How to charge leisure batteries from mains power?

In order to charge our leisure batteries from mains power, we will need an AC to DC battery charger. The battery charger regulates the flow of electricity to the batteries and converts AC into DC. For instance if we have a 30A battery charger, we can expect to fill our 196 Ah batteries in 196Ah ÷ 30A = 6.5 hours.

How do rechargeable batteries work?

Rechargeable batteries look just like their predecessor apart from one very helpful feature. Once they have been drained of energy, they can be plugged into a mains charger for ‘refilling’. This means you can skip paying over the odds for wasteful batteries and charge them using household electricity instead.

What is a normal discharge level for rechargeable batteries?

The typical discharge level for rechargeable batteries is 1.0 to 1.1V, and 1.1V is when I try to recharge my batteries (both NiMH and NiZn). The charger won't recognize them at <0.5V, but even though the charger will recognize a 0.6V cell, its capacity or reliability might be greatly reduced if you drain your cells to that level.

Do rechargeable batteries need a first charge?

If your rechargeable batteries state they are ‘Pre-Charged’ or ‘Ready to Use’ they can be used straight from the pack just like single-use batteries. However, standard rechargeable batteries do not have this feature so they will need an initial first charge before use. What is ‘self-discharge’ of a rechargeable battery?

Do Ladda rechargeable batteries come with a charger?

The Ladda Rechargeable Batteries also come with a four-slot charger that accepts both AA and AAA batteries, so you won’t need to purchase one separately, though it’s more basic than the one supplied with the Panasonic Eneloop Pro.

What is the difference between rechargeable batteries and single-use batteries?

The major difference is that single-use batteries output 1.5 volts when first used and end below 1.0 volts, whilst rechargeable NiMH batteries maintain an average of 1.2 volts for most of the time. This means that in the vast majority of devices the voltage should not be an issue when replacing single-use batteries with rechargeable batteries.