How Long Does a Motorhome or Caravan Battery Last?

It’s almost time to get the caravan or motorhome up and running ready for the warm weather to creep back in, so you need to make sure everything is in order ready for your summer getaway. Whilst adventuring all over the world, you don’t want something like a battery failing on you, so we’ve put together a few things you should know when dealing with the service life of a caravan or motorhome battery.

What is a leisure battery?

In short, a leisure battery is a battery that provides power to applications such as lights, heaters, fridges, cookers and more in a caravan or motorhome and is different to a starter battery used to power the engine in a motorhome or other automotive vehicle. These batteries come in all different sizes with different power ratings, chemistry, terminals & more. 

How long will my leisure battery last?

The general lifetime of a leisure battery is around 4-5 years, however this could differ due to certain factors. For example, if a battery is constantly being left to go flat, this will cut the life expectancy to last as little as under 1 year. And if a battery is properly taken care of during and out of use, it could last for even longer than 5 years, so really it all boils down to how the battery is taken care of and maintained throughout the years.

Photo by Alan Billyeald on Unsplash

How do I make my battery last?

There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your battery stays healthy even when your motorhome isn’t in use. Here are a few of them:

Smear grease on the terminals

As the battery charges and discharges, hydrogen and oxygen are expelled as gas from the battery, within these gasses, there is a certain amount of sulphur which often reacts with the metal of the battery terminals. Covering the terminals with grease stops this.

Use correct connectors

Use the correct terminal connectors to ensure that there is a good connection between the terminal and the connector. Badly fitting connections can result in erosion and corrosion of the battery terminals, causing bad performance.

Use a gas breather pipe – Ensure that your gas breather pipe is correctly connected, this pipe vents any noxious gasses away from an enclosed space for safety.

Check for fire hazards – This one is a little more obvious, when near your battery ensure there are no lit flames around. Leisure batteries give off hydrogen and oxygen when charging and discharging, which is flammable. If your battery is on fire, please stop reading this article and get some help.

Charge your battery! – Probably the most important step, aside from not lighting it on fire, is to charge your battery. If your battery is to be left unattended for a period of time (Winter for example) it should be left in a charged condition. As the battery discharges, sulphation will build up on the battery plates, if the battery is not charged this sulphation will build up over time and eventually render the battery unserviceable. You can find all of our available battery chargers here.

If all of these steps are followed, then your battery is set to have a long healthy life and take at least one worry off your mind while you’re travelling the world. If you’re in the market for a new battery, look no further than County Battery’s extensive range of leisure batteries, we stock a variety of batteries with differing dimensions, powers and more, you can find the whole range here.

If you need any assistance or have any battery-related questions, you can contact our team of dedicated battery experts here.