RIP Leisure Battery?

[Saxon66]

Morning Funsters

I think I've murdered my leisure battery (or it has died a natural death). We used the MH 2 weeks ago on hook-up on a CL and obviously it worked fine. I've just gone out to give it all a once over before going away on hols in a week and the control panel seems to have reset itself. A bit strange thinks I, then I check and the battery indicator is at about 75% for the leisure battery. No problem so far. I then turn the bathroom lights on and it promptly dies within a couple of minutes. Checking again and it is at 10%.

We've had it on hook-up a couple of times for a few weeks at a time over winter to keep it topped up. It's always been fine during 2-3 day stays on aires in the past so I'm assuming it has just reached the end of its natural life.

Any recommendations for what to replace it with please and are all batteries physically a similar size?

This is what we have in at the moment:

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[Dorset Diver]

Talk to Tayna Tayna. They are very helpful have a massive range to choose from and seem to know what they are doing.

Personally I recommend and use their Enduroline range.

 

[Stealaway]

Buy the Hankook version. They make the Numax batteries

 

[Saxon66]

Thanks.

And just to check: go for the largest AH we can afford?

 

[TinaLes]

Exide or Sonnenschein (same as Excide) Gel Batteries every time for me, worth the extra cost as they last longer than AGM or Lead acids in general.
They are usualy slightly lower Amp Hour rated, but dont be put off, as they can be run down to 20%, unlike Normal AGM's of LA's which can only be taken down to 50% without causing damage.
You can expect longer life also if looked after, I hope to get the same as other German van users i.e 7 Years plus.
Lithium@s are better in theory, but very expensive at the moment, and need a special charge regime that some vans standard chargers cannot supply (see lithium thread).
Lenny HB will be along to hopefully second my advice, Gels work out cheaper in the long run, for the reasons mentioned above.
LES

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[pappajohn]

Thanks.

And just to check: go for the largest AH we can afford?

Not so much as you can afford, more so what will fit in the hole.

 

[SuperMike]

Not so much as you can afford, more so what will fit in the hole.

There’s a joke in there.

 

[PhilandMena]

There are several factors that affect battery life and even if correctly maintained and not allowed to discharge below 50% they will eventually die as they run out of capacity.
Assuming you want to stay with Lead Acid batteries I would go for a manufacturer that produces it's own brand, i.e. Excide, Varta etc., It's a sad fact that the market is flooded with crap. Many leisure batteries are in fact nothing more than starter batteries and if your going to be on hook up all the time these will be fine. Do not be misled by the label on a leisure battery there is no agreed national or international standard on what constitutes a leisure battery. A good indication of how good a L.A. leisure battery will be is weight. The more lead the better.
Consider Gel if you can afford the extra cost and your charger is OK for this type of battery.
Finally, a lot of members swear by Tanya ? They are nothing more than a distributor. They do not allow any negative feedback from customers to be seen on their site, If you order from them, check the voltage and fill level before installation, you might be in for a surprise as some batteries are allowed to discharge too much before being dispatched.

 

[Lenny HB]

Exide or Sonnenschein (same as Excide) Gel Batteries every time for me, worth the extra cost as they last longer

Doubtful the OP's CI will have a charger suitable for Gel batteries.
For a flooded battery you can't go far wrong with a Varta LDF available from 65a/h up to 140a/h the 90 a/h is the most popular in Motorhomes, they are a lowline battery so will fit most Motorhomes.

 

[TinaLes]

Well spotted Lenny, I didnt take any notice of the OP's van.
LES

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[Saxon66]

Doubtful the OP's CI will have a charger suitable for Gel batteries.
For a flooded battery you can't go far wrong with a Varta LDF available from 65a/h up to 140a/h the 90 a/h is the most popular in Motorhomes, they are a lowline battery so will fit most Motorhomes.

Hi

Both the Varta LFD90 (AH90) and the Varta A28 (AH110) would seem to fit in the space available and are a similar price. Any advice as to which is a better buy (from Tanya)?

Thanks

Mike

 

[PhilandMena]

Hi

Both the Varta LFD90 (AH90) and the Varta A28 (AH110) would seem to fit in the space available and are a similar price. Any advice as to which is a better buy (from Tanya)?

Thanks

Mike

According to the Varta website this battery is for low to moderate use ? However, a lot of members have purchased them a couple of years ago and I'm not aware of any adverse comments on performance to date. That being said, I also Don't know how many are using them for wild camping and for how long? You may want to look at the Excide ET 650 leisure battery, it's 28 Kg in weight and rated at 350 cycles at 50 % D..O.D. Which either way you go you will be getting a decent Lead Acid leisure battery and not a bit of Chineese crap.

 

[Lenny HB]

Hi

Both the Varta LFD90 (AH90) and the Varta A28 (AH110) would seem to fit in the space available and are a similar price. Any advice as to which is a better buy (from Tanya)?

