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Leisure Battery
Auxiliary battery, deep-cycle battery, house battery, habitation battery, service battery
A leisure battery is a secondary battery in a motorhome or caravan, separate from the vehicle starter battery, designed to power 12V appliances (lighting, water pump, heating fan) while camping without the engine running.
Capacity is measured in amp-hours (Ah). A 100 Ah lead-acid battery provides around 50 Ah of usable capacity (50% DoD); a 100 Ah LiFePO4 gives 80–100 Ah. It charges from the alternator via a split-charge relay or DC-DC charger, from solar panels via an MPPT controller, or from 230 V mains via an inverter-charger. Never connect a leisure battery directly in parallel with the starter battery without a proper isolator or DC-DC charger.
FAQ
Can I use a regular car battery instead of a leisure battery?
No. A standard car (starter) battery is designed for short, high-current bursts to start the engine. Deep cycling — typical of leisure loads — destroys it within months. You need a deep-cycle battery: AGM, gel or LiFePO4.
How do I know how charged my leisure battery is?
By resting voltage: a fully charged AGM reads 12.7 V; at 50% discharge it reads around 12.1 V. For LiFePO4, voltage is only informative at the extremes. The best solution is a battery monitor (shunt-based), such as a Victron BMV or Renogy One.