularly light or heavy use is anticipated.

 

[WelshGas]

Apologies if this has been tackled before, but there are over 3600 threads on the T5/T6 forum to check to see if the answer is already there. I’m looking at how long we can camp for on the leisure batteries before they run out of charge. So far we have either had electric hookup, or had one night on the batteries. Any advice and your experience would be appreciated. Normal used rather than any particularly light or heavy use is anticipated.

I’m afraid not knowing what vehicle you have makes that a question that is very difficult to answer I’m afraid.

 

[David Stock]

Apologies if this has been tackled before, but there are over 3600 threads on the T5/T6 forum to check to see if the answer is already there. I’m looking at how long we can camp for on the leisure batteries before they run out of charge. So far we have either had electric hookup, or had one night on the batteries. Any advice and your experience would be appreciated. Normal used rather than any particularly light or heavy use is anticipated.

I’m afraid not knowing what vehicle you have makes that a question that is very difficult to answer I’m afraid.

I’m afraid not knowing what vehicle you have makes that a question that is very difficult to answer I’m afraid.

B

I’m afraid not knowing what vehicle you have makes that a question that is very difficult to answer I’m afraid.

Sorry, of course I should have said. 2014 SE.

 

[Loz]

Depends on what you are running whilst camped, the condition of your batteries etc.

Fridge only on a moderate level 3-4 days ?...
@Amarillo’s kettle 3 hours

 

[MattBW]

LOL I nearly sprayed my coffee on the computer then.

As above there is no exact time as it will vary massively depending on a variety of things.

The fridge will use far more power in hot weather for example than cold, heater uses quite a lot of power if its cold, so its going to vary quite a lot.

Generally each device will use power measured in amps per hour.

If you have lead acid batteries (usually the beach) then you can generally use 50% of whatever your leisure battery is without damaging the batteries.

AGM batteries (which should be in the SE) can in theory be discharged more than 50%, in theory 80% of the capacity can be used..

From there with the power useage of your appliances you can generally get an idea there is a little more detail here https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/fridge-power-consumption.9662/#post-99283

 

[Amarillo]

Depends on what you are running whilst camped, the condition of your batteries etc.

Fridge only on a moderate level 3-4 days ?...
@Amarillo’s kettle 3 hours

My kettle draws max 20 Amps
My battery is 75 Ah
75 / 20 = 3h 45.

Of course, if the sun is up it could last considerably longer than that.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[GrannyJen]

Apologies if this has been tackled before, but there are over 3600 threads on the T5/T6 forum to check to see if the answer is already there. I’m looking at how long we can camp for on the leisure batteries before they run out of charge. So far we have either had electric hookup, or had one night on the batteries. Any advice and your experience would be appreciated. Normal used rather than any particularly light or heavy use is anticipated.

If you are not using your fridge as a freezer, want stuff chilled rather than frozen, this time of year lights not going on until late, heater used sparingly, no great use of the invertor and no heavy duty 12v appliances such as cookers, ovens, kettles etc ..... easily 5 days.

I am just back from 4 nights off grid in Belgium and batteries were still showing 50%.

 

[blondebier]

Hi David,

As a driver of an EV I undertand the range anxiety feeling. I'm not sure what the leisure battery equivalent is, but I used to get this too.

I recently installed a solar panel from Roger Donoghue at http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk. (He's a forum sponsor so I hope this post doesn't self destruct)

It's a cracking bit of kit and all these worries have disappeared.

View media item 1734
It's got a good app and you can monitor consumption, the state of the battery and charge rate.

View media item 1736
I'd seriously consider one of these if you want to go off grid without the anxiety.

 

[Velma's Dad]

I have the same spec van as you David - ours is a 2015 SE. So our batteries will probably be about the same age as yours; although if your van has been very heavily used then they'll have been through more charge/discharge cycles and their capacity will have been more depleted.

I'm sitting in the van right now which, unusually, hasn't moved for about 48 hours so far while I'm on a work project. When I arrived the batteries were showing 90% (I'd given them a boost on mains before leaving home in the morning). Have had the fridge on setting 5 (it's been about 10-15 degrees outside) and been using the interior lights a bit in the evenings. A bit of phone charging. No use of auxiliary heater.

The batteries are currently showing 60% so I'm sure I'll have ample to get me through to tomorrow afternoon when I leave, after 4 days / 3 nights. I'm pretty confident I'd be okay for 5 days / 4 nights but if I ran the heater that would be a different matter (although that doesn't use very much power unless it's running continuously in he depths of winter).

Hope that adds to the real-world examples above. Note that Amarillo's van is a Beach which as Matt points out has much less battery capacity than the SE/Ocean (although still plenty for two or three days).

 

[Amarillo]

I did some beer mat calculations recently. The Beach battery is 75 Ah.

