Batteries

[BOWHOUSE52]

Hi Folks back to battery issues what are people's thoughts about one larger battery than two ie one 240ampish against two 110 amp as I need to reposition the batteries that I have All constructive thoughts welcome thanks John

 

[EuroTrotters]

good question!

 

[poppycamper]

It's not just a question of ah's but also max current discharge if you plan to use inverter. Think you will find two smaller batteries will give more current than equivalent sized single battery

 

[autorouter]

I think it's more to do with weight and access. A 240Ah 12V battery is heavy, and difficult to slot into a restricted space. If that's not a problem you have then yes, a 240Ah battery would do the job. But not really any better than two 120Ah ones.

If the alternative is two 110Ah ones then I suppose the 240Ah one is about 9% bigger.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Thank you poppycamper that just the sort of answer I require as I have never been into electric problems

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[Raul]

There is a site called “ batteryuniversity.com

Lots of good info and schematics for wiring batteries in parallel. The single battery is always superior, compared to parallel made up capacity.
Tons of data in there if you want to learn about batteries of all sort of chemistries.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Hi thanks Raul what a fantastic site got loads of information some not really required but still useful and needed to understand about batteries A big thanks

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Next Question !! Has anybody had anything to do or used Hankook leisure batteries I was talking to someone yesterday and they recommend these as they were good for of grid use and they were Leisure & not Engine starter batteries

 

[funflair]

Next Question !! Has anybody had anything to do or used Hankook leisure batteries I was talking to someone yesterday and they recommend these as they were good for of grid use and they were Leisure & not Engine starter batteries

The one I have looked at is described as "dual purpose" which to me says starter battery, I tend to believe that weight and to some degree price is a good indicator of a battery's potential, Hankook 110ah is 23kg and £73 an Exide Gel 110ah is 39kg and £240, there must be a difference somewhere

Martin

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Hi Martin yes that is how I have looked at them but this guy from South Africa was full of praise for them and when someone goes on and on it makes you stop and think

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[Stealaway]

I suspect they are made by Numax. Top quality battery manufacturers.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Hi steal away what makes you think they are Numax

 

[Stealaway]

I read a report about batteries awhile ago that said they were and the specification and design are very similar if you check them out.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Ok cheers will look into it

 

[Deneb]

Hankook are made by AtlasBX in Korea. They are one of the worlds largest battery manufacturers. They are certainly not bad batteries, but for so-called leisure batteries with similar usage patterns in mind, there are superior batteries such as Varta LFD and Yuasa Leisure EFB ranges that can be bought for a similar price, if not cheaper.

Be aware that battery manufacturers can call anything they want a leisure battery. There is no minimum specificxation required to allow that definition to be used. The Hankook leisure ranges (XDC, DC and XV) are all suggested by AtlasBX as suitable for moderate to heavy engine starting capabilities and moderate leisure use. The DC series is rated at over 1000 cycles for 10% DOD, but drops to around 100 cycles at 50% DOD, so if you are regularly on EHU and/or have limited off-grid power requirements they could be fine. If you are a heavy off-grid power user with an inverter or other high power consumers they may not be as long lasting.

Numax are not a battery manufacturer. It is a brand name of Manbat batteries who are a UK battery supplier. Some of them may be sourced as unlabelled batteries from AtlasBX which then have the Numax labels applied to them. Only guessing here as some of the battery cases look similar,

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[BOWHOUSE52]

What a great reply thanks one hell of a mine field T he way I am looking at it at the moment if you buy the heavy one you my get longer life our of them Then that creates other problems like the over weight issue As i say a mine field

 

[Stealaway]

What a great reply thanks one hell of a mine field

These are top of my want list - I have had great service from a previous set.

