Battery Choice.
Hi,
I was thinking of ordering from AlphaBatteries. They provide a 3 year warranty, but if ordered via Ebay it's 4 years. My previous Battery was a Platinum Leisure Plus Battery S6110L, the dimensions are Length: 328mm x Width: 171mm x Height: 237mm . we have a Bailey Unicorn Barcelona II (2013/14). Bailey say the battery dimensions are 354 x 175 x 190, which means that the previous battery should not fit, I doubt if I'd fitted quick release it would fit. I was thinking of going with the 12v Banner 135 AH Energy Bull Leisure battery (95901) Length: 328mm x Width: 171mm x Height: 237mm, I was thinking the extra power, might work better on the twin axle motormover, over the 12v Banner 110 AH Energy Bull Leisure Battery (95751), which has different dimensions again H: 190mm x W: 175mm x L: 354mm.
Choosing the right battery, is almost as difficult as choosing and understanding energy suppliers and their Tariffs. ....
Comments
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If you are spending a lot on a quality battery I assume that you are using the Caravan off grid (no EHU) otherwise there isn’t much point. Also, Bailey don’t use smart chargers so if you run the battery down make sure that you take it off of the van and recharge with a decent leisure battery charger otherwise the battery life will suffer.
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I've just bought this one from Alpha Batteries:
https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-xtreme-110ah-agm-leisure-battery-xr1750/
We have a Barcelona 3 with an auto AWD motor mover but don't usually go off-grid. Main considerations is that it's an AGM battery, NCC 'A' rated, semi-traction so more effective for the mover and it's the right size to fit in the under-floor box in the Barcelona.
A guy at Powrtouch advised me against Banner batteries because they had come across a few problems with their movers using them, but I don't know how reliable that information is or whether it applies to other makes of mover. He did add, however, that the NCC thoroughly tested batteries before giving them a rating and therefore that was a pretty reliable guide as to suitability.
I agree that selecting the right battery is a bit of a minefield.
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Does the Bailey battery charger output the correct characteristics for an AGM battery?
I have used a Banner Energy Bull, 90 Ah uniquely for hauling my 1900 kg van, with its Powrtouch mover, up and down my drive etc for years, with excellent results. A battery I keep solely to do that duty rather than use the van's gel battery. Left on a CTEK year in year out. Just watch their "water" level.
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Good question ocsid, and I must admit I hadn't given it any thought - as I have with other battery / charger combinations I have. I assumed that since the battery I replaced was a gel battery, the AGM would be OK and the guy at Powrtouch agreed, although I don't suppose he was considering the charger. Do I need to consider replacing the charger - or is that being a bit daft?
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I don't know how sophisticated the chargers Bailey fit are but have my suspicions; which is that it would not have been at all suitable for a gel or AGM battery and do them no good.
The logical choice would IMO be to buy a battery suitable for the Bailey charger, which I strongly suspect is a basic wet battery, like the Banner Energy Bull.
As you say you rarely go off an EHU then nothing much is being asked of it, so buying into the better deep cycling types, like gel etc, is pretty pointless. The gel could well be damaged by driving a mover, the reason I don't do the hard work at home on my van's gel, but the Banner.
To work the mover, unless you have 20 minutes of up hill type duty then a cheap starter wet battery is all you need to spend out on; it is designed for low time demands of hard work between recharges. Conversely the gel is designed for prolonged but low work load duties, between recharging without suffering as badly. No lead acid battery is "happy" not to be promptly recharged at a lowish rate. Keep then topped up to fully charged is the mantra, but not charged aggressively.
Things get more challenging if after using the mover, it is a long time before it gets a recharge. In those cases most batteries are destined for a short life, so if an EHU predominantly type user, a cheap starter battery will overall cost you less.
The trace alloying in the lead of Banner Energy Bulls makes them "users" of water to a greater extent than some others, so owners need to check this more regularly, or pay the price of neglect.
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As I mentioned above, the Bailey has a basic charger which, because it only produces 13.7 volts, is only good to maintain a fully charged battery. AGM or gel in this respect doesn’t matter, neither will be properly recharged if you go off of EHU and if the battery is discharged you need to take it off the van and recharge it with a decent leisure battery charger suitable for gel or AGM batteries.
It is a total waste of money buying a decent AGM battery unless you are going to use it stand-alone and can recharge it properly.
The problem with simple chargers on caravans is that they use a fixed voltage which is high enough to maintain the charge but not too high to make the 12 volt system run at 14.4 volts and damage the battery in the process. You cannot properly recharge a discharged battery without controlling both current and voltage. I believe that Swift and Coachman for example (at least on their top of the range vans) use smart chargers. These will supply the normal 12 volt system but then take the battery off line to recharge it in a controlled manner.
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Pretty much all leisure batteries are Gel. On motorhomes they mount them inside so a wet, vented, battery is not suitable. Don’t buy an AGM unless you have the right charger which you definitely don’t get on a Bailey.
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Some good advice coming out of this forum - thank you. So, OK, I have bought an AGM battery, so what's the best way forward? I had to have a gel battery of some sort because the Bailey battery box is inside the van, under the floor and looking at the venting arrangement, it's pretty useless. I have a stand alone charger - designed for topping up - which is suitable for gel batteries. Are you saying that it is best to take the battery out of the van from time to time and charge it up with that? At the end of the day, I'm not that bothered if I have spent slightly more than necessary, or that the battery might not last as long as it should. Given the cost of the van and all the other expenditure associated with using it, a replacement battery every three years or so pales into insignificance.
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Choosing the right battery, is almost as difficult as choosing and understanding energy suppliers and their Tariffs
When I need a new battery, I will just make sure it has been verified by the >NCC battery scheme<
peedee
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Yes, if the battery has been used without EHU then you should take it out and fully recharge using the correct charger. This will prolong the life of the battery and give you maximum capacity.
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