Recharging an iPad from flat depletes about 12 Ah.

Running my awning lights for 3 hours depletes about 6 Ah.

Running my fridge for 24 hours depletes 14.5 Ah (5C internal temperature, 32C external temperature).


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[David Stock]

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. There’s quite a bit to digest. I envisage light battery use in summer with no heater, fridge set at 3 and occasional lights with a bit of phone charging chucked in. This has thrown up the question of a solar panel which I have considered. I don’t want to compromise the integrity of my factory roof. Any advice on this further matter would be appreciated. Thank you blondebier for raising this. Any recommendation on wattage?

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. There’s quite a bit to digest. I envisage light battery use in summer with no heater, fridge set at 3 and occasional lights with a bit of phone charging chucked in. This has thrown up the question of a solar panel which I have considered. I don’t want to compromise the integrity of my factory roof. Any advice on this further matter would be appreciated. Thank you blondebier for raising this. Any recommendation on wattage?

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...e-on-t5-facelift-waiting-roof-rot-work.10526/

http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk/index.php/shop/vw-t5-t6-bolt-on-solar-kit

Roger Donahugh, the owner, is a Forum Member.

 

[blondebier]

Any advice on this further matter would be appreciated. Thank you blondebier for raising this. Any recommendation on wattage?

WelshGas's post are worth a read.

We've got a single panel. It's one of Roger's new 110W ETFE panels with a MPPT charger and it's more than enough for us. The MPPT chargers are the way to go to get the most out of the panel.

Roger sells a 2 panel unit as well if you are going to live a life like Amarillo.

The nice thing about this solution is that it is drill free and screws in to the roof rails. There cannot be any warranty complaints from VW as there is little difference to fitting roof bars to the roof.

It's a doddle to fit and I'd certainly recommend getting one.

 

[Amarillo]

Roger sells a 2 panel unit as well if you are going to live a life like Amarillo.

We, a family of four, lived in our van off grid between 6 June 2017 and 22 November 2017, spending between one and eleven nights between recharging our batteries by driving. We have 200 watts of solar on our roof which is sufficient for our needs in summer. Winter, with shorter daylight hours, a lower sun and more use of lighting and the diesel heater is more of a challenge - so we hook up.

We have a Beach, so a single 75Ah leisure battery. It helps to recharge things like iPads in the morning, not towards the end of the day or overnight.



Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[MattBW]

We currently have a 50w folding panel. The panel does extend the stay off grid however and slows down the battery running out on bright days its enough for the Waeco fridge I reckon but its close. It's a bit bulky so I searched for something going for something slimmer but I'm reluctant to roof mount.

I just ordered a 160w folding solar panel (4 panels in canvas that open out) which should be more than enough in summer and can be moved to optimise its exposure to light when we want to park in the shade on a hot day. Alternatively it could be placed on the windscreen or perhaps hung from the left side awning rail if I can work out a method. Of course that's only useful when stopped and wont charge them not moving. Also less secure. No perfect solution but suits my needs and preference at this time.

 

[Taff7996]

Hi David,

As a driver of an EV I undertand the range anxiety feeling. I'm not sure what the leisure battery equivalent is, but I used to get this too.

I recently installed a solar panel from Roger Donoghue at http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk. (He's a forum sponsor so I hope this post doesn't self destruct)

It's a cracking bit of kit and all these worries have disappeared.

View media item 1734
It's got a good app and you can monitor consumption, the state of the battery and charge rate.

View media item 1736
I'd seriously consider one of these if you want to go off grid without the anxiety.

 

[ejmoore]

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. There’s quite a bit to digest. I envisage light battery use in summer with no heater, fridge set at 3 and occasional lights with a bit of phone charging chucked in. This has thrown up the question of a solar panel which I have considered. I don’t want to compromise the integrity of my factory roof. Any advice on this further matter would be appreciated. Thank you blondebier for raising this. Any recommendation on wattage?

On that basis I would expect our battery to last a good five days. And if it runs out, it's not the end of the world anyway, if the evenings are light.

 

[David Stock]

On that basis I would expect our battery to last a good five days. And if it runs out, it's not the end of the world anyway, if the evenings are light.

Thank you, most helpful.

 

[David Stock]

WelshGas's post are worth a read.

We've got a single panel. It's one of Roger's new 110W ETFE panels with a MPPT charger and it's more than enough for us. The MPPT chargers are the way to go to get the most out of the panel.

Roger sells a 2 panel unit as well if you are going to live a life like Amarillo.

The nice thing about this solution is that it is drill free and screws in to the roof rails. There cannot be any warranty complaints from VW as there is little difference to fitting roof bars to the roof.

It's a doddle to fit and I'd certainly recommend getting one.

I’m looking at going down his line and have a local fitter who is investigating for me. Thank you.