Battery information for Beginners :-)
Hi, and happy NearlyNewYear.
Our caravan came with a new leisure battery, with XV31MF 110Ah C20 720EN 1000MCA printed on top. As a complete ignoramus of 95% of all things electrical, I'll be mightily grateful to anyone who can please tell me what all this signifies, and which are the important bits to know when choosing a charger.
I am aware that the 110Ah is significant. Is the rest important or just branding?
I'm told that if I go for CTEK I need a MXS 5.0 charger to keep such a battery happy.
If I look at, for example Towsure, and search for battery chargers, I see a whole, er, battery (sorry, couldn't resist) of options, at various prices from £30 to £170, and am completely unable to compare with any wisdom.
Are CTEK that much better than the competition?
Your wisdom will be greatly appreciated, please, as long as it's in non-tech language!
Thanks,
Richard.
Comments
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Ok here goes,I am not an expert but there will be people on here who are.
XV31 MF is the model number and made by Numax
110Ah is the designed capacity of the the battery I think at 20c.That is ambient temperature. They have it as C20.The next set of numbers 720EN and 1000MCA are to do with Cold Cranking Amps (yes this bit is boring but bear with me) This is a rating given by the manufactures for cold weather engine starting at 0 c ie freezing.As yours is a leisure battery this is not really applicable.110Ah is the figure to be interested in as this is the figure of drawing 1 amp for 110 hours.This is in theory.I have just gone for a 110Ah battery as I have a motormover.As for the CTEK chargers they have a good reputation as a "smart charger" and battery conditioner.I have not actually got one but there was a thread running on CT a couple of days ago.2 -
You are right that the 110 Ah is important as it is a measure of the "capacity" a battery holds, however that "capacity" varies depending how quickly you take it out. If you drain it at a rate where it is all gone in 20 hours you will get less out of it compared to sapping it slowly over a 100 hours. That "C20" figure indicated that the quoted 110 Ah is the capacity it has with a 20 hour drain. Less honest makers could rate it over a 100 hours [ the C100 test] and that way give a higher value on the label. For our leisure needs if using a battery off an EHU it is the C20 rating we should compare in selecting batteries.
It is to Numax's credit they quote the C20 value, some will not letting you believe their 100 hour tested battery is 110 Ah whereas if tested at C20 it probably is about a 100 Ah battery.
see this link for more info
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Thanks all, that's most helpful. And obviously I haven't read my CC handbook thoroughly... but this worked even for my level!
Looks like I'll have to lash out on the CTEK, then...
Wassail, and all such greeting for the time of year!
Richard
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Don't necessarily rush into buying a CTEK, I bought a CTEK 10amp charger and yes it does a brilliant job looking after both the caravans batteries and the car battery, but there are other good smart chargers out there and a lot cheaper that will do the same.
Just be sure to get no less than a 5amp for your size battery and preferably higher.
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Thanks greatly - would you be prepared to stick your neck out and recommend one? I evidently need one suited to 110Ah. I'm quite happy not spending vast amounts of money on it but lack The Knowledge to compare makes!
As a parallel: the couple who turned up on a Pembrokeshire coastal campsite we were on had a cheap festival type tent from Halfords. It was predictably not up to the stress of wind off the Atlantic hurling rain at it, so inexperience meant they'd wasted their money. Guidance to avoid buying the equivalent of that inadequate tent would be gratefully received!
Happy New Year!
Richard
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If you are buying a charger for the first time it is possible you might want to keep it for 10 - 20 years. CTek are highly recommended by experts; I have two of them to keep our cars on trickle charge whilst away with the motorhome. Yes, you can buy cheaper smart chargers but in my experience you get what you pay for.
The NCC have a battery classification scheme following the tests that were done a few years back. Anybody who is in the market for a new battery should read the list on their website. It makes interesting reading and I assume that batteries will now come with the classification mark if the manufacturer has participated in the scheme. Search "NCC Verified Battery Scheme" and read about the three classes - A, B, C.
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A point to bear in mind if calculating how long your leisure battery will last off grid is that they are not designed to be discharged to 100% of their capacity so your 110ah battery will only provide say 50ah before it needs to be charged. Not a problem if everything is working fine and you are hooked up but if you run you leisure battery right down your van will have systems which shut it down because deep discharge can shorten battery life and/or kill the battery.
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