Which leisure batteries to buy.

[Floridalil]

Hi All,
My 3 year old Banner batteries have gone belly up.
Recommendations on best ones to buy please.

 

[bigtwin]

Something like this:



You’ll need to have a Gel setting on your charger though.

Where it is not advisable to discharge wet lead acid batteries below 50%, with Gels you can go down to 20%.

This means that you could go for a lower capacity gel to get the same capacity as a wet battery. Conversely, the same size gel has a greater useable capacity. This aspect offsets the higher upfront cost of the gels but can be a great way of increasing capacity if you have limited battery storage space.

Ian

 

[Ivory55]

Or you could just buy the same and look upon it has part of the costs. £120 divided by 3 is £40 a year, just like part of service costs.

 

[daveandsan]

Another Gel Battery fan here.

 

[Lenny HB]

I'm not sure if Autotrails have a Gel setting on there charger but if they do a couple of Sonnenschein 78 a/h gels would be better value around £140 each from Tayna.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Floridalil]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone,was thinking about 1 at 230 a/h rather than 2 at 100.

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone,was thinking about 1 at 230 a/h rather than 2 at 100.

I wouldn't want to be lifting that.

 

[Ivory55]

Will a gel battery last twice the number of years as a wet battery ? As they seem to be about twice the price.

 

[LesW]

Will a gel battery last twice the number of years as a wet battery ? As they seem to be about twice the price.

At nearly £300 a pop I would expect about 10 years usage..

Whether I'd get that is another matter.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Ours is the Yuasa L36-100 4.5 years old and good as new... probably not but working ok
They're about 100 quid

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Will a gel battery last twice the number of years as a wet battery ? As they seem to be about twice the price.

Only 40 - 50% dearer, but Varta LDF90 approx £100, Sonnenschein 78 a/h approx £ 140 the Varta will give 45 a/h useable power where as the Gel will give 62 a/h. Taking into account those figures they are roughly the same price.
Generally, minium 6 years, 10 years plus quite common.

 

[bigtwin]

Will a gel battery last twice the number of years as a wet battery ? As they seem to be about twice the price.

But, for the same Ah rating they provide more useable capacity.

Oh, my original Gel is on 13 years and the second, that I added later, is on 9 years.

If you are going to look only at cost, you will come to the wrong conclusion.

Ian

 

[bigtwin]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone,was thinking about 1 at 230 a/h rather than 2 at 100.

Will it fit in the same location as the original?

Ian

 

[Ivory55]

I probably won’t have this van or a van in 13 years time, I wonder what % of people have had their van 13 years.

 

[Spanner]

Yuasa batteries are good and the EFB range seem good value at around £100 3-4 years guarantee

https://www.yuasa.co.uk/batteries/leisure-marine-garden/leisure-batteries/l26-103.html

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gellyneck]

I'm not sure if Autotrails have a Gel setting on there charger but if they do a couple of Sonnenschein 78 a/h gels would be better value around £140 each from Tayna.

The following from the Sargent manual for a 2013 AT.

For optimum performance and safety it is essential that only a proprietary brand LEISURE battery is
used with a typical capacity of 75 to 120 Ah (Ampere / hours). A normal vehicle battery is NOT
suitable. This battery should always be connected when the system is in use.
The PSU is configured to work with standard lead acid leisure batteries, and in most cases is also
compatible with the latest range of Absorbed Glass Matt (AGM) batteries. Before fitting non-standard
batteries please check that the charging profile described in 3.3 is suitable for the type of battery by
referring to the battery documentation or battery manufacturer.
Some vehicle installations can cater for two leisure batteries connected in parallel. In these cases it is
recommended that two identical batteries are used.
The battery feed is fitted with an inline fuse between the battery and the electrical harness, and is
usually located immediately outside the battery compartment or within 500mm of the battery. The
maximum rating of this fuse is 20A per battery. If a single battery is fitted to a motorhome, this fuse
may be increased to 30A, however if two batteries are fitted each battery should be fused at a
maximum of 20A

Doesn't mention Gels so suggest OP (@Floridalil ) seeks guidance from Sargent (https://sargentltd.co.uk/). In addition, they recommend a maximum capacity of 120Ah \ battery.
I replaced our old Banner with an LFD90 'cause somebody whistle:) said they're good and because they're fully sealed.

