AGM Leisure battery setup (1 Viewer)

[Fall2fast]

I bought two matched AGM’s a couple of months ago and fitted one immediately to replace the existing lead acid which was goosed. I was about to install the second leisure battery today and had a last look online for do’s and don’ts (mistake).

• The general consensus seemed to be that my choice of battery AGM wasn’t a good one (humiliated).
• An AGM battery should not be overcharged as it will shorten the life or kill it (anxious).
• I have been leaving the MH on EHU when parked at home. Now I’m unsure if the existing battery management system will charge the new battery properly and if it will cut off when necessary (humiliated, anxious and now confused).

My main question is, I am planning on adding solar in the near future; will a good MPPT solve the charging/health issue?

I have already committed to the AGMs so feel that I should probably use them until the end of their (possibly short) life. Like the batteries, my own life expectancy might be compromised if I have to explain to my wife that I was reviewing my position on the recent battery purchase which I confidently insisted would be life enhancing and of course I knew what I was doing!

I plan to stick with the one battery until I am sure I am not compounding my problems. MH is a 2014 Autoquest, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Lucky]

If/when the AGMs fail, explain to your wife its because you did/did not* use the motorhome too much/not enough*

(delete as appropriate).

 

[Two on Tour]

We also have a 2014 Elddis Autoquest and as well as the BCA ehu charger being prone to packing up, it has the one basic fit all charging profile which is as rough as a house brick.
With enough solar on your roof and a good MPPT charge controller like a Victron or Voltronic which have multiple charge profile to suit different battery chemistries, even your AGM batteries will stand a better chance of survival.
By the way, I binned our BCA ehu charger and fitted a Victron ehu charger when we switched to lithium.

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[royandsharont]

Adria fit AGM leisure batteries to the PVC’s & mine will come with 2 & a solar panel so they must be okay. I have no idea what the electrics will be but expect it to be up to the job given the price of it all. My Bessacarr had a smart Sergeants panel that did it all from both sources

 

[Lenny HB]

The best place for AGM batteries is the bin.
Just because a manufacturer fits them doesn't mean they are good. The Hymer group have been fitting them since 2012 just look at the complaints and failures on the German forums.
The ones in my last van lasted 18 months and they wouldn't honour the warranty.
Current van came with AGM didn't use it I fitted 3 Gels.

An AGM battery should not be overcharged as it will shorten the life or kill it (anxious).

Under charging also kills them so does heavy loads, they are a pile of poo totally unsuitable for leisure use.

 

[Phil89a]

Adria fit AGM leisure batteries to the PVC’s & mine will come with 2 & a solar panel so they must be okay. I have no idea what the electrics will be but expect it to be up to the job given the price of it all. My Bessacarr had a smart Sergeants panel that did it all from both sources

When I asked Adria what the electrics were going to be they said….

I believe that the Electrobloc of this model is a Schaudt EBL 211 and the control panel is a Schaudt LT 52

No idea what any of this is

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[Hoovie]

I bought two matched AGM’s a couple of months ago and fitted one immediately to replace the existing lead acid which was goosed. I was about to install the second leisure battery today and had a last look online for do’s and don’ts (mistake).

• The general consensus seemed to be that my choice of battery AGM wasn’t a good one (humiliated).
• An AGM battery should not be overcharged as it will shorten the life or kill it (anxious).
• I have been leaving the MH on EHU when parked at home. Now I’m unsure if the existing battery management system will charge the new battery properly and if it will cut off when necessary (humiliated, anxious and now confused).

My main question is, I am planning on adding solar in the near future; will a good MPPT solve the charging/health issue?

I have already committed to the AGMs so feel that I should probably use them until the end of their (possibly short) life. Like the batteries, my own life expectancy might be compromised if I have to explain to my wife that I was reviewing my position on the recent battery purchase which I confidently insisted would be life enhancing and of course I knew what I was doing!

I plan to stick with the one battery until I am sure I am not compounding my problems. MH is a 2014 Autoquest, any advice would be appreciated.

There is nothing wrong with AGM Batteries. There seems to be some kind of downer on this forum about AGMs being terrible and Lithium is God. Ignore that.
What you really should have done is fitted them both at the same time. They may have been matched when you bought them, but after using one for two months and the other not at all, thay are no longer matched. I would charge the unused (2nd) one fully until the charger goes to float, then charge the installed (1st) one until the charger goes to float, and then install the two together. That is the best in the situation and will still be fine.

