Gel batteries - average life of well maintained slightly used ones? (1 Viewer)

Jul 4, 2010
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It's all in the title. what life expectancy can you expect from a pair of quality habitation batteries that are lightly used (camper not used much and is left on hook up the rest of the time) and maintained?

Is it worth the extra cost over lead acid?

Thanks
 

Theonlysue

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Sep 14, 2009
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Not long enough!
I like gel batteries. My last pair were 9 years old and still good.
Only changed for greater capacity, 160 a to 360 a.
Also, you can take them down to 25%
 

funflair

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I think two of ours could be more than 10 years, certainly more than 5 as that's how long we have had it, a year ago they were still so good I added two more so now 4 EXIDE G80/ES900 and running all the usual 240v toys.

Would I fit them again "hell yes"

Martin

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JJ

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One Funster's superb, long lasting leisure battery is a waste of money to another Funster.

People's use of motorhome electricity varies so much.

It's like asking what is the right length of string you should have in your "Dave Clark's Five" drawer.

I would never buy Gel batteries unless I wanted them in a boat.

However, I was very interested in the Varta batteries Robert Clark posted about a short while ago.


JJ :cool:
 
Last edited:
Jul 12, 2013
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I too had to make a decision to replace my Gel battery or not. I replaced with a quality lead acid battery based upon cost and any detectable difference.
At a debate in Peterborough a couple of years ago on the subject, the best batteries were deemed to be the heaviest ones; Banner and Varta were mentioned but then there is always someone who has experience of a dud, so you pays your money and takes your choice.
 
OP
OP
V
Jul 4, 2010
1,194
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Essex / central France
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9 years
The Exide ES900's we have may be 11 - 12 years old? original owner of our camper doesn't respond to questions. About to fit solar panels and want to add a third battery to the hab batteries, but would only buy 3 new ones. The price difference between a Varta lead acid (my choice) and the Exide Gels (if they are 12 years old they are amazing) is huge so would buying 2 lots of Varta not cost any more than a Gel set. If a Gel battery looked after (as you say JJ some people do and some don't) lasts an average of say 7 years it may in the long term be better to buy 2 lots of lead acid.
So back to the question, what would the average life expectancy be on a cared for Gel battery set that is used lightly?

Thanks
 

Lenny HB

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Oct 18, 2007
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The Exide ES900's we have may be 11 - 12 years old? original owner of our camper doesn't respond to questions. About to fit solar panels and want to add a third battery to the hab batteries, but would only buy 3 new ones. The price difference between a Varta lead acid (my choice) and the Exide Gels (if they are 12 years old they are amazing) is huge so would buying 2 lots of Varta not cost any more than a Gel set. If a Gel battery looked after (as you say JJ some people do and some don't) lasts an average of say 7 years it may in the long term be better to buy 2 lots of lead acid.
So back to the question, what would the average life expectancy be on a cared for Gel battery set that is used lightly?

Thanks
Exide Gel's have gone back up in price recently now about £172 but the Sonnenschein SL75 which is almost identical to the Exide G80/ES900 is still only £142. Sonnenschein is an Exide company and they make the Exide Gel's. If you buy from Tanya they will do a deal on carriage if you buy more than one.

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Theonlysue

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Not long enough!
Mine were exide as well, as were the new ones.
 

funflair

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EXIDE ES900 are €175 in Germany so would pay to pick some up there if anybody is over the water, I think we paid about €145 for ours a year and a half ago.

They also stock Sonnenschein GF 12 76 86ah @C20 under the industrial battery heading and they are €235.

We used. https://www.kortenbrede.info/SEO2/index.php/cPath/2355_2256_2257

Martin
 
Last edited:

Lenny HB

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EXIDE ES900 are €175 in Germany so would pay to pick some up there if anybody is over the water, I think we paid about €145 for ours a year and a half ago.

Martin
I think like in the UK they have gone up saw them in Germany last year €240, as I said buy virtually the same battery the Sonnenschein for £142.

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pappajohn

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funflair

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I think like in the UK they have gone up saw them in Germany last year €240, as I said buy virtually the same battery the Sonnenschein for £142.
All very confusing Lenny, the old EXIDE G80 used to be described as 80ah @5hr and 110ah @20hr but now described as ES900 it's 80ah @20hr but still a heavy battery, the equivelent size Sonnenschein @75ah 20hr rate but 26kg vs 27.5kg for the ES900.

Am I going too deep,


YES

Martin

In conclusion I think the Sonnenschein are a good battery at a good price.
 

Lenny HB

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All very confusing Lenny, the old EXIDE G80 used to be described as 80ah @5hr and 110ah @20hr but now described as ES900 it's 80ah @20hr but still a heavy battery, the equivelent size Sonnenschein @75ah 20hr rate but 26kg vs 27.5kg for the ES900.

