Andy168 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Hi, We're getting our first ever M/H (Swift Freestyle 684) in the next couple weeks. The question is - is it worth getting a second leisure battery fitted? We've been quoted £225 by our M/H supplier! All advice greatly appreciated Cheers Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 You need to work out how much you intend to use ,Tv for how many hours etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Andy168 - 2017-06-22 6:54 PM Hi, We're getting our first ever M/H (Swift Freestyle 684) in the next couple weeks. The question is - is it worth getting a second leisure battery fitted? We've been quoted £225 by our M/H supplier! All advice greatly appreciated Cheers Andy Depends a lot if you are going to be without electric hook up. If always on sites/CLs/CSs with electric, no point in a second battery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomongrundy Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 A Solar panel would be better than getting a second battery - but if you already have a Solar panel then a second battery will probably save a fortune by not having to use sites which provide and charge for hook-up. Life abroad is much easier when you don't have to rely on hook-up and the World can be your oyster with a good power system and your own facilities in your new Swift. The price asked by the dealer for fitting the battery seems a tad high but, as they say, it's your money and choice. :-D :-D :-D :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 The desirability of fitting a 2nd leisure-battery may also depend on the capacity of the battery fitted to the motorhome as standard, and the quoted asking-price for fitting the 2nd battery will (or should!) relate to the type/make of battery being added and the difficulty/amount of the work involved. I think the standard leisure-battery of a Swift Freestyle 684 will be 80Ah capacity, with the battery housed below the driver’s seat (Hmmm...) I don’t know what make/type of battery this would be, but a 2nd battery should be the same. Nor do I know where the 2nd battery would go, though I’m guessing that it ought to be practicable to shoehorn a couple of 80Ah batteries under a Ducato’s driver’s seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 I have got a 95AH battery together with a 110AH leisure battery under the X2/50 (Ducato/Relay/Boxer) driver's seat. There is more heigt available at the back than the front, allowing for the bigger battery at the back. But there is some time and a few bits and pieces involved to fit them safely and securely - which all has to be paid for if you want someone else to do it (adviseable if you aren't sure what you are doing) I cut some thin plywood to tape around the batteries and protect them from the sharp metal frame, Then a luggage strap over the top to hold them securely. You can't compare the cost quoted with replacing a main battery in its existing holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 Andy, We agree with Derek's advice. Very important, for maximum life and usability that the batteries are a perfect match in Capacity (Ah), technology, age and ideally manufacturer. Just because you are buying a new Motorhome, it may not necessarily follow that the Batteries are also new for all sorts of reasons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 aandncaravan - 2017-06-23 9:48 AM Very important, for maximum life and usability that the batteries are a perfect match in Capacity (Ah), technology, age and ideally manufacturer. I can see the reason for batteries being ideally the technology, age and ideally manufacturer. But what difference does the capacity make when they are wired in parallel? I have been using the 95AH and 110AH (because thats the biggest that will fit under the X2/50 seat) OK since I bought the van 8 years ago - although I replaced them last year due to ECP having a sale on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 Try this explanation from Optima : https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2014/04/can-i-connect-dissimilar-batteries-parallel Another internet source reports on an actual real world evaluation and notes : ""The charge-discharge testing of a 24V battery with two very dissimilar strings formed by 4 monoblocs 6CP100 (6V/100Ah C10) and 12 cells 2CP550(2V/550Ah C10) showed that the currents flowing from and to the individual strings are principally governed by the string impedance and independent of the installed string capacity. Such “asymmetrical” batteries can be operated quite successfully and yield nearly their complete cycle life potential when deep discharges to 100% d.o.d C3 are carried out. If power outages cause only shallow discharges then the “low” impedance string furnishes an over proportional share of the Ah discharged and may thus suffer in terms of achievable cycle life.""" This internet sourced text covers battery resistance : "Every voltaic cell contains some amount of internal resistance due to the electrodes and the electrolyte. The larger a cell is constructed, the greater the electrode contact area with the electrolyte, and thus the less internal resistance it will have". So what can happen is that the bigger battery carries the Lions share of the load. The charger then kicks in to charger them both up, but the smaller one may be less discharged so may recharge more quickly. But the larger, lower resistance, battery needs longer to charge up, thereby (potentially) causing the charger to stay at 14.4v 'high charge' mode for longer than is