Numax XV35MF Supreme Plus Marine Leisure Battery | MDS Battery

Numax XV35MF Supreme Plus 12V 120Ah Dual Purpose Marine Leisure Battery, High Capacity, Maintenance Free Design with Twin Terminals

www.mdsbattery.co.uk

 

[Raul]

Generally you would want at least 27kg per 100ah. Some, exceed 30kg per 100ah.
Anything less, you are looking at very few cycles. And stay away from calcium doped ones.
Yuasa,exide, Rolls, Trojan, crown, US batt, and few more, make their own.
Most others are outsourced and a sticker applied.
Have a look at Tanya or batt megastore for some Trojan or Rolls. You will not regret if you look after them.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Have you done an high percentage of off grid with these as we use ours on c/s no hook up and wild camping in Europe

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Thanks to Raul again for that good advice

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[Deneb]

These are top of my want list - I have had great service from a previous set.

Numax XV35MF Supreme Plus Marine Leisure Battery | MDS Battery

Numax XV35MF Supreme Plus 12V 120Ah Dual Purpose Marine Leisure Battery, High Capacity, Maintenance Free Design with Twin Terminals

www.mdsbattery.co.uk

They are rebadged AtlasBX. According to the manufacturer's catalogue, the XV series is a marine grade heavy duty starter battery with moderate cycling capability. Note the absence of dual purpose and deep cycle recommendations, so how do Numax market it as a leisure battery?

 

[Raul]

Yes, my house is off grid on Rolls Surette S480.
They been commissioned by me, in 2015, imported from Canada via Barden UK.
Now lots stock them. The best ones are that are NOT in stock, and you get fresh made, with 5-6 weeks turn around.

 

[Stealaway]

They are rebadged AtlasBX. According to the manufacturer's catalogue, the XV series is a marine grade heavy duty starter battery with moderate cycling capability. Note the absence of dual purpose and deep cycle recommendations, so how do Numax market it as a leisure battery?

Just like Varta -- as fitted to many new German MoHo

LA95 Varta Professional Dual Purpose AGM Leisure Battery 840 095 085

LA95 VARTA Professional Dual Purpose AGM Leisure Battery <i>Innovation with Purpose, Premium Experience, Powerful History</i> VARTA was founded in 1887 Germany, and was established fully in 1904 by delivering the first electric vehicle battery, famously driven by Thomas Edison. Soon after, VARTA...

www.tayna.co.uk

 

[Deneb]

Just like Varta -- as fitted to many new German MoHo

Assuming that you mean the Varta is a dual purpose battery rather than also being made by AtlasBX (which it isn't) the difference is that Varta recommend it for motorhomes and caravans with moderate energy requirements, as they claim "up to four times the cyclic stability of conventional flooded batteries" with up to 400 cycles at 50% DOD, whereas AtlasBX do not recommend the XV series batteries for requirements that include dual purpose capability. If AtlasBX rate their DC series as good (three stars) for dual purpose capability) with less than 100 cycles at 50% DOD, there's probably a reason why they don't quote cycle life for the XV series and don't recommend it for similar use.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Good god I never thought such a simple question would prompt so much interesting and very interesting information It just shows not only I think it's a mine field but a lot of others do also

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[Stealaway]

I think it's a mine field but a lot of others do also

This could add to your confusion

https://www.manbat.co.uk/wp-content/themes/manbat/pos/numax_2012.pdf

I'm selling my brand Varta AGM - supplied with the new van because of the bad reports of poor performance on here. My previous set of Numax where superb with over 5 years of hard use.

 

[PeteH]

As far as I am aware, the latest generation of Varta batteries are flooded?. not AGM?. Eg: the LFD90.

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Time for bed!!! all this is doing my head in Will look at this again tomorrow

 

[BOWHOUSE52]

Morning to you all who have tried to help me with the original question of one battery or two certainly produced a lot of Tech stuff just say thanks for all your answers one last thing Because I am moving the position of the batteries I need to extend the cable that goes from the electrics into the battery box bay about 2 foot What is the best connector to join them with thank John

 

[Raul]

Buy pre made lug or clamp (what suits you batt post), terminated cables 25mm2. Try 12v planet, or lots of companies do them on ebay as well. While you are at it, is worth getting a battery post cube fuse, inc holder.

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