# keep old battery or add a new one or get a bigger one?



## cloud (Jan 15, 2012)

hello everyone,we're new to mhoming and we are planning to do a fair bit of wild camping but not too sure if our 85ah battery will do the job,can i add another 85 to it or is it best to up it to a 110ah.we also have a 40w solar panel.i'm sure i will have plenty of other questions but i'll start with this.cheers


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Not sure what the minimum is, but we do a lot of wild-camping and have 2x110 batteries, and a 130w solar panel - don't think I personally would want to do with much less.

I think the general advice is that if you're adding a 2nd battery then your pair should be around the same size and age.


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## clive1821 (Mar 27, 2010)

In an ideal world the bigger the batteries you can get in the better, if the original battery is more than two years old, I would replace it with two new 110ah min.... I have three of them and it's not enough, but I do use electricity a lot, so need to have mains after 2days.... I need around 2x 270ah batteries for my needs, in the cold it would only then just be enough..... Just my view, managed to flatten my batteries on day three and I'm in faro now.... Best of luck


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

dare i ask what on earth do you use to run down 3 of that size batteries.would a larger solar panel be useful.

cabby


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## grenwelly (Aug 7, 2007)

Depends on how long you will be at one place without moving and what you are using power for.
Up to now we have been fine with one 85 battery and no solar pannel but thats just used for the heater fan lighting and water pumps
Leisure battery will charge of engine when on the move.
If you have TV etc that will use a fair bit
Extra batteries = extra weight though if you are having to replace a battery and got the space I would go for a 110


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## satco (Jan 21, 2012)

as it`s a matter of money/weight as well , I`d rather put another 85Ah
aside the existant one , plus a solar-panel with somewhat 100-150 watt . as I did 

we`re often on racecourses , some do not have power supply.
with our configuration we last a complete weekend without hookup

Jan


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## clive1821 (Mar 27, 2010)

cabby said:


> dare i ask what on earth do you use to run down 3 of that size batteries.would a larger solar panel be useful.
> 
> cabby


Very easy my friend, two satellite systems, heating, the wifi transmitters, etc it's taking around 12amps the 2x120w panels are not able to cover the discharge..... Still my choice I could switch off some of the systems which would help....

I have 3 110ah batteries, with 40% loss of capacity, due to the cold, they will only reach it's ah capacity, but that's needs 25c so at best I would have around 160ah which wont last long..... It's nice here in faro 15c during the day at night around 3c


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

it must be hard sitting down there. :lol: :lol: :lol: missing all us up here.

cabby


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

> but not too sure if our 85ah battery will do the job


Will all depend on age of the battery and its condition, then also on your usage patterns

Do you intend to spend many days away at a time from hookup or from driving between places ?

What do you actually use in the van, i.e. are you a big TV watcher, do you have a 12v kettle or do you use Hob Kettle, do you have LED lighting or Halogen mostly, All of these type of things will have a bearing on how long the batteries last


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We use a fair bit of leccy when wild camping, TV/PVR/Radio quite a bit, coffee grinder, lights heating, water pump.

Most lights are LED, use hob for percolator, TV/PVR run off the 600w inverter.

We have 2 x 110ah batteries and a 40w panel, & we can manage up to 5 days OK, maybe more, but I can get bored if I don't move on by then, and apparently cranky too SWMBO says, but she's only a woman, what does she know :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## cloud (Jan 15, 2012)

thanks for the replies,would be nice to be able to do a few days.as we have to watch the ol spondollies i'm thinking that maybe add another 85ah battery to existing one.we would mainly use water pump,heater fan and lighting,theres a flat screen on board but would watch that occasionally mostly on hookup.is an inverter a good idea and how much does that help?cheers, Dolan ?


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## NeilandDebs (Aug 28, 2008)

*Batteries*

Hello
We full time and also do as much wildcamping as possible.
We have 3x 110a batteries 1x 85w solar panel and 1x 110w solar panel. 
The batteries were all bought at the same time, about 3.5 yrs ago.
In good sunny conditions we have managed 12 days at a time.
I know it is a big cost but I would try and fit a setup something like the above. It works!!

Neil


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Inverters are a good idea if you can't run things from 12v, but before you buy one make a list of everything you think you might want to run at the SAME time, not the total amount.

We use 2 inverters a 300w and a 600w, not at the same time though sometimes we just need to charge the lappy or a camera.

Have a search for inverter stuff, use the magnifying glass to the left of "Search Forums"


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi.

We have 2 110 Ah batteries and 120 watt solar panel. At best we get enough power from the panel for all our 12 volt bits plus tv for upto 5 hours a day. We are in Benidorm so the sun is giving us plenty of power 8 hours a day. The solar panel would be next to no use at all in the UK at this time of year.

A 40 watt solar panel would not give you much power above just keeping the batteries topped up. You need at least 120 watt or above to get any useful power

steve & ann. ------- teensvan


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

teensvan said:


> A 40 watt solar panel would not give you much power above just keeping the batteries topped up.
> 
> steve & ann. ------- teensvan


Isn't that the idea, surely any more than keeping the batteries topped up would be a waste.

Admittedly at this time of year they do little more than stop them going too flat, but when we go away, because we use the leccy with brains in gear, we're usually back up to full by late morning.


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