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Replacing leisure batteries


Tony ralph

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Hi everybody

I'm new on this forum just joined today and looking for some advice been living on a Narrowboat for 2 years now add me own boat for 4 years just about to replace my leisure batterys.

  looking for advice on the best ones to choose at moment looking at AGM batteries roundabout 120 amp 140 amp.  I have lion batteries at moment around about 100mph not been very good at all .

To be fair because of my work commitments they have been on charge most of the time so not conditioned I know I've been told to turn them off of a night as to condition the batteries stop them from becoming lazy . Any advice on best quality batteries .

Thanks tony Prada

 

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What is your current charging arrangement? How are you ensuring you're batteries are fully charged.

 

Buying best quality batteries will make no difference if you are not charging them properly (even at 100mph)

 

Quality battery manufacturers are:-

 

Rolls

US

Trojan

Edited by rusty69
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14 minutes ago, Tony ralph said:

Hi everybody

I'm new on this forum just joined today and looking for some advice been living on a Narrowboat for 2 years now add me own boat for 4 years just about to replace my leisure batterys.

  looking for advice on the best ones to choose at moment looking at AGM batteries roundabout 120 amp 140 amp.  I have lion batteries at moment around about 100mph not been very good at all .

To be fair because of my work commitments they have been on charge most of the time so not conditioned I know I've been told to turn them off of a night as to condition the batteries stop them from becoming lazy . Any advice on best quality batteries .

Thanks tony Prada

 

More "advice" that should not be given. Sounds like a load of bull to me.

 

Maybe an occasional equalisation charge may have helped prolong their life but four years (or is it two years) for a set of ordinary batteries on a livaboard boat seem OK to me.

 

Take note of what Rusty said and answer his question.

 

I repeat - you will ruin expensive batteries just as fast as cheap ones if you do not know how to look after them.

 

Wet open cell batteries are the easiest for ordinary boaters to test and do an equalisation charge on. Trying to equalise any sealed cell batteries is likely to eventually end in tears. AGM batteries do have some advantages but according to one vendor needs a higher than "normal" charging voltage and as I said are not so easy to test.

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Hi rusty69

Charging from a Stirling 40ah digital 4 step switch

also have voltage metres fitted one from leisure one from starter battery .  they read on charge 14.4v  take them off charge over nite they drop down to 10.4v

also my batteries are four years old now maybe time to retire then lol . Just like to replace them with a good type

Still may use normal lead acid batteries . What amps ??? Not sure

 someone moored  next to me as AGM batteries payed a fortune for 3 £785.00 at 160ah each he did have a  problem with his alternator ?

I'm still not to sure what to go for  I will take a look at your the ones you put on

   thank you t p  

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3 minutes ago, Tony ralph said:

Hi rusty69

Charging from a Stirling 40ah digital 4 step switch

also have voltage metres fitted one from leisure one from starter battery .  they read on charge 14.4v  take them off charge over nite they drop down to 10.4v

also my batteries are four years old now maybe time to retire then lol . Just like to replace them with a good type

Still may use normal lead acid batteries . What amps ??? Not sure

 someone moored  next to me as AGM batteries payed a fortune for 3 £785.00 at 160ah each he did have a  problem with his alternator ?

I'm still not to sure what to go for  I will take a look at your the ones you put on

   thank you t p  

How are you determining they are fully charged? 

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49 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

have lion batteries at moment around about 100mph not been very good at all .

Is that Lion (as in a brand name) or Lion as in 'lithium Ion' ?

29 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

How are you determining they are fully charged?  

 

29 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

they read on charge 14.4v  take them off charge over nite they drop down to 10.4v

They are now well boogered due to under charging.

I'd suggest you read up about battery management before spending on new batteries and killing them as well.

They have only managed to last this long because you have kept them on charge most of the time - in effect you have been 'living' off the charger and not the batteries.

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12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Is that Lion (as in a brand name) or Lion as in 'lithium Ion' ?

 

They are now well boogered due to under charging.

I'd suggest you read up about battery management before spending on new batteries and killing them as well.

They have only managed to last this long because you have kept them on charge most of the time - in effect you have been 'living' off the charger and not the batteries.

Sorry tony 

It's is lion in brand name not lithium

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2 hours ago, rusty69 said:

What is your current charging arrangement? How are you ensuring you're batteries are fully charged.

 

Buying best quality batteries will make no difference if you are not charging them properly (even at 100mph)

 

Quality battery manufacturers are:-

 

Rolls

US

Trojan

 

Lifeline, make excellent, if expensive, AGM's. Mine are 11 years old and still have 60% of their original capacity. 

 

However as others have said,  unless you are sure you have perfected your charging regime, expensive batteries are a waste of time.

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We replaced our leisure bank late last year. The ones we replaced were four years old. We are in the move all the time, never shore power so they lasted quire well. W bought our new ones from ABS. Not the cheapest batteries in their range but slightly betters ones. £330 for four,delivered.

