Batteries

[Guest Bill H]

The Archive has a time out and fails. Lead acid / Gel batteries. Any significant advantages.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Worth you having another go, as searching the forum on "gel bat" will pull up some useful stuff (including, I'm embarrassed to see, a bit of a spat between Clive and me.) For motorhome applications a gel battery has certain potentially advantageous characteristics. Amongst these are attitude insensitivity (doesn't need to be mounted upright), no free acid to spill in the event of an accident, no gas produced during normal charging, frost resisteance, ability to hold charge for extended periods, and total freedom from maintenance. Downsides are the comparatively high price and limited availability. From a converter's point of view a gel battery's zero maintenance requirements are a significant plus, allowing a motorhome to be 'built around the battery'. By that I mean the battery can be installed in a virtually inaccessible position where it can remain untouched until it gives up the host (hopefully many years in the future) and needs replacement. Beneath a swivelling cab-seat is a classic example. (Less wonderful is when the converter puts a swivel on a cab-seat that has a lead-acid battery beneath it. This inevitably prevents the battery's electrolyte-level being checked during servicing as no garage mechanic is going to bother with the hassle of removing the seat to access the battery. Current-model Ford Transit owners beware!) Perhaps you're thinking about upping the battery capacity of a Rapido 9-Series? I believe Rapido fit a conventional 12v lead-acid leisure battery as standard (95Ah?) and I've got a gut-feeling this is within the engine compartment on a 9M. I remember asking Caravanes Rapido (some years back) about fitting a 2nd leisure battery to these models and was told the French factory was going to offer this as an option. Interestingly, I had earlier enquired about downplating the 9M chassis to 3500kg from the 3800kg that it was normally marketed at in the UK. When I mentioned the 2nd battery I was told that its additional weight, combined with the weight of the extras (stove, roof-rack/ladder, cab air-con, etc.) that formed part of the UK specification, would reduce the useful payload on a 3500kg version to such a degree that Caravanes Rapido wouldn't agree to sell it. With multiple leisure battery systems it's best that the batteries be identical - certainly they should be of the same type (gel OR lead-acid, not a mixture of the two). The charging system's regime should also match the battery type. Such considerations mean that, if there is the option on a new motorhome to choose a factory-installed multi-battery system, it might be sensible to take that route rather than retro-fit later on.

[Guest Clive]

Agree with Derek on this one, especially the first scentance! But thats life. We all have our moments! Personally I don,t believe that Gel batteries are worth paying the extra for. For a given volume and weight you will have less useable storage capacity in the Gel battery than a conventional deep discharge wet cell battery. You should not discharge gell batteries as deeply as wet cell batteries else they die quite quickly! Also you have to be more carefull with your charging regime with gel batteries. As I see it they are for lazy people who don,t know that batteries need regular inspection and if necessary topping up with de-ionised water. If your wet cell batteries are clamped in position they will only spill if you roll your van, and by then are you going to be worried about it? I would not by preferance fit batteries under the drivers seat. The best arrangement I saw recently supplied as OEM was two 220 ampere hours deep cycle 6 volt golf cart batteries connected in series. But it was on a small American Motorhome. What do I have myself-- er -- Two 160 ampere hour 6 volt Gel batteries. But they came for free! and had served their normal service life in a more critical application. But these chances don,t come often! I did do a full cycle on these batteries to check their effective capacity first though. I would not have paid money for second hand batteries.

[Guest Bill Haylor]

As you have guessed the rapido 9.... is my aim. I looked one similar with Fiat engine, the battery compartment was under an interior seat by the side door, cables and connections were already fitted for an additional battery. (the space could accomodate 4 it was large, access, just lift the seat, didn't aske what type) I'll keep you posted as I'm looking again Tuesday. Regarding weights I cannot stress enough we are minimal carrying people, but I'll comment on nthat also later as things progress. Bill