Exide EP900 Dual AGM leisure battery.

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Carolina

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May 28, 2021
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Autosleeper
Hello. We need a new leisure battery for our Peugeot based 2012 Autosleeper Broadway. Our local battery guru has suggested the above. New to the motor home world so advice would be appreciated. Van has a solar panel but I suspect we will plugged into the mains most of the time when on site. It's a cat A battery I know but want to avoid any possible issues if we do go off grid.

Would stress that he is not trying to sell us the battery himself! Have seen what seems to be a good price for it on the Tayna website.

Thanks
 
What do you want to run if you're off hookup and do you run an inverter?. If it is only an occasional night off grid for led lights and a water pump I'd just go for an ordinary lead acid. We had a numax 90 ah lasted 7 years!
 
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The ES900 is a gel type and very good. You can discharge them further without damage (as low as 80% discharged) they last very well, sometimes 10 years, and are cheaper.
I bought ours in 2019.

www.tayna.co.uk

ES900 Exide G80 Marine Leisure Equipment GEL Battery 80Ah

ES900 Exide Marine & Leisure Equipment GEL Battery Exide are one of the leading battery companies in the world and have been delivering quality in the sector for more than 130 years! Exide has introduced its next generation of car/light vehicle batteries. The range is developed in Exide’s...
www.tayna.co.uk www.tayna.co.uk

Your chargers will need a gel profile though.
 
I fitted 2 Exide ES900 GEL batteries, they perform very well. We have about 240watts of solar and these batteries seem to charge quite quickly, and we wild camp 90% up here in the Highlands as well as in Europe. They are expensive but you usually get what you pay for.

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Thanks for all your comments which are much appreciated. I have been able to charge the old lesuire battery using my CTEK battery charger. It indicates OK to use and is a Yuasa L35-100 (12v 100ah 700a). I appreciate it might not be operating to full capacity but I have been told it could be used. Could I perhaps buy a new lead acid to run in tandem with it for the occasional nights off grid? I have the space under the bench seat it appears. What might be the cost for someone to link these up and check all is OK? It's likely our off grid use would be just Led lights and pump.
 
If your battery is much more than a year old best to replace it and fit two new batteries.
If you parallel an old battery with a new one the old one will drag the new one down and you won't get anything like the full capacity.
 
Not sure on the inverter point. Very new to motorhome life and whilst I think I am reasonably intelligent the electrical issues do confuse me😁

Thank you again for your comments
 
Agree, don't mix new and old batteries, as the new will be brought down to the old ones level.
 
Thanks Lenny

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OK. Can anyone advise on someone who might be able to assist. I am in Romford in Essex.
 
See how you get on if it's charged up again 👍.

I'd say only buy 1 battery if you are mainly on EHU. The Varta LFD 90 is a good standard wet battery if your chargers don't have the gel setting and is only about £100
 
Carolina said:
OK. Can anyone advise on someone who might be able to assist. I am in Romford in Essex.
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Let us know which bit you want help with? Finding, fitting etc.... If it is just a battery install or attaching an inverter then some local Funster might be able to help or perhaps at a meet?
Personally I avoid using an inverter when I can as most devices can run from 12v (hairdryers and heaters being the main exceptions that people frequently ask about).
 
Exide are a good brand. Lenny is wrong to say AGM batteries to not perform very well as the newer ones are very highly rated and some come with a 5 year guarantee. However, You need to check your charging system's is suitable for the type of battery your going to install as Lead Acid, AGM, Gel & Lithium have their own charging profile and likely to be different from Lead Acid. I agree with The Wino, Lead Acid is fine if your going to be on hook up most of the time.

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Lenny HB said:
I am not wrong, if I was why to I keep getting PM's from members about their AGM's failing in under two years.
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The reason I say you are wrong Lenny is because of your experience with Banner AGM batteries you had many years ago which failed you and the same car battery made by Banner was a disaster and withdrawn by a major car manufacturer. This is what you have told members on numerous occasions and I for one am not challenging this. I am unable to speke for or against the members who have messaged you about their AGM failures, whether the same AGM battery or otherwise as I have no knowledge of when this occurred, how their system wad set up and how the battery was used. However, and this is a big however, I'm aware that your view of AGM batteries goes back a long, long way and since your bad experience of AGM batteries, new AGM batteries have been introduced into the market place and these are of a different construction compared with previous AGM batteries and perform almost as good as some Gel's and at a fraction of the cost of Gels. There are now multiple battery company's confirming the enhanced performance of these new AGM batteries, Pure Lead Carbon for instance appears to be a major leap forward with respect to number of cycles and how deep they can be repeatedly discharged with little to no risk of sulphation. All the bennifits are there to be read on the Internet.
 
PhilandMena said:
perform almost as good as some Gel's and at a fraction of the cost of Gels.
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Just looked a couple of AGM's up on Tayna, the enduroline 105ah is £139.99.

The Exide ES900 80ah (64ah usable don't forget) is I think about £148 so the price difference is negligible, capacity too.

