# Would a fully charged leisure battery start the van?



## adonisito

As I sit here planning the Summer, I wondered what I would do if the starter battery packed up. Could I disconnect one of the 110amp leisure batteries and connect it to the starter battery via heavy duty jump leads? Would it work ?

Thanks as usual.


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## DABurleigh

Yes.

However the high starting current risks buckling the plates. Some leisure batteries are designed to cope with this; the cheaper ones are not.

Dave


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## Zebedee

Hi Adonisto

Enjoying a quick worry are we? :roll: :lol:

Not taking the wee wee . . . most sensible people do just that! It's called, "Having Plan B at the ready". :wink:

Probably better to consider a portable starter pack. Maplins do one for only about £20-something. We have one which Mrs Zeb carries in the winter in case her fairly elderly car plays up. _(She may not know how to use it, but is brilliant at drooping over the bonnet and looking pitiful if a useful looking bloke approaches! :lol: :lol: )_

I don't know if one of those would be powerful enough for the motorhome, but it is a very cheap one. Better ones would presumably have more power.

I don't think it would do your leisure battery a lot of good to use it as a starter. It isn't designed to deliver high amperages - even briefly! 8O

Dave


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## adonisito

Yes, I though about a starter pack, but the van is already packed to the gunnels with inflatable boat, fishing gear, wine boxes, dog food etc!


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## Zebedee

The starter pack would inflate your boat at the shoreline.

There you go then . . . the obligatory dual use for all M/H accessories! :wink: :lol: 

Dave


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## Bill_H

What if you just connected the leisure battery to the vehicle starting battery via jump leads, and left it for half an hour without trying to start it, would the batteries 'level out'? ( charge flow from the full leisure battery to the flat starter battery)
You could then disconnect the jump leads and start the vehicle.


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## erneboy

A good pair of jump leads but make sure they are long enough.

I have had to do as you suggest, no harm done to the leisure batteries as far as I could tell, Alan.


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## gnscloz

Carry cheap battery charger plug into inverter and charge starter battery up or just get GOOD jump leads someone will always give you jump start, I tried jumping flat car once off a leisure battery wouldn't start it


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## Zepp

Our engine battery went flat in Portugal .

Jump started it from leisure batteries ( 3 x 110 ) no probs but bought a clarke 400 jump start never had to use it since.

Also bought a solar regulator / mppt so the engine battery always gets 10% of the solar charge.


Jump starter pack will be on ebay soon lol


Paul


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## Mrplodd

If you are thinking of buying a set of jump leads DONT buy a cheap set meant for a car, they simply wont take the current required to turn over a diesel engine. 

You will need to get a set that specify they will start a Diesel engine up to a certain capacity, yes they cost a LOT more but they will do the job unlike the Halfords style car ones which simply WONT, (yes I have tried a cheapo set to start another MH on a site in France some years ago and No they didnt work, leads got very hot, engine didnt even turn over :roll: :roll: Cheap leads now in the car!!)


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## stevian

get a battery master fitted, we have one, when the vehicle battery drops it uses the leisure battery to keep topped up so the leisure battery would die first, had it fitted at a show last year by conrad anderson not a problem with it at all 

steve


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## rayrecrok

Hi.

I have had problems usually in winter when the van has been stood and the oil in the engine is thick and the engine would not turn over very well as the engine battery had lost some power with the van not being used.

So.

Plan B.

I had an extra 120 leisure battery added to the existing one in the housing at the side of the van, the second battery had to be inside the van under the bench seat, all constantly charged by the 120 watt solar panel..

I got the local Auto Electrician to fit large amperage wires via a kill switch and suitable fuse to connect the engine battery to the leisure battery's so I can turn all three battery's on at once say when we are travelling, or if the van is in storage where we do not have EHU, so all three are constantly at the top of their game, charged by the solar panel and the alternator say when we are traveling with the 2500 watt inverter on when cooking our dinner in the slow cooker as we travel along, and using this method the leisure batteries are still fully charged when we come to a stop, the only thing I have to remember is to turn off the engine battery when on site and we are using the leisure batteries which of course the voltage goes up and down with use, but the advantage of how I have it wired, it is not a one way system like a battery master, I can start the engine and the alternator will charge the leisure batteries back up to speed.. But only when wild camping out of ear shot of others :wink: .. When on site I isolate the engine battery from the leisure battery by the kill switch.

If for any reason I have a problem with the engine battery it is only a matter of switching the kill switch to the on position, then I have the power from all the batteries to start the van.


Edit.. I find I can run the fridge on 240 volt via the inverter when travelling with the engine and the solar panel all putting power in faster than the inverter takes it out.. A better solution than the crap 12 volt side of the fridge which is useless, and making it so I do not need to run the fridge on gas when travelling, which is another argument we had on an earlier post :lol: :lol: :lol: .

ray.


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