Leisure Battery (1 Viewer)

[Colin59]

Hi, just bought a motorhome and in need of a new leisure battery .Found these on ebay :
2 X AGM LP100 100ah 12 volt Leisure Battery for £190.
Are these good value ?

 

[EX51SSS]

I'm sure there'll be a few along soon who know whether they are or not

 

[magicsurfbus]

It would be worth confirming that your charging system is compatible with AGM first.

Different battery technologies require different charger configurations. When I upgraded the leisure battery in our newly-bought MH I found AGM wasn't an option with our charger so I opted for sealed lead acid.

Also worth mentioning that leisure batteries (along with cameras and SatNavs) are a highly partisan subject on here

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[Colin59]

Thanks for the reply, i'll get the paperwork out and see if i can find the information.
I have a 2008 Swift Kontiki 665p if anyone can help

 

[Emmit]

While you're waiting, and just in case you want to save £40 (assuming your system will do AGM

 

[Podney]

Welcome to the forum.
Lots of threads on here about batteries for you to read.

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[The Dudess]

 

[Colin59]

While you're waiting, and just in case you want to save £40 (assuming your system will do AGM

Saw these earlier but one persons review said they were not agm

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

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[Mickey1]

Mickey

 

[peterc10]

I expect @Lenny HB will be along soon to give his opinion on AGM batteries.

I doubt very much that a 2008 Swift will have a charger compatible with AGM batteries.

 

[Shrimp]

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[Pausim]

Saw these earlier but one persons review said they were not agm

Looks suspiciously like a standard lead acid battery with cell tops for topping up and plug for breather tube.

 

[Emmit]

Saw these earlier but one persons review said they were not agm

They'd better be. Before I bought them I specifically rang them and confirmed that they were 'Absorbent Glass Mat'.

If they fail, (and that's easy to prove if they won't work below 50% if they aren't) I will take appropriate action.

 

[Emmit]

Looks suspiciously like a standard lead acid battery with cell tops for topping up and plug for breather tube.

There's no breather tube.

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[Norfolk Nomad]

Good site for battery info: https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/battery-basics.html

 

[PhilandMena]

Hi, @Colin59 I thought I would add my two penny worth on here and happy for you to accept, reject, ignore or explore further.

The Leisure battery market is a minefield with many batteries being sold/labeled as Leisure batteries which in fact are no more than starter batteries. Whilst there is a national and E.U. Standard for starter batteries there is no such standard for leisure batteries and as a result many battery manufacturers take advantage of this and produce fundamentally crap batteries and label them as leisure batteries. When choosing a Leisure battery look for the D.O.D (Depth of Discharge) and number of cycles and you should see something like 200 cycles at 50% DOD. This means the battery can be discharged to 50% and fully charged again 200 times in it's lifetime. Also look for the 20AH rate when the number of AH are stated on a battery label. The 20AH is the rate amount a battery discharges over 20 Hours so a 100 AH battery would discharge 5 Amps per hour over 20 Hours at the 20AH rate. Some manufactures state different rates. Follow this guide and you will be on the right track.
Beware there are members on here, who with the best intent provide wrong or misleading advice.
Some members rate the Varta LDF 90 dual purpose battery and have been promoting it on here and others have been bashing the Banner AGM batteries. According to Varta's own website the LDF 90 is for low usage for motorhomes/caravans, so it helps if you know up front what your usage is going to be. With respect to the Banner AGM's there has indeed been a widespread failure reported on the German forums but this turned out to be a failure of the charger and not the battery itself. Lead Acid, AGM and Gel batteries all require different charging voltages and you need to be aware of the capability of your charger and the maximum battery bank it can consistently maintain. Also be aware of your Solar Panel set up should you have one with respect to different battery types.

The leisure battery was (and probably still is) so poor in the UK the NCC set up a scheme whereby they selected and tested leisure batteries in independent test houses and have labeled batteries according to the results obtained. Details are here.

http://www.thencc.org.uk/our_schemes/ncc_verified_leisure_battery_scheme.aspx

Finally, some basics about leisure batteries and maintenance.

https://www.campingandcaravanningcl...nicalhelp/datasheets/guide-leisure-batteries/

 

[Lenny HB]

Your Swift will have a charger only suitable for flooded wet cells, if you fit AGM's they will last about a year to 18 months.
For a wet cell you can't go far wrong with the Varta LDF90 (90A/H) avalable in various sizes up to 140A/H or there is a Bosch direct equivelant.