I don't know what your existing battery management system so can't comment on that question with any certainty. Bit of info may be useful as to what is fitted in your Autoquest.
If you have a decent charging system, then it will not overcharge any battery. If you don't have a decent charging system then you will either not charge ANY battery properly - it doesn't matter if it is AGM or not.
If you are relying on a factory installed charger, then chances are that you DON'T have a great charger as few motorhomes come with decent chargers as standard - doesn't matter if you have AGM, Wet Cell, Gel or Lithium, upgrading a british motorhomes charger will treat your batteries better

Will a good MPPT solve the charging/health issue? well, a good MPPT is a good idea anyway obviously. Will it solve the issue? depends if you actually have an issue. do you have an issue or are you assuming because you have AGM batteries you must have an issue? to repeat, there is nothing wrong with AGM Batteries.

 

[Fall2fast]

There is nothing wrong with AGM Batteries. There seems to be some kind of downer on this forum about AGMs being terrible and Lithium is God. Ignore that.
What you really should have done is fitted them both at the same time. They may have been matched when you bought them, but after using one for two months and the other not at all, thay are no longer matched. I would charge the unused (2nd) one fully until the charger goes to float, then charge the installed (1st) one until the charger goes to float, and then install the two together. That is the best in the situation and will still be fine.

I don't know what your existing battery management system so can't comment on that question with any certainty. Bit of info may be useful as to what is fitted in your Autoquest.
If you have a decent charging system, then it will not overcharge any battery. If you don't have a decent charging system then you will either not charge ANY battery properly - it doesn't matter if it is AGM or not.
If you are relying on a factory installed charger, then chances are that you DON'T have a great charger as few motorhomes come with decent chargers as standard - doesn't matter if you have AGM, Wet Cell, Gel or Lithium, upgrading a british motorhomes charger will treat your batteries better

Will a good MPPT solve the charging/health issue? well, a good MPPT is a good idea anyway obviously. Will it solve the issue? depends if you actually have an issue. do you have an issue or are you assuming because you have AGM batteries you must have an issue? to repeat, there is nothing wrong with AGM Batteries.

I have the factory installed charger which I believe is not great. I wasn't sure if an MPPT would measure the battery health and adjust charge accordingly but I guess this won't change th echarge during EHU so I might do what Two On Tour did and replace the charger as well.

I really appreciate all the advice and comments from everyone so far

 

[Hoovie]

I have the factory installed charger which I believe is not great. I wasn't sure if an MPPT would measure the battery health and adjust charge accordingly but I guess this won't change th echarge during EHU so I might do what Two On Tour did and replace the charger as well.

I really appreciate all the advice and comments from everyone so far

Not really sure what you are meaning by the 'battery health'. A good MPPT Controller will charge to a selected charging profile - charging up to a set voltage and once the battery bank is at that voltage, will stay there until the current that is being accepted by the battery drops to a certain level and once that happens will drop into a lower voltage. This is what happens when you get a "smart" charger/controller. It is in essense another name for a Multi-stage charger. These chargers start off in BULK; once voltage hits set value, they change to ABSORPTION; then once the current drops to a low enough value (when the battery is full) they change again to FLOAT.
Your factory charger has no modes - it likely just puts out a constant voltage (13.6V more than likely). Your factory split-charge probably just connects the alternator to the Leisure Battery via a Relay.
For best charging performance, you should get a proper smart/multistage Mains Battery Charger. a B2B to replace the Split-Charger can be a good idea but this can be tricky to fit on some motorhomes. If you have a BCA kit then I think there may be a simple D+ fuse you can remove to allow that but could have other consequences (fridge, step, hab electrics auto-off depending on how it is wired).

FWIW, I have a Sargent Unit and the first thing I did was disable the Mains Charger and Split-Charger and fit aftermarket replacements.

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[Two on Tour]

I have the factory installed charger which I believe is not great. I wasn't sure if an MPPT would measure the battery health and adjust charge accordingly but I guess this won't change th echarge during EHU so I might do what Two On Tour did and replace the charger as well.

I really appreciate all the advice and comments from everyone so far

Apuljack make a 6 stage direct replacement for your ehu charger which is a drop in replacement that needs no mods.

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[Lenny HB]

These chargers start off in BULK; once voltage hits set value, they change to ABSORPTION; then once the current drops to a low enough value (when the battery is full) they change again to FLOAT.