 

[Lenny HB]

Doesn't mention Gels so suggest OP (@Floridalil ) seeks guidance from Sargent (https://sargentltd.co.uk/). In addition, they recommend a maximum capacity of 120Ah \ battery.

Gel charge at the same voltage as flooded cells but they need a long absorption time 4 hours min preferably 8 hour plus to reach a full charge. On Flooded setting they will only charge to 80%.

Charger versus battery capacity is dependant on your use. I have 3 batteries in my van but only the standard 18 amp charger as I rarely use EHU, most of my charging is done by solar.

 

[Floridalil]

Thanks again all.
Ian, there is room for about 2 !

 

[funflair]

All I know is lots of knowledgeable people say how inverters and hair dryers kill batteries, well I have been using the same with our Gel’s for 7 years now. And mostly charged by solar.

Would I have them again? In a heartbeat.

Martin

 

[BusyBuilder]

I removed 2 Banner AGM batteries that wern't really giving enough power as we do more off grid living up in the Highlands.
I read through Lennys posts re batteries and went for Exide Marine ES950 85ah GEL batteries, biggest we could fit in the space provided. I wasn't really worried about cost.
The batteries are topped up with 250w solar panels via Schaudt MPPT regulator. They very rarely drop below 13v even after an evening with LED internal lights, heating and an hour of DVD. If we get 9 or 10 years from these batteries I'll be well chuffed.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gellyneck]

I removed 2 Banner AGM batteries that wern't really giving enough power as we do more off grid living up in the Highlands.
I read through Lennys posts re batteries and went for Exide Marine 85ah GEL batteries, biggest we could fit in the space provided. I wasn't really worried about cost.
The batteries are topped up with 250w solar panels via Schaudt MPPT regulator. They very rarely drop below 13v even after an evening with LED internal lights, heating and an hour of DVD. If we get 9 or 10 years from these batteries I'll be well chuffed.

You're letting the side down here. The softy suverners will be starting to think we've got money up here! The other half should be having you oot on the static bike generating your own leccy!

 

[DL42846]

Will a gel battery last twice the number of years as a wet battery ? As they seem to be about twice the price.

https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-110ah-leoch-powabloc-tubular-gel-battery/

The above batteries are guaranteed for 6 years. I had one on my previous MH which I sold. I recently fitted two on my new to me MH.

 

[funflair]

https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-110ah-leoch-powabloc-tubular-gel-battery/

The above batteries are guaranteed for 6 years. I had one on my previous MH which I sold. I recently fitted two on my new to me MH.

They look good 30kg for a 100 ish ah battery is good, batteries need to be heavy in my book, only problem with these is they are a bit tall to be a direct replacement for a lot of standard fit.

I say 100 ish as the trend seems to be to quote the 100hr rate as the headline, 20hr rate is more traditional I believe.

Martin

 

[Richard n Ann]

Gels are still double the price. I think if you don't discharge your batteries and keep them topped up, a standard good quality lead acid is the way to go.
They last years on cars because the charging system keeps them topped up. Each to their own though, no offence

 

[Bailey58]

That reminds me!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Gels are still double the price. I think if you don't discharge your batteries and keep them topped up, a standard good quality lead acid is the way to go.
They last years on cars because the charging system keeps them topped up. Each to their own though, no offence

No they are not they are about 40% dearer but produce about 40% more available power. I wouldn't use anything else.

If you don't discharge a battery not much point in fitting one.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I suppose we're light users with LED lighting, a small TV and water pump. I can see the gel benefits

 

[Lenny HB]

I suppose we're light users with LED lighting, a small TV and water pump. I can see the gel benefits

We are all LED lighting takes about 6 amps providing we don't turn them all on, TV, 2.5A, head unit (for TV sound) 2A, sat receiver or Android box 0.5A, laptop, tablets & phones about another 6 A.
Our standby current with nothing on is 0.4 A so thats nearly 10 amps a day. Our average use spring/autumn is 30 - 35 a/h per 24hr. Charge the bikes and that's 60 a/h gone.

 

[colyboy]

Platinum batteries from GoOutdoors very competitive prices, buy the green ones! Check the small print on top of the battery.