Thanks

Mike

I would go for the LDF 90 it has a proven track record with leisure use in Motorhomes.
The A28 is a bit of an unknown quantity, spec is patchy on it. Although not sold as an AGM I found a reference to glass matt in the construction that's enough to put me off.

 

[TheBig1]

A bit of extra advice, try to remember to insulate the new battery before the frost season gets here. A wet battery in an external locker will have a limited life if you don't keep it warm.

Even quicker way to kill a battery is leave it on a cold concrete floor

 

[Bessy765]

Our 2019 Burstner came with one 95 amp AGM, fitted a second one to give a bit more capacity. Ideally they should have a max discharge loading of 10% draw 10 amp hence two. 10 months down the line they don’t seem too bad, only have one 100 amp solar at the moment just had 10 days away but obviously this time of year good solar performance. Hoping to get 2 100 amp Lithium fitted with 440 watts of Solar with a charger inverter to help on our winter travels (if its safe to do so)

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[Wild Oggie]

I fitted 2x 110ah Hankook xv110 leasure batteries a couple of months ago. Purchased from Battery megastore £155 for both. Behaving perfectly with the solar.

 

[nicholsong]

Whoa.

Let's go back to square one . OP had a battery 'fade' on him.

There is no evidence to show what he did to check the feed from/to the battery. Then work through the system checking voltage at each point.

I would have started out by checking the earth strap from the chassis to the -ve battey terminal, because without a proper circuit nothing will work, and if it is lose/dirty the connection will not be working correctly.

Geoff

 

[mitzimad]

our two vartas are one 3 years old and the other came with the van and work fine

 

[Saxon66]

I fitted 2x 110ah Hankook xv110 leasure batteries a couple of months ago. Purchased from Battery megastore £155 for both. Behaving perfectly with the solar.

The Hankook comes in at £10 cheaper and also has free shipping

 

[PhilandMena]

Whoa.

Let's go back to square one . OP had a battery 'fade' on him.

There is no evidence to show what he did to check the feed from/to the battery. Then work through the system checking voltage at each point.

I would have started out by checking the earth strap from the chassis to the -ve battey terminal, because without a proper circuit nothing will work, and if it is lose/dirty the connection will not be working correctly.

Geoff

Geoff, he also asked members for their recommendations on a replacement and that's what there doing.

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[nicholsong]

Geoff, he also asked members for their recommendations on a replacement and that's what there doing.

I did not comment on the replies.

I am just wondering if the OP might be jumping the gun assuming he needs a new battery when there might be another resolution, which could save him money.

The 'Whoa' was directed at him.

Geoff

 

[Lucky]

A bit of extra advice, try to remember to insulate the new battery before the frost season gets here.

Every day is a school day. Please explain how this is best done. And can you continue to use the batter when it's insulated?

 

[TheBig1]

Every day is a school day. Please explain how this is best done. And can you continue to use the batter when it's insulated?

Yes you can carry on using the battery, but all batteries are temperature sensitive. I use an old duvet, well half of one on my mobility scooter to help the batteries in the winter months

 

[nicholsong]

Every day is a school day. Please explain how this is best done. And can you continue to use the batter when it's insulated?

'Insulated' i.e. from cold, not 'isolate' as from electricity.

 

[Saxon66]

I did not comment on the replies.

I am just wondering if the OP might be jumping the gun assuming he needs a new battery when there might be another resolution, which could save him money.

The 'Whoa' was directed at him.

Geoff

Thanks for the advice Geoff, that all makes sense.

After looking through some old invoices that came with the MH (we’ve had it two years), it looks like the battery is about 6 years old. Not being particularly savy with electrics, I doubt I’ll find any faults unless they are obvious. So I’ll take the chance on it being a duff battery, change it and if it doesn’t look to be holding a charge I’ll get someone more qualified to fix it.

Cheers

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[TheBig1]

6 years is good going for a basic leisure battery. A few last longer, but not that many and even those that do have slowly lost capacity

 

[nicholsong]

6 years is good going for a basic leisure battery. A few last longer, but not that many and even those that do have slowly lost capacity

Not leisure, but engine, battery was in the MH when I bought it 11 years ago and for how much before that I do not know. Garage says keep it till it fails, because they were built better then.

 

[Saxon66]

A bit more advice please. The new battery arrived today. Fitted it in with no problems and checked the power on the control panel in the camper.

It initially showed at 12.6, dropped to 12.5 and then as we tried lights etc it dropped quickly and steadily to 12.1 and then held steady. As we turned lights off it rose again to 12.6. I’m assuming this is normal behaviour during use?

Next we’ll make sure it charges and holds a full charge.

Thanks, Mike

 

[PhilandMena]

Did you check voltage before installation ? Don't assume new battery will be fully charged after sitting in stock for an unknown period.

 

[Lenny HB]

What battery did you get?

If you have led lights it should only drop .1 to .3v of a volt. Dropping to 12.1 with a low load it sounds like it has been stored for quite a few months without being charged. I think you need to ask for a replacement.

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