That is not correct, once the charging voltage reaches the set charged voltage it then switches to the Absorbtion phase which maintains the charged voltage with a current limit usually around 1 to 2 amps for a preset time period. About 1 hour for wet cells, 1 to 4 hours for AGM and 4 to 16 hours for Gel, after that it will drop to the float voltage with a charge limit of around 1 amp.
The absorption time varies between charger manufacturers, its more critical on Gels as when they reach the charged voltage they are only around 80% charged.

 

[pappajohn]

Many car manufacturers are dumping AGM as they aren't fit for purpose on auto stop-start vehicles.
My stop-start failed at 3 years old but being a tight yorkshireman I managed to squeeze another 2 years without it until it couldn't turn the engine over. .
I now switch off stop-start

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[Hoovie]

That is not correct, once the charging voltage reaches the set charged voltage it then switches to the Absorbtion phase which maintains the charged voltage with a current limit usually around 1 to 2 amps for a preset time period. About 1 hour for wet cells, 1 to 4 hours for AGM and 4 to 16 hours for Gel, after that it will drop to the float voltage with a charge limit of around 1 amp.
The absorption time varies between charger manufacturers, its more critical on Gels as when they reach the charged voltage they are only around 80% charged.

Explain how what I said is not what you repeated as far as the general stages go.

the time and action in the absorption phase you described is just wrong. (no wonder the AGM batteries you have had didn't perform well if the charger you had worked like that!)
Ref the times - depends on the batteries. to much information when you have no idea what AGM battery he has.

 

[Fall2fast]

Apuljack make a 6 stage direct replacement for your ehu charger which is a drop in replacement that needs no mods.

AE276 ULTRA the PS276 PSU Direct Drop in Replacement

Apuljack Engineering offers the best electronic items for caravan and motor homes. Lowest prices guaranteed.Click now for product information, reviews, and prices for the AE276 ULTRA, the PS276 replacement for Baileys, Coachman, Adria's

shop.apuljackengineering.co.uk

Thanks for that.

Though why does it have to be more expensive than the battery . By the time I buy solar, MPPT and new charger I might have to sell the MH to pay for it .

 

[VXman]

I have the factory installed charger which I believe is not great. I wasn't sure if an MPPT would measure the battery health and adjust charge accordingly but I guess this won't change th echarge during EHU so I might do what Two On Tour did and replace the charger as well.

I really appreciate all the advice and comments from everyone so far

Whats considered good/bad chargers? I have the Schaudt Elecktoblok EBL 119 which takes control of charging duties. It also has the WA 121 545 booster module to increase charging capacity. From what I have read it seems to have taken charging quite seriously.

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[Hoovie]

To Illustrate how the phases of Bulk - Absorption - Float (also called CC = Constant Current - CV = Constant Voltage = Float), This graphing shows how the voltage raises to the set value, then stays at that voltage whilst the current gradually drops as the battery recharges and then drops into float based on current taken.

 

[Hoovie]

I understand that the EBL 119 and the WA 121 combo is a very nice bit of kit (not used one, but looking at the spec it seems very flexible with a good output.
Aftermarket I stick to specifying Victron for main charging and Victron and Ablemail kit for B2B. All those products are fully programmable to your exact parameters.

 

[Two on Tour]

Thanks for that.

Though why does it have to be more expensive than the battery . By the time I buy solar, MPPT and new charger I might have to sell the MH to pay for it .

Although I changed over to the Victron ehu charger, it has not been switched on in over two and a half years as our solar, B2B and BatteryMaster keeps our batteries charged, so it's a bit of redundant kit, but just in case.

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[AgeingAndrew]

Many car manufacturers are dumping AGM as they aren't fit for purpose on auto stop-start vehicles.

I've seen this repeated and parroted frequently on this and other forums but have never seen the source of the information. Please cite your sources

 

[Gaston aires]

AGMs are fine and last ages providing you use the correct charging regime, ie, AGM GEL setting on your elekroblok
Phil

 

[VXman]

Many car manufacturers are dumping AGM as they aren't fit for purpose on auto stop-start vehicles.
My stop-start failed at 3 years old but being a tight yorkshireman I managed to squeeze another 2 years without it until it couldn't turn the engine over. .
I now switch off stop-start

The whole point of using an AGM in a start stop car is that AGM are more suited to this kind of use than standard batteries. They can charge more quickly.