Leisure battery help please. (1 Viewer)

[Tony Hunt]

After seven years use Ive come to the conclusion that I need to invest in a couple of new leisure batteries for our Bessacarr E745 as they dont seem to have the poke that they used to have.. At present I have two 110s under the front seats and after measuring the gap available I reckon I could fit slightly larger ones say 130-135s quite safely. My question is would this be adviseable and in order or should i stick to a new pair of 110s. Also Im a bit flummoxed reading supposed experts views on what type to get, some say gel batteries, others recommend sealed & maintenance free, my gut reaction is go for the ones that are not sealed so that maintenance can be carried out if needed. Just wondered what some of you long timers views are on the subject and what experiences youve had with the different types. Last question is where can I get a really good deal down here in the south or on the Internet. Im not interested in cheap rubbish just to save a pile. Just want to find the best at a fair price.

 

[TJ-RV]

Tony,

Your best choice IMO would be a pair of golf cart batteries. Because they're 6 volt batteries, you'll connect them in series (negative of one battery to positive of the other) to provide 220 Amp Hours at 12 volts. They'll be flooded wet cell batteries (not sealed). They're designed for daily deep discharge and charging.

I'm not familiar with battery suppliers in the UK, but you could ask a golf course where they buy the batteries for their golf carts.

AGM (absorbed glass mat) and gel cell batteries are good if you can't easily get to them to check and add water.

One caveat if you decide to go with gel cell batteries - they require different charging conditions than flooded wet cell or AGM batteries. Your charger may or may not have a switch to allow the option for charging gel cells.

 

[Digger Driver]

Theres a very good post in this group i read some time ago about this subject!
Having worked in the motor trade even i was convinced into buying just the basic battery that gives you your power requirements!
All the fancy ones are rubbish!
Boost your power if you like but don't buy the posh ones!

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[geoff1947]

Leisure btys

I am in the same situation so any advice you get will be of great help to me. :thumb:

 

[Digger Driver]

From personal experience!
I have a 95 amp, a 110 amp and a 125 amp batteries running my bus!
I have left room for more but they power me nicely and i have a van set up like NASA!

 

[shortcircuit]

With respect to the previous postings they have given you advise based on experience rather than technical knowhow.

I understand that the plates in a leisure battery are a different thickness to that of a starter battery. A starter battery needs to give a high current instantly whereas a leisure battery give a reduced output over a longer period.There is therefor a difference.

Do a bit more research and hopefull George Telford who has a depth of knowledge on this subject will add his tuppenceworth

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[Tony Hunt]

i understand that theres a difference between a starter battery and a leisure battery. Its all the different contradictory claims that are confusing me. Ive spent most of the evening reading about different types of leisure batteries. Most of the ordinary lead acid types are claimed to be deep cycle and starter batteries when you read about them which to the ordinary non techi person like me is confusing. Equally confusing is different claims about the need to ventilate some batteries and not others, when you read one post it says one thing and when you read another firms bumff it says totally the opposite. Its all doing my head in.
Im wittling my choice down now possibly to the new Electrosol 110ah sealed maintenance free lead acid sold by premier motorhomes in chichester and sold with the benefit of a 5 year guarantee and priced at £108 each. £18 more than my local motorfactors offering but they only have a short 2 year guarantee. I fancied getting 2 X 130ah batteries but the cheapest I could find on the internet were £170 each so have knocked that idea on the head.

 

[andyman]

If you go to one of the shows you will get 110amp wet cells for arrond £50. Have you tried your local comercial motor factors, just ask for there best trade price. Most will give a good discount when asked.