Battery type and charger

[wp1234]

At the moment I have two Haze GEL 100Ah leisure batteries and due age I am looking to change them out for two larger Ah batteries ( Banner 115Ah maybe or bigger if I can find).
My questions are - Are AGM batteries as good as GEL, I can see they are a fair amount cheaper and secondly if I fitted AGM type would I have to change any settings on my charger ( which is set for the two Haze GEL‘s) at the moment .

Thank you any advice in advance .

 

[Driventemple]

Just opening the popcorn for this one!

 

[Andacami]

Plenty of info on these forums and elsewhere regarding battery types and charging profiles.

Here's one: Thread 'Batteries again ....sorry!' https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/batteries-again-sorry.237920/

If I recall correctly, folks generally avoid AGM.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Lenny HB

LENNYYYY!!

 

[wp1234]

Update ….well that’s that then , here we are off grid tonight and the lights have gone out , the batteries have finally died.
The 2 four year old Haze 110ah Gel batteries ,that as far as I’m aware have been looked after , look set for the bin .
We have been off grid for two days and two nights and really only using the Avtex TV and Soundbar for a few hours a day.
Really disappointing performance from Haze so it’s out shopping tomorrow for two new batteries.

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[Eggs]

Update ….well that’s that then , here we are off grid tonight and the lights have gone out , the batteries have finally died.
The 2 four year old Haze 110ah Gel batteries ,that as far as I’m aware have been looked after , look set for the bin .
We have been off grid for two days and two nights and really only using the Avtex TV and Soundbar for a few hours a day.
Really disappointing performance from Haze so it’s out shopping tomorrow for two new batteries.

How are you charging your batteries?

 

[Lenny HB]

AGM batteries are total shite as leisure batteries, Exide or Sonnenschine Gels often last 10 years plus..

 

[wp1234]

How are you charging your batteries?

Usually leave the van plugged in on the drive at home.The batteries appeared fully charged when we left on Friday now Sunday night the lights have gone out and to be honest we have been away from the van most of the day .

 

[wp1234]

AGM batteries are total shite as leisure batteries, Exide or Sonnenschine Gels often last 10 years plus..

Thanks for this , do you have a link to where I could buy ? also someone recommended Victron Gels as good , any thoughts .
thank you

 

[Al n Val]

AGM batteries are total shite as leisure batteries.

there’s nowt like being positive Lenny

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[Richard n Ann]

Thanks for this , do you have a link to where I could buy ? also someone recommended Victron Gels as good , any thoughts .
thank you

Just look up exide ES900 batteries on the Tayna Web site

 

[Jev88]

If you have "killed" your Gel batteries within two years I would check what your charger has been doing to them.

 

[wp1234]

there’s nowt like being positive Lenny

If you have "killed" your Gel batteries within two years I would check what your charger has been doing to them.

4 years not two ,still pretty poor though.
I would like to know what is the best way to keep them in tip top condition . Is it keep them on charge when not in use or not ?

 

[Revolvor]

AGM are

4 years not two ,still pretty poor though.
I would like to know what is the best way to keep them in tip top condition . Is it keep them on charge when not in use or not ?

Solar panels would help with battery longevity, and give you more time off-grid. You may still have to charge them periodically during winter.

 

[wp1234]

AGM are

Solar panels would help with battery longevity, and give you more time off-grid. You may still have to charge them periodically during winter.

Sorry but should have mentioned that I have 150w of solar but this time of year obviously don’t get much out of it .

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[autorouter]

4 years not two ,still pretty poor though.
I would like to know what is the best way to keep them in tip top condition . Is it keep them on charge when not in use or not ?

Any type of lead-acid battery, including gel and AGM, need to be charged to 100% every few days. Leaving then in a less than 100% state for more than a few days causes sulphation, and gradual capacity loss. That's why a smart charger has a 'float' phase. It's designed to keep the battery fully charged, but not overcharge it.

There's two types of solar controller - PWM and MPPT. I think only MPPT types have a smart charging profile, with a bulk, absorption and float phase. What make/model is your solar controller?

