Q: What advantages does a leisure battery have over a car battery for use in a caravan?
A: The automotive type of battery is designed to supply a high current, sometimes 200 Amps or more, for a short time, frequently only a few seconds, in order to start the car engine. For the remaining time it is either at rest or being charged by the vehicle alternator. It is not designed to supply a few Amperes for a period of hours, which is the kind of duty which arises in a caravan. Unless means are provided for keeping the battery charged, eg if the caravan has a mains supply and an adequate charger which will be used for over 90% of the time that the caravan is in use, the purchase of an automotive battery will be false economy, despite the lower cost. Leisure batteries are designed to supply currents of a few Amps for longer periods and to be discharged and recharged many times; they are generally to be preferred in a caravan. However, battery life is enhanced if it has little work to do so the use of a suitable charger is advisable if a mains hook-up is available.
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