Am I going too deep,


YES

Martin
It's not, it's called a SL75 but it is 78a/h at the 20 hour rate, a G80 with a different label, just to add to the confusion. Hymer used to fit them as standard. :D

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Lenny HB

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I didn't notice your comment on weight earlier Martin.
Just to add to the confusion the Sonnenschien batteries are listed on Exide's main website they give the weight as 26.8kg & on their marine leaflet the ES900 is 27kg.
The SL 75 at the 5h rate is 65a/h but no 5hr rate listed for the ES 900.
Looks like as they are both manufactured by Sonnenschine and both marketed by by Exide they don't want a direct comparison.
Both of them even if not the same ( I still think they are) are good batteries.
 

Jaws

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Gotta say up front I am not really a fan of gel batteries,,,, various reasons not really worth going in to as its all covered elsewhere..
However............

14 years ago a friend gave me a pair of gel batteries that he took from his motorbility scoot.
I have been using them ever since for all sorts of things ( testing various bits and bobs, starting bikes etc etc )
Even now, they are holding a full charge for months and months and still performing very well indeed
 

Tootles

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Had one on our boat for 23 years now, it lives under an inside locker, (hence a gel), and powers the fridge. Still on top form, much to my surprise. (y)

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Apr 28, 2013
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Gotta say up front I am not really a fan of gel batteries,,,, various reasons not really worth going in to as its all covered elsewhere..
However............

14 years ago a friend gave me a pair of gel batteries that he took from his motorbility scoot.
I have been using them ever since for all sorts of things ( testing various bits and bobs, starting bikes etc etc )
Even now, they are holding a full charge for months and months and still performing very well indeed

How did he get around then?:unsure:
Just joking but you reminded me,years ago a friend in the Goldwing club was working somewhere they were changing the burglar alarm gel batteries,he saw them all in the skip so asked if he could have them?(they were exactly the same size and shape as Goldwing ones.)
He decided to sell them for a tenner each to club members,money to our charity.
God knows how old they were but fitted one to my wing,it cranked better than it ever had and was still going strong when I sold the bike eight years later!
 
D

DL42846

Deleted User
I recently switched to a GEL Battery. I did have to upgrade the battery charger and Solar panel controller as they didn't have the GEL battery setting to correctly charge them. I have only had the GEL for a couple of months, but so far I am impressed with it. My habitation lights seem brighter. With my old acid battery which was only two years old the habitation lights would take a bit of time to warm up to operating temp. With the GEL battery its instant. Plus the GEL runs much longer as they discharge down to 20%.
I only run on one 110 AMP battery which last me fine. This weekend I was running the TV all afternoon & evening, plus the heating all day and night, plus things like fridge fan etc. No problem. We have never used hook up except when getting the van ready for a trip. This is the one I went for: http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-110ah-leoch-powabloc-tubular-gel-battery/
Guaranteed 6 years. Having used GEL I would never go back to Acid .

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Feb 24, 2013
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not long enough
just to stick my experience back in to level things a bit

bought our current Hymer then 3 years old with duff hab batteries (gels)

bought 2 new identical, took off old, found one actually very good, other goosed dropping both to unusable level

this year (four years on ) we now have an identical situation, have removed the duff one (actually Vanbitz did) just running on the one battery for now, if I do go back to 2 think I will add another brand new one to the still good one, rather than buy 2 again as seems to be the normal suggestion
 

Lenny HB

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I think you and Motorhomes David is like my daughter with computers, she only has to walk in a room with one and it crashes.:LOL:

I can understand problems with your original batteries as we have previously established before you bought your van it had spent a lot of it's life standing around but the failure of the new one is quite rare it is the only report I've ever seen of an Exide Gel failing that early in it's life.
 
Aug 26, 2008
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Last year I had to replace the original Sonnenschein gel hab battery in the Westy.

It was only 14 years old! Premature failure or what. It only had to run the compressor fridge, eberspacher heater, and lights.

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SandraL

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Our van was first registered july 2013. The exide es900 gel battery had a test label on it dated jan 2012. It has just failed. So about 6 years use and abuse.
When we bought the van jun 2014 it had sat at dealer for 6 months. At that time we charged on mains and it came back to life.
 

canopus

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We have 3 x 145Ah Deta (German Exide) Gel batteries on our van. We have had the van over four years now, and I suspect the batteries could well be the originals as fitted by Concorde in 2006 when the van was new. So that makes them 11 years old this month. :eek:

When we got the van, we replaced the 20 odd halogen lights with LED equivalents and have added an additional 150W Solar Panel and swopped the Steca charge controller from 10A to 20A. Other than that, the electrical inventory is pretty much standard as per the size of the van and battery bank. I reckon the batteries must be nearing their life end anytime soon, but to date have never let us down.(y)
 

scotjimland

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Was never a fan or advocate for buying Gels .. that was until I found the pair fitted to my Hymer were original fitted in 2001.. and still going strong.. 14 years old !

did't want them failing while away, so replaced them with a pair of Exide G80s.. from Tanya

old now sits on the garage bench and used for testing stuff.. months go by and it's still holding a good charge..

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