Additional Leisure batteries (1 Viewer)

[IanF]

Hi I would like to install 2 additional Leisure batteries making 4 in total. Our existing ones are only 11 month old and have never been heavily discharged. My question is that knowing the best advice is to have all the batteries age and ah matched ---------what is likely to happen in terms of battery life expectancy if I don't age match them? Thanks again Ian

 

[funflair]

I would add two more but make sure they are the same type open,sealed,Gel,AGM or whatever and same make and model would be good as that way they will all have the same performance curves, end of the day though you are joining them together to make one big battery.

For a year I can't see that age is much of an issue.

Martin

 

[hilldweller]

life expectancy if I don't age match them?

This where the meet was when that question was asked, the relatives gather to honour the FUNsters gone to the great pitch in the sky.

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[Geo]

Worst case scenario apart from Brians
Say the 1 x year old Batteries perform at 90% and your new one being new should perform at 100%
then your new giant battery set will perform at 95% Dont loose any sleep if the old batteries are in good fettle Howeverif you do have a bad one that is causing you to look at adding more powerthen that one will pull down the overall set up
these figures are for example only and should be commented on as such

 

[hilldweller]

Hi I would like to install 2 additional Leisure batteries making 4 in total.

A serious question is do you have the means to charge 4 of them ? It needs quite a charger to do that in a respectable time.

 

[canopus]

Minor point - how much more will your vans payload be compromised by two more lumps of lead?

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[funflair]

Minor point - how much more will your vans payload be compromised by two more lumps of lead?

About 55Kg.

M

 

[Steve]

A serious question is do you have the means to charge 4 of them ? It needs quite a charger to do that in a respectable time.

Yes a very good point from Brain, if the onboard charger is say 20amp then thats 5amp per battery that could take some time to pick back up. I had the same problem and changed the charger for a 50amp one but even with that when i have been hitting them hard with the inverter can take a good while to recover

 

[canopus]

Thats a lot Martin when you don't have much payload to start with in the first place.

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[IanF]

Minor point - how much more will your vans payload be compromised by two more lumps of lead?

Not a problem really we've got 150kgs spare

 

[IanF]

A serious question is do you have the means to charge 4 of them ? It needs quite a charger to do that in a respectable time.

I have 200w of solar panels and presently my batteries never go remotely flat. I want additional battery capability to extend our off ehu capability

 

[ShiftZZ]

How good is the 'drop test' in telling you the state of the battery?

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[Hagstrom]

I read that you could overcook your standard charger if the four batteries get significantly low. If you charge via an Elektroblok they can breakdown if asked to charge at a rate beyond their capacity. Somewhere* out there in the internet Webby there's a charger amperage to battery capacity ratio to aim for (with the inference that the limit should not be exceeded.)

*A&N Caravan Services?

 

[hilldweller]

I have 200w of solar panels and presently my batteries never go remotely flat. I want additional battery capability to extend our off ehu capability

200W is 16A theoretical max. Realistically half that. How many hours 8 would be amazing. 10A * 8h = 80Ah.

I'm afraid you look way below what you need on the charger front.

 

[funflair]

200W is 16A theoretical max. Realistically half that. How many hours 8 would be amazing. 10A * 8h = 80Ah.

I'm afraid you look way below what you need on the charger front.

Doesn't that depend on what comes out per day, even using the inverter for the dreaded hair dryer, coffee machine and microwave we only usually put about 50ah back before being fully charged.

Martin

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[hilldweller]

Doesn't that depend on what comes out per day
Martin

Yes of course but the OP is saying he needs more capacity. He should know.

>> "I want additional battery capability to extend our off ehu capability"

He will double his time when starting out with a full charge, it's when he has used his energy it can go pear shaped if he cannot replace that charge.

 

[funflair]

Yes of course but the OP is saying he needs more capacity. He should know.

>> "I want additional battery capability to extend our off ehu capability"

He will double his time when starting out with a full charge, it's when he has used his energy it can go pear shaped if he cannot replace that charge.

But he also says his current set up has never gone anywhere near flat so really it sounds to me like he is just insuring against too many cloudy days in a row.

Martin

 

[IanF]

But he also says his current set up has never gone anywhere near flat so really it sounds to me like he is just insuring against too many cloudy days in a row.

Martin

Hi Martin-----Your interpretation of our needs is 100% accurate!
Ian

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[DuxDeluxe]

Hi Martin-----Your interpretation of our needs is 100% accurate!
Ian

I'm going to do a similar thing with a third leisure battery....... for similar reasons

 

[Techno]

Me too
I already dididit

 

[Techno]

Two

Plus two

Aided by 60amp B2B
And 500kg spare payload

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[IanF]

Two

Plus two

Aided by 60amp B2B
And 500kg spare payload

Thanks again Andy

 

[Techno]

Thanks again Andy

Then I have four more for my inverter

 

[hilldweller]

Me too
I already dididit

What is your ratio of solar to lead acid capacity.

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[Techno]

Solar doesn't charge my hab batteries only my inverter batteries

 

[funflair]

Hi Martin-----Your interpretation of our needs is 100% accurate!
Ian

I only know because I did the same, had two GEL batteries on that we're most likely 10 years old so bought two more identical in Germany as they were cheaper there, got home and couldn't bare to throw the the old ones away as they were still good so I mixed the old and the new, certainly more capacity when the inverter is in use and 320watts of solar keeps it all topped up unless it's cloudy, I don't like to see the batteries less than 12.6volts though.

I know you should match the age as close as possible, I did put the old ones via a isolator switch so I can switch them out if they do go down.

Martin