Help need to add a second leisure battery (1 Viewer)

Michelle CV

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Hi, just wondered if anyone can give me any advice re adding a second leisure battery. The one fitted is a Varta Dual Purpose Gel battery, (90amp) and it is under the driver's seat. There appears to be space in front of it to add another. Please can you help me understand how to wire the batteries together and also advise me re battery purchase. Thank you.
 

Techno

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In parallel +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve

Take the load off opposite corners. This picture is showing two batteries that connect to two further batteries so the cables leaving through the hole are not the load but additional interconnects.

CA_11081517504478-L.jpg

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pappajohn

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Make sure the second battery is also a gell battery.
They have a different charge requirement to flooded acid batteries.

Capacity doesnt matter as the charger only sees one large battery, not a big un and a small un.
A 90ah and a 110ah will be seen as one 200ah battery by the charger.

Age, on the other hand, does matter though.
An older battery wont be as efficient at taking a charge as a new one and the total capacity will be lower than expected.
 

Lenny HB

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For a start Varta don't make 90A/H Gel battery, If it is a Gel battery it is most likely to be an Exide G80 or a Sonnenschein SL75 both the same, both made by Sonnenschein. You need to check which type of battery you have and if more than a year old best to fit 2 new batteries.
Tanya Batteries keep a good range at competitive prices and if buying 2 will do a deal on the carriage.
 
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Michelle CV

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I was told it was a gel battery - the van was registered new in September but I guess it might have been in the showroom for some months. On further investigation is is a Varta professional dual purpose agm. It says 85 - 95. Would it be better to buy two new batteries?

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Lenny HB

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Is it by any chance a Hymer?
Check the charger has a AGM setting.
My Hymer had 2 x Banner AGM batteries both failed in 18 months I have replaced them with Gels, if you charger does not have an AGM setting I would get rid of the AGM battery, loads of reports on German forums of Banner & Varta AGM batteries failing in Hymers.
 
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Michelle CV

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Hi Lenny

No its a Dethleffs which is part of the same group so it could be a problem. No sure where to find out about the battery charger and its settings - hubby just trying to find the instruction manual now to check - I would think then that 2 new gels might be the way to go because there is no outside venting from under the driver's seat for lead acid

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Michelle CV

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The battery selector switch is lead acid/dryfill so not sure about AGM but surely the manufacturer wouldn't put in the wrong type of battery?
 

Lenny HB

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Hi Lenny

No its a Dethleffs which is part of the same group so it could be a problem. No sure where to find out about the battery charger and its settings - hubby just trying to find the instruction manual now to check - I would think then that 2 new gels might be the way to go because there is no outside venting from under the driver's seat for lead acid
This is what the switch looks like on an Elektroblock EBL29 & EBL101 this is for Wet cell & Gel only, it is on the R/H side.

upload_2016-1-2_15-59-35.png

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Lenny HB

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n
The battery selector switch is lead acid/dryfill so not sure about AGM but surely the manufacturer wouldn't put in the wrong type of battery?
Yes they would, the Hymer group started fitting AGM's about 3-4 years ago and only mid 2015 did Schaudt have an Elektroblock capable of correctly charging them.
 

pappajohn

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AGM stands for absorbed glass mat which means the acid is soaked into the matting to keep it in close contact with the plates.
It is a wet lead acid but not sure about the charge regime needed.

A Gell is just that...the acid is in a gell form, sticks to the plates and cant be spilt but needs a special charge regime.
 
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If there is enough doubt that it might have been wrong from brand new, only a few months ago, I would be going back to the supplying dealer to get the battery changed, it might be worth paying them to do the extra battery at the same time for peace of mind, there is a lot of expensive kit further down the cables if you get it wrong :)(y)

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pappajohn

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Your charger needs setting, if it isnt already, to 'dry cell' for AGM batteries according to this extract.

There is a some common confusion regarding AGM batteries because different manufactures call them by different names; some of the more common names are "sealed regulated valve", "dry cell", "non spillable", and "Valve Regulated Lead Acid" batteries. In most cases AGM batteries will give greater life span and greater cycle life than a wet cell battery. - See more at: http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/battery-basics.html#2
 
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Michelle CV

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Yes they would, the Hymer group started fitting AGM's about 3-4 years ago and only mid 2015 did Schaudt have an Elektroblock capable of correctly charging them.

How would we Know if we have the correct Schaudt Electroblock - we have a Schaudt EBL 101D

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Michelle CV

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Just been looking an to buy the same battery as we have fitted is £221 - seems so expensive
 
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Looking at a second one also for our chausson transit base. The existing one sits under the passenger seat looks like a second will fit but the bracket to support it would need to be changed or would they sit without one when 2 are fitted and no space left?. Battery 2 years old tempted to just stick one in rather than go for 2 new ones no known problems.
 

pappajohn

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Personally i would set it to blei saure (wet lead acid) as thats what an AGM is....liquid not gel.

The absorbtion charge rate for gel is 14.1v....wet acid is 14.7V
14.1v is not enough to fully charge a wet/AGM battery

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Lenny HB

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  1. ,

It is set to blei-Gel (translated as dryfill in our instruction manual)
That is the setting both Schaudt & Hymer & Banner recommended for my Banner AGM's and it F**ks the batteries.
How would we Know if we have the correct Schaudt Electroblock - we have a Schaudt EBL 101D
Faily certain it does not have the AGM charge regime.
Just been looking an to buy the same battery as we have fitted is £221 - seems so expensive
I recently bought 2 x Sonnenschein SL75 Gel's from Tanya for £300 delivered.
 

Lenny HB

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Personally i would set it to blei saure (wet lead acid) as thats what an AGM is....liquid not gel.

The absorbtion charge rate for gel is 14.1v....wet acid is 14.7V
14.1v is not enough to fully charge a wet/AGM battery
Although Wet Cells can handle 14.7 volts it is not recomended Motorhome chargers are normally set to 14.3-14.4 for both Wet and Gel.
AGM's need 14.7-14.8 volts to fully charge the reason manufacturers use the Gel setting is that it holds the 14.3v for 8 hours before dropping to to the maintainance voltage. The idea is that holding at the 14.3v for longer (Wet cell 1 hr, Gel 8 hr) the battery gets to a higher state of charge in practice it don't work.
Just used my new Gel's in anger for the first time over Christmas, used for 3 days hardly any solar input, monitoring the voltage, the difference was staggering how high the volts held up compared the AGM's that were obviously never getting a full charge.

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