The way I see it is that gel batteries have never had a bad reputation, and are fitted as standard into new German Motorhomes, so that alone tells you something. The new AGM's may be ok but why risk it? 😊
 
Thanks to you all, much appreciated. I will try the old battery first of all. Will come back and let you know how I get on.
 
PhilandMena said:
The reason I say you are wrong Lenny is because of your experience with Banner AGM batteries you had many years ago which failed you and the same car battery made by Banner was a disaster and withdrawn by a major car manufacturer. This is what you have told members on numerous occasions and I for one am not challenging this. I am unable to speke for or against the members who have messaged you about their AGM failures, whether the same AGM battery or otherwise as I have no knowledge of when this occurred, how their system wad set up and how the battery was used. However, and this is a big however, I'm aware that your view of AGM batteries goes back a long, long way and since your bad experience of AGM batteries, new AGM batteries have been introduced into the market place and these are of a different construction compared with previous AGM batteries and perform almost as good as some Gel's and at a fraction of the cost of Gels. There are now multiple battery company's confirming the enhanced performance of these new AGM batteries, Pure Lead Carbon for instance appears to be a major leap forward with respect to number of cycles and how deep they can be repeatedly discharged with little to no risk of sulphation. All the bennifits are there to be read on the Internet.
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Show a good number that have lasted 7 to 10 years plus in leisure use and I might change my opinion.
Apart from the Hymer group most German manufacturers still fit Gel as standard, Carthago, Morelo, Concorde etc.

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One other thing. How do I find out what charging profile our van is set at? We understood from the supplying dealer that a new lesuire battery had been fitted before we collected it in July last year. Could it be that the battery was not the right one?
 
Carolina said:
One other thing. How do I find out what charging profile our van is set at? We understood from the supplying dealer that a new lesuire battery had been fitted before we collected it in July last year. Could it be that the battery was not the right one?
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You need the user manual of the charger, or at least the make and model so it can be looked up 👍
 
Carolina said:
One other thing. How do I find out what charging profile our van is set at? We understood from the supplying dealer that a new lesuire battery had been fitted before we collected it in July last year. Could it be that the battery was not the right one?
Click to expand...
I think your van has a Sargent charging and distribution unit and being 2012 I'm 90% certain only suitable for standard lead acid batteries.
 
Hello All.The van has a Sargent EC500 PSU having checked today. So I am assuming only lead acid batteries would be suitable? Any further advice and battery recommendations welcomed. Only occasional off Grid likely as I suggested before but happy to pay more for a battery that might be able to cope with perhaps longer periods off Grid. Thanks.
 
This is the same PSU as mine. However, it's the charger (PX300) that determines which type of leisure batteries can be charged and according to the Manual for this charger all Lead Acid batteries and most AGM batteries can be charged with this charger.
Saying that! This Pure lead carbon battery from Leoch has the same charging profile as a Lead Acid battery and has a pretty amazing performance characteristic including a 5 year guarantee from Alpha Batteries. ( Like all battery guarantees, not worth the paper their written on). Details for this battery as follows. (Also, maybe time to consider a second battery and solar panels)

www.alpha-batteries.co.uk

12v 100AH Leoch Pure AGM Lead Carbon PLH+ C100 Deep Cycle Leisure Battery NCC Class A - Alpha Batteries

12V 100Ah Ultra Deep Cycle battery for multiple applications – from Leoch’s Pure Lead Carbon series. Features • Pure Lead […]
www.alpha-batteries.co.uk www.alpha-batteries.co.uk

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Attachments

Thanks. Where would I find the charger? I also have a solar panel which I think/ believe was fitted when the vehicle was built. Will have a look at your recommendations. Would I need a second battery for infrequent off Grid vehicle use?
 
Carolina said:
Thanks. Where would I find the charger? I also have a solar panel which I think/ believe was fitted when the vehicle was built. Will have a look at your recommendations. Would I need a second battery for infrequent off Grid vehicle use?
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Possibly not! However, it all depends on how much energy your going to use when off grid. If just a bit of 12 Volt T.V the odd LED light and your fridge on gas it should not be a problem. The battery charger will be close to the PSU and may be next to it behind a facia. (Mine is and never had it out since I purchased the van).
 
Motorhomes are usually fitted with a leisure battery of about 100Ah capacity, because that's about as much as most people need for motorhome functions while stopped for a break while driving, or an overnight stop, en route to a campsite. Depending on your usage, that might stretch to a weekend break, especially in summer when usage is light.

If your system is the PC500, it probably has the PX300 mains charger which as Lenny HB says only has a standard lead-acid profile. Maybe your CTEK charger can be set to gel or AGM charging profile - my CTEK is just standard lead-acid, but it's a bit ancient now. There are plenty of modern multistage intelligent chargers that have settable profiles, such as the Victron Blue IP65, which comes in different output amperages. I use a 15A one, because when I have hookup I am not usually in a hurry to get the leisure battery charged. It has standard, gel and AGM profiles, and a lithium setting too.

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