 

[wp1234]

Any type of lead-acid battery, including gel and AGM, need to be charged to 100% every few days. Leaving then in a less than 100% state for more than a few days causes sulphation, and gradual capacity loss. That's why a smart charger has a 'float' phase. It's designed to keep the battery fully charged, but not overcharge it.

There's two types of solar controller - PWM and MPPT. I think only MPPT types have a smart charging profile, with a bulk, absorption and float phase. What make/model is your solar controller?

Hi there ,
My solar controller I have is a duo controller as per photo . It’s set to Gel battery , 90% to leisure batteries 10% engine battery and 25Hz. I assume the settings are right.
I’m in the process of testing my two Gels as per Lenny HB advice but I would be surprised if they pass muster given my recent blackout experience . I have discovered though that my two batteries may not have been 100% connected correctly by the dealer in that the charger cables both go to the one battery and not one to each of the batteries( as per picture) .
Any thoughts on this set up appreciated .

 

[Richard n Ann]

Hi there ,
My solar controller I have is a duo controller as per photo . It’s set to Gel battery , 90% to leisure batteries 10% engine battery and 25Hz. I assume the settings are right.
I’m in the process of testing my two Gels as per Lenny HB advice but I would be surprised if they pass muster given my recent blackout experience . I have discovered though that my two batteries may not have been 100% connected correctly by the dealer in that the charger cables both go to the one battery and not one to each of the batteries( as per picture) .
Any thoughts on this set up appreciated .

Gels take longer to charge on the absorption phase. I find the cheap Bluetooth logger handy to see how long the solar has managed to hold 14 odd volts, it needs to be a few hours if the battery has been discharged a bit. They're only about £20 on ebay and super easy to connect.

<Broken link removed>

 

[wp1234]

Thanks for this sounds like a good investment.I’ve just done a quick battery health check on my two gels prior to doing a load test and the tester says both batteries are in good health mmmmmmm

 

[autorouter]

There's two types of solar controller - PWM and MPPT. I think only MPPT types have a smart charging profile, with a bulk, absorption and float phase

So, wrong again This controller is a PWM, with smart charging (bulk, absorption, float)

Thanks for this sounds like a good investment.I’ve just done a quick battery health check on my two gels prior to doing a load test and the tester says both batteries are in good health mmmmmmm

This is a good test for a starter battery, but not a good test for a leisure (gel) battery. A starter battery is designed for a massive current for a short time (a minute or two at most). It then gets recharged from the alternator very quickly. So the 705A reading is OK for a starter battery.

A leisure battery like those gels are designed for a modest current over a much longer time (hours or days), anything over about 20A per battery will not be good for them. 705A is way over the top, but for a very short time you might have got away with it. Best not to use these starter battery testers for leisure batteries.

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[Lenny HB]

As autorouter says that type of tester is useless for a leisure battery. I had a couple of batteries fail, the CCA test passed them at 80% so they wouldn't replace them under warranty. In leisure use drawing 5 to 10 amps one would last 10ah the other 11ah.

 

[wp1234]

As autorouter says that type of tester is useless for a leisure battery. I had a couple of batteries fail, the CCA test passed them at 80% so they wouldn't replace them under warranty. In leisure use drawing 5 to 10 amps one would last 10ah the other 11ah.

Thank for this Lenny .
My batteries are on lamp test right now so this will be interesting. Any thoughts on how my batteries are connected up ..is it right or wrong ? Cheers

 

[Lenny HB]

For two batteries and they are close together it's fine but if they are seperate (not next to each other) it is best to take the neg connection from one battery and the positive from the other.

 

[wp1234]

For two batteries and they are close together it's fine but if they are seperate (not next to each other) it is best to take the neg connection from one battery and the positive from the other.

Thanks for that , yes they do sit side by side but when I put them back in I will connect as you suggest .
I assume the solar connections going into just one battery is fine ?
cheers

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks for that , yes they do sit side by side but when I put them back in I will connect as you suggest .
I assume the solar connections going into just one battery is fine ?
cheers

If you are going to the trouble, connecting everthing the same way is best but with two batteries close together it makes little difference.

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[Revolvor]

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