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15 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

We replaced our leisure bank late last year. The ones we replaced were four years old. We are in the move all the time, never shore power so they lasted quire well. W bought our new ones from ABS. Not the cheapest batteries in their range but slightly betters ones. £330 for four,delivered.

Cheers 

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34 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

Lifeline, make excellent, if expensive, AGM's. Mine are 11 years old and still have 60% of their original capacity. 

 

However as others have said,  unless you are sure you have perfected your charging regime, expensive batteries are a waste of time.

Hi 

As I live on a marina and was sure,  always thought my charger would look after my batteries with all the different stages of charge ( so told )

it's a little bit of a minefield I always thought that was my charging regime always making sure they were charged up to full.      Thank you all 

 

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9 minutes ago, Tony ralph said:

Hi 

As I live on a marina and was sure,  always thought my charger would look after my batteries with all the different stages of charge ( so told )

it's a little bit of a minefield I always thought that was my charging regime always making sure they were charged up to full.

Unless the charger is faulty then they will be fully charged, so why they now go down to 10.4V (ie knackered) is a bit of a mystery. Were they new when you bought the boat or might they be more than 4 years old?

 

Read up on that charging advice linked to in post #10 and then, equipped with that knowledge, please come back and ask more questions. 

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3 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Unless the charger is faulty then they will be fully charged, so why they now go down to 10.4V (ie knackered) is a bit of a mystery. Were they new when you bought the boat or might they be more than 4 years old?

 

Read up on that charging advice linked to in post #10 and then, equipped with that knowledge, please come back and ask more questions. 

It might help to know the brand / make / model of charger - it could be a Halfords one that 'doesn't stop' - I have one that I have never had 'top-out' - I have (on occasions) let it go over 16v when equalising.

 

A real 'bunny-boiler'.

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3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

It might help to know the brand / make / model of charger - it could be a Halfords one that 'doesn't stop' - I have one that I have never had 'top-out' - I have (on occasions) let it go over 16v when equalising.

 

A real 'bunny-boiler'.

"Charging from a Stirling 40ah digital 4 step switch "

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2 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

"Charging from a Stirling 40ah digital 4 step switch "

Hi all 

Years and years ago if you had a dead battery they would do what they call a drop test on it a couple of short blasts  clear the plates down and bring the battery back for a  period of time any one heard of that ??

 

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Going blind as well as stupid - (I blame MJG)

Hahaha I know the feeling 

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14 minutes ago, Tony ralph said:

Hi all 

Years and years ago if you had a dead battery they would do what they call a drop test on it a couple of short blasts  clear the plates down and bring the battery back for a  period of time any one heard of that ??

 

 

Its a test used for starter batteries that are required to give a high current for a short period - Leisure (or domestic) batteries are required to give a long, slow release at relatively low currents.

The drop test is meaningless on leisure batteries.

A (say 50% capacity remaining) sulphated starter battery will still provide high amps, but instead of (say) for 30 minutes, maybe only for 15 minutes, but who turns their starter motor over for 15 minutes.

Sulphated domestic batteries that 'used to' give you 50Ah per day and now drop to 25Ah mean the fridge switches off half way thru the night (other items may also be affected)

 

Starter and domestics - its a totally different ball-game.

 

The way to give your sulphated domestics a bit longer life is to periodically charge them at 15-16v 'an equalisation' charge.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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4 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Its a test used for starter batteries that are required to give a high current for a short period - Leisure (or domestic) batteries are required to give a long, slow release at relatively low currents.

The drop test is meaningless on leisure batteries.

A (say 50% capacity remaining) sulphated starter battery will still provide high amps, but instead of (say) for 30 minutes, maybe only for 15 minutes, but who turns their starter motor over for 15 minutes.

Sulphated domestic batteries that 'used to' give you 50Ah per day and now drop to 25Ah mean the fridge switches off half way thru the night (other items may also be affected)

 

Starter and domestics - its a totally different ball-game.

 

The way to give your sulphated domestics a bit longer life is to periodically charge them at 15-16v 'an equalisation' charge.

Yeah understand 

Deep cycle.    no  

Starter batteries only 

 

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2 hours ago, rusty69 said:

"Charging from a Stirling 40ah digital 4 step switch "

 

I've never noticed a charger in the Stirling range with that exact name, or anything like it!

 

The OP is t the base of a long and steep learning curve, the very first step being grasping how important it is to give proper accurate and complete information in response to questions, in order to get the very best help from the technical people here.

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2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I've never noticed a charger in the Stirling range with that exact name, or anything like it!

Oh, I assumed there was, but know nothing about Sterling products, so bow to your superior knowledge!

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1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

Oh, I assumed there was, but know nothing about Sterling products, so bow to your superior knowledge!

 

There may well have been once. But the OP isn't telling us. In order to comment constructively on why his batts are at 14.0v, well really do need to know the exact model charger he is using. 

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