The most likely place that the fuse box will be is under the front offside seat but in my caravan there is also a secondary fuse box adjacent to the RCD mains electric switch under the lift up worktop.

In many caravans, there is a fuse box located inside the caravan where the cable comes from the 13 Pin plug. These are usually the same type of “blade” fuse found in your car. Check these first and replace any ‘blown’ ones.

Fuse Box Location The Integrated Power Module is located in the engine compartment near the battery. This center contains maxi fuses, mini fuses and relays. A label that identifies each component is printed on the inside of the cover.

Solar panels can keep your leisure battery topped up with power, so are perfect for off-grid caravanners. Photovoltaic panels create electricity from all light, not just direct sunlight, so they will generate current in winter; albeit a fraction of what they’d make on a bright summer day.

Use a test meter across the battery terminals and you should get between 13,5 and 14.5 volts showing on the meter, this will mean a good charge. 13volts or less and this means that (if you use the 12volt lights) you are using the 12volts quicker than the system is charging the battery.

User guidance. Measuring your leisure battery’s state of charge is certainly important, especially if you’re about to put a caravan in storage for the winter. At the very least, it should be fully charged, but the situation doesn’t end there. Never leave a battery in a discharged state.

If you choose to remove the leisure battery from the caravan during winter storage, then keep the battery in a safe and dry place at home. Leisure batteries are not extremely large so it can easily be kept in the garage or storage room. Make sure that the battery won’t be exposed to extreme temperatures.

Our advice is to remove your battery from your caravan when you lay up your caravan. Make sure you keep it charged over the winter to ensure it is in good condition next time you want it. When removing your battery always disconnect the negative lead first (black) and then the positive lead.

Whats going on? In simple terms, the battery is appearing as “dead” to the charger, which pumps in electricity to try to revive it, the battery cannot “take” the charge as its no longer working as it should and starts to get hot.

Overcharging can be just as bad for your leisure battery as undercharging. As a general rule, never allow your leisure battery to discharge below 50 per cent of its capacity. Performance will deteriorate with age.

Batteries can sometimes emit a rotten egg smell when recharging, which is less than pleasant for those using the caravan or motorhome. This generally indicates that the battery is being overcharged. If so, the battery is being overcharged and is in danger of being irreparably damaged.

Most caravan batteries are made to last 5 years, provided you maintain it well. To maximise the power from your caravan batteries, ensure that you use a viable charger.

The main causes of battery drain is a faulty leisure battery. The battery may be old, cold or just need to be replaced. A faulty piece of equipment such as the charger or anything connected to the leisure battery could cause a drain.

The best caravan batteries

• The HLB700 is NCC B rated, which means it’s designed to be used with an electrical hook-up and for minimal off-grid usage.
• At less than £100, the maintenance-free Halfords Leisure Battery HLB681 is competitively priced and comes with a 2-year guarantee.