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[peterc10]

Your Swift will have a charger only suitable for flooded wet cells, if you fit AGM's they will last about a year to 18 months.
For a wet cell you can't go far wrong with the Varta LDF90 (90A/H) avalable in various sizes up to 140A/H or there is a Bosch direct equivelant.

Told you so ..........

 

[Pausim]

There's no breather tube.

Agreed there is no breather tube. I was commenting on the white plug on the left hand side which looks just like the plug I had to remove on a lead acid battery so that I could insert an elbow and breather tube.

 

[peterc10]

We have 2 AGMs fitted. One factory fit, second dealer fit. Both have breather tubes and are vented to the outside.

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[Colin59]

What if i fit one of these :
CTEK (40-155) 100A Off Road Charging System Package

 

[Colin59]

CTEK MXS10 Battery Charger
I have one of these as well . Will this extend the life of the AGM batteries if used in conjunction with the Kontiki charging system?

 

[pappajohn]

If they fail, (and that's easy to prove if they won't work below 50% if they aren't) I will take appropriate action.

Thing is.....They WILL work all the way down to next to 0%, but it won't do them ANY good whatsoever.

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[Stealaway]

Hi, just bought a motorhome and in need of a new leisure battery .Found these on ebay :
2 X AGM LP100 100ah 12 volt Leisure Battery for £190.
Are these good value ?

Who makes them? They might as well say Mickey Mouse.

 

[Pausim]

We have 2 AGMs fitted. One factory fit, second dealer fit. Both have breather tubes and are vented to the outside.

Didn’t know that. Great thing about this site is you can learn something new most days.

 

[peterc10]

Didn’t know that. Great thing about this site is you can learn something new most days.

I am no expert but I think somebody said on this forum that the venting was there to deal with a rare overcharging/overheating event, rather than for the normal day to day venting need for a lead acid battery.

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[autorouter]

I am no expert but I think somebody said on this forum that the venting was there to deal with a rare overcharging/overheating event, rather than for the normal day to day venting need for a lead acid battery.

AGM and Gel are 'recombinant' batteries. At the first stage of gassing, only oxygen is produced. This can make its way to the other plate and be recombined into lead oxide, so it is not lost. It can do this because both the glass fibre mat and the gel allow the oxygen through. It has to be at a slight overpressure to work. There is a sealing valve that allows this pressure to build up, but will open if a serious fault occurs and a lot of gases are produced. This 'breather tube' is still required for AGM and gel batteries, but is more for safety in case of fault, rather than everyday venting. Batteries with these valves are referred to as VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid). Both AGM and Gel are 'Recombinant VRLA'.

One reason these batteries require different charging profiles is that they can be taken into this first gassing stage to completely charge them. Other batteries would lose electrolyte liquid and require very frequent topping up if this was done regularly.

 

[PhilandMena]

The CTEK battery chargers are top of the range and will automatically select the right settings for charging Lead Acid, AGM or GEL batteries. Make sure you get one that will manage the size of your battery bank.
However, if I may be so bold as to say don't jump in just yet and splash the cash until you fully understand what you're doing. Do you know why you need to replace the battery on your new purchase. Are you sure it's beyond help and if so do you know why ? Assuming everything is working ok on the motorhome why do you want AGM batteries? If the onboard charger is suitable for say 220 AH of lead acid batteries then this is probably the best way for you to go. Assuming you need 2 leisure batteries. Did you look at the NCC list in my last post ? There are Class A Lead Acid batteries listed there that give 360 cycles at 50% DOD ?
If you planning on doing a lot of wilding, consider Solar Panel. the more power the better. If your going to be on hook up most of the time, one lead acid leisure battery will meet your needs and keep your costs to a minimum.

 

[PhilandMena]

They'd better be. Before I bought them I specifically rang them and confirmed that they were 'Absorbent Glass Mat'.

If they fail, (and that's easy to prove if they won't work below 50% if they aren't) I will take appropriate action.

Don't want to put a damper on your post but I do find it odd they are specifying CCA in their technical specification which is are common term used to describe starter battery performance and yet no information at all on the number of cycles and the depth of discharge. Also, they describe it as a lead acid AGM battery. That's not very helpful is it.?