Looking for Quality battery deals...

[Nickhlx]

I need to buy 4 off 12V 135 Ah batteries for the boat in the next few months for the domestic bank. Still pretty much set on "wet cell" technology with regular electrolyte level checks and wondered if anyone could recommend current best buys for a quality battery at a reasonable price ? i.e. manufacturer / model no. ? Is there a best time of year to buy ?

 

Not urgent yet, and I will ask again in a 2 or 3 months if nothing has cropped up in the meantime...

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[denboy]

if you are around nottingham i can recommend a supplier

[andywatson]

if you are around nottingham i can recommend a supplier

 

Or Derbyas follows:

I got a good deal on Morris's oil and Numax batteries from Digraph on Ascot Drive. 01332 380300

They mainly supply to the haulage trade and charge a stack less than chandlers.

[Arnot]

I need to buy 4 off 12V 135 Ah batteries for the boat in the next few months for the domestic bank. Still pretty much set on "wet cell" technology with regular electrolyte level checks and wondered if anyone could recommend current best buys for a quality battery at a reasonable price ? i.e. manufacturer / model no. ? Is there a best time of year to buy ?

 

Not urgent yet, and I will ask again in a 2 or 3 months if nothing has cropped up in the meantime...

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

Have you thought about using two volt cells to get your capacity? It would probably cost a bit more but would last a lot longer...

 

Regards

 

Arnot

[Nickhlx]

Have you thought about using two volt cells to get your capacity? It would probably cost a bit more but would last a lot longer...

 

Regards

 

Arnot

 

 

Thanks guys.... I'll call Digraph tomorrow and sound them out... and a trip to Nottingham could be arranged if trip justifies ( I am down south)

 

I have thought of 2 V cells but have not done any research at all - e.g. how to charge them / discharge them to what level, etc and how much maintenance they need - I am guessing they are merely large capacity FLA cells.. or maybe Nickel Iron ? What sort of capacity do they come in and price examples ?

 

Can someone point me to an appropriate link and I will read up on them ?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

Edited July 15, 2008 by Nickhlx

[onthecut]

Have you thought about using two volt cells to get your capacity? It would probably cost a bit more but would last a lot longer...

 

Regards

 

Arnot

 

Got to go along with this, or similar. Forget the 'Joe Public' offerings at the chandleries and the like and have a look instead at the genuine, industrial deep cycle jobbies offered pretty regularly on Ebay, second hand. By and large, although four to seven years old when you buy them, they will outlast and out perform pretty much all domestic spec off the shelf batteries.

We bought some five year old units four years ago and are still getting excellent service and that includes using an electric cooking hob, via inverter. Foolhardy maybe, but we don't even bother with a separate starting set, as these seem to cover every eventuality. On the very odd occasion (twice) when we really have gone too far with them, they've still fired us up with judicious use of the decompression levers.

 

Mike.

[Big Steve]

Sonnenschien do 2 volt gel cells. They're excellent. We used to use 225Ah one s at work, they were scrapped at ten years but still had plenty of life in them, Cheap they aint though.

http://www.es-store.co.uk/category-60.html, If you can find some ex ministry ones you should be OK.

[Arnot]

Thanks guys.... I'll call Digraph tomorrow and sound them out... and a trip to Nottingham could be arranged if trip justifies ( I am down south)

 

I have thought of 2 V cells but have not done any research at all - e.g. how to charge them / discharge them to what level, etc and how much maintenance they need - I am guessing they are merely large capacity FLA cells.. or maybe Nickel Iron ? What sort of capacity do they come in and price examples ?

 

Can someone point me to an appropriate link and I will read up on them ?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

2v Cells come in all flavours and characteristics not just gel, you could have a look at

Fiamm Cyclic 2v Cells as a start but almost all the major players have similar offerings, they are just difficult to find.

 

The 2v cell solution is not popular but I cannot understand why, it has a lot of benefits for the domestic battery for a narrow boat.

 

I suspect that the cost can put some people off but in the long term they will almost certainly work out significantly cheaper.

 

Possibly no one uses this system because no one uses this system?

 

Possibly people are tied in to the 110Ah 12v battery collection way because that is the way the boat is built and there is a fear of having to do all the rewiring and remounting required.

 

I don't know - all I can say is that when I get round to adding a boat to my engine, this is the way I will go without a moments hesitation!

 

Although not many people do use 2v cells I am sure that those who do will confirm that they work very well (and some have already)

 

Regards

 

Arnot

[Eastern]

I totally agree with you Arnot.

 

I think some (most?) people don't understand that the 2v cell is the building block for all lead acid batteries. So a 12v battery has 6 x 2v cells connected internally. When one cell fails you have to throw all 6 away!

 

The other point that is not generally understood is that you can only use about 40% of the batterys' capacity, so a 100Ah battery will only give you 40Ah.

 

Of course, if you are a weekend user then a set of cheap lesuire batteries will suffice, but for extended cruising and liveaboard use then seperate 2v cells are the ones to go for.

 

The purchase price of a bank of 2v cells is high, but when you work out the total cost of ownership, they do work out cheaper.

 

I shall be having them on my boat because of their electrical capacity and their long life expectancy.

 

East