desirable for the small battery. The result may be a big battery that gets to the end of it's cycle life faster and a small battery that gets overcharged. I say maybe because a lot will depend on the way the charger works, how big and deep the discharges are, even the cabling between the batteries, etc. But I would suggest playing safe might be the best approach and keep them matched? One thing the above shows, at least to me, is the importance of equal length battery cable of exactly the same resistance and might help explain why sometimes one battery in a string tires before the other?. Maybe it works in your set-up because you have a longer cable run (higher resistance cable) on the bigger battery thereby balancing the overall resistance to a negligible difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Andy168 - 2017-06-22 6:54 PMHi, We're getting our first ever M/H (Swift Freestyle 684) in the next couple weeks.The question is - is it worth getting a second leisure battery fitted? We've been quoted £225 by our M/H supplier!All advice greatly appreciated CheersAndy Getting back on topic, as a general rule I would suggest that getting yourself a decent solar panel and regulator should precede fitting a second leisure battery, which you will only require if your experience camping off EHU (with your solar panel topping you up daily, at least in summer) shows that you need an extra battery as well. Remember that just having an extra battery will only help as long as that extra battery gets recharged each day somehow - and a normal sized solar panel (even with some driving each day?) isn't likely to recharge multiple leisure batteries fully, so you will need extra charging capacity from somewhere. If you need that much electrical capacity every evening you will probably need to be on an EHU overnight anyway! Unless you have an exceptionally heavy drain on your leisure battery each evening, the chances are that a decent solar panel outfit will do the job nicely for you and you won't be dependent on an EHU. We watch TV for several hours and use lights to read in bed, yet our single leisure battery seems to cope well when we're off EHU and the 130 watts of solar panel plus a bit of driving always seems to top the battery back up again each very easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Interesting links aandncaravan Thanks :-D I've just wired the 2 leisure batteries in parallel with the main battery and it has worked very well for 8 years. I used 25mm tinned coper welding cable (because thats what I had spare) to minimise resistance. Have also omitted fuses to minimise resistance - am aware of the risks of omitting fuses but the welding cable is already double insulated and I have slid water hose over it so it is triple insulated wherever it touches metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy168 Posted June 24, 2017 Author Share Posted June 24, 2017 Thanks for all replies, my head is well and truly spinning. As the M/H comes fitted with a solar panel, we'll try with just the one leisure battery to start with Thanks again Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Andy, When you do get around to thinking about a second battery please read our webpage on the hazards of fitting a second battery without first doing adequate research. Issues can arise with some Power units, so please do your home work, the Dealers won't always do it for you. See : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/add-a-second-battery.php Swift fit Nordelettronica electronic components in some of their vehicles, which are not always optimised for a big battery bank, so this may especially apply to you? We also had our first CBE DS 300 (not the mains charger but the Fuseboard/controller) burn out yesterday after being overloaded by additional batteries. When you see the photo on the webpage it is obvious why it can be an issue. The limits of Mains 230v battery chargers when coping with additional batteries has long been documented, but this webpage noted above shows the impact the extra charging current from the Alternator may have. I am not saying don't fit a second battery, but there are more issues than many realise. Just do your homework and find out if your set-up is man enough to accept the modification, without becoming a fire risk. All explained, hopefully simply, here : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/add-a-second-battery.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Andy, I don't see any reason why you need a second leisure battery. You have no idea if you need one plus the extra weight. Wait until it becomes a must have item that needs to serve a particular purpose in your life style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Agree on this. Having solar 200 watts. In a ford transit the car battery is under the driver seat and the house under the passenger seat where normallly the tool box and tyre lift device sits. To remove is only possible whit two because you have to dismantle the seat bolts and remove the seats. The ducato is under the floor mat. Motorhomes are delivered whit one house battery and fit for purpose an extra one is 20 kg. Remember if one of the two failed you are still flat. looking at the market you can making a small power station of your motorhome. I have two because our dog agilyty festivals have no power hook up. even in the uk. Why? We are too too large in numbers. Have a lot of fun whit your new motorhome and join the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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