Schaudt AGM auxilary battery charger now available

[aandncaravan]

We have stock arriving of the new AGM1 and AGM2 optimised Schaudt auxiliary charger, the LAS 1218 BUS. The charger works alongside the existing Schaudt Electroblocks, like the EBL 99, EBL101, EBL 220, etc to faster charge AGM batteries and help prolong their life by use of the correct charging voltage/profile.

 

We do still do not recommend the fitment of AGM batteries in a Motorhome. However, where you have AGM batteries fitted already and are seeing shorter than expected lifetime plus a lower charge state, these units will help.

 

 

 

 

 

[lennyhb]

At last, why wasn't one available when the Hymer group started fitting AGM batteries in 2012, Hymer, Banner & Schaudt were all saying the Gel setting is fine with AGM's - yer right mine failed after 18 months. Even when new didn't give me much confidence, I replaced the crap Banner AGM's with a pair of Gel's, what a difference.

[Robbo]

lennyhb - 2016-01-19 11:52 AM

 

At last, why wasn't one available when the Hymer group started fitting AGM batteries in 2012, Hymer, Banner & Schaudt were all saying the Gel setting is fine with AGM's - yer right mine failed after 18 months. Even when new didn't give me much confidence, I replaced the crap Banner AGM's with a pair of Gel's, what a difference.

 

Same story with me Lenny.

 

I purchased 2 Banner AGM's 3 years ago and used the Gel setting. According to Roadpro they were supposed to be the gold standard in leisure batteries but they unfortunately forgot to mention that an AGM charger was required for optimum performance. The initial performance was less than impressive and now I struggle to spend more than one night off-grid. My previous 2xGel batteries could survive up to 4 days off-grid.

 

Now looking to revert to "tried and tested technology" in the form of wet acid batteries that I can top up as necessary. My battery compartment is within the double floor, but as long as I can vent them, the confined space should not be a problem, hopefully !!!

 

 

[aandncaravan]

Like we have been saying for nearly 2 years now, we don't recommend AGM batteries in the Motorhome environment.

We still don't, even though these AGM optimised boxes have been announced.

 

We have seen a lot of premature AGM failures, which for such 'expensive 'long life' batteries is a poor show. See : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/agm-batteries.php

When they go they can take out the mains battery Charger and sometimes the Alternator.

 

Many people still want to fit AGM habitation batteries, and where they are fitted this Charger will prolong the life of the AGM habitation batteries AND get them up to a higher charge state. Which as noted in the responses above has been an issue with the current crop of Motorhome mains charger/Alternator units.

 

It is probably more cost effective to bin the underperforming short life Banner AGM's and fit Varta LFD90 wet acid batteries, in our view the best Motorhome Habitation battery going in the up to £140 bracket.

 

 

 

[Robbo]

Many thanks Allan (aandncaravan) for your helpful advice re my failing AGM batteries.

 

The Varta LFD90 seems to be the way to go in my situation. In fact, I may consider getting 3 x LFD90 as I don't have solar. My 16amp CBE charger currently supplies both the engine battery and 2 x 90Ah leisure batteries, so that's a battery bank of approx 270Ah.

 

If I add an additional leisure battery, that will make a total battery bank of 360Ah. Your website mentions that ideally the charger output should be matched to the size of battery bank. So, in this case, a 36amp charger would ideally be required (using the 10x rule of thumb). The larger battery bank may also overstrain the alternator which has an output of 110amp, I believe (Fiat Ducato 3 litre, 160 Multijet).

 

Any comments would be greatly appreciated from Allan or others.

 

Apologies for taking this thread slightly off-topic but it may be of interest to those with a similar dilemma.

 

 

[Brambles]

You could also look at the Exide ET650 (90Ah) which is a semi traction battery which is about 1.75 times the price of the Varta LFD90 but should give twice the cycle life and be more immune to discharges greater than 50%.

Swings and roundabouts.

 

 

[Brambles]

Because your engine battery really should never be discharged much you can probably just allow 30 or less equivalent Ah for it. If you do discharge it a lot e.g extensive use of radio then yes you need to take into account but normally a starter battery sits nearly full.

[lennyhb]

Robbo - 2016-01-19 2:34 PM

 

Same story with me Lenny.

 

I purchased 2 Banner AGM's 3 years ago and used the Gel setting. According to Roadpro they were supposed to be the gold standard in leisure batteries but they unfortunately forgot to mention that an AGM charger was required for optimum performance. The initial performance was less than impressive and now I struggle to spend more than one night off-grid. My previous 2xGel batteries could survive up to 4 days off-grid.

 

Now looking to revert to "tried and tested technology" in the form of wet acid batteries that I can top up as necessary. My battery compartment is within the double floor, but as long as I can vent them, the confined space should not be a problem, hopefully !!!

I was limited to a low height battery and only space for 2, came down to a choice between the Varta LDF90 or Exide/Sonnenschein Gel's I went for a pair of Sonnenschein Gel's, the wet cell would only give me 90A/H at 50% DOD but as it is save to take Gel's down to 80% DOD they gave me 125 A/H, also previous Hymer had Gel's that were still performing like new at almost 6 years old.

[Robinhood]

Brambles - 2016-01-20 2:44 PM

 

Because your engine battery really should never be discharged much you can probably just allow 30 or less equivalent Ah for it. If you do discharge it a lot e.g extensive use of radio then yes you need to take into account but normally a starter battery sits nearly full.

 

..in a conventional installation, the CB 516 16A charger is nominally limited to supplying 2A max to the vehicle battery anyway.

 

My last 'van was equipped with one of these, and I had no problem at all with 2x90A (Gel) leisure batteries, plus the vehicle battery, in the 5 years of ownership.

[aandncaravan]

Robbo, Brambles is right under normal circumstances the Starter battery is usually fully charged so you don't need to take full account of it.

 

But you do then need to be aware that at the end of an extended layup, say over Winter, when the Starter battery might be heavily discharged to be careful to limit the load on all the charging systems.

 

If you only have a 16amp charger unit, that suggests a 160Ah bank maximum?.

 

Your Alternator might be capable of 110Amps, but remember that is it's absolute maximum, the ideal continuous load is probably no more than 80amps?

 

Also remember that charging the habitation bank is it's Saturday job, full time work is charging the starter battery, running the ECU, Air Con fan, cooling fan, Head lights, Indicator, Brake lights, Wipers, radio, etc.

That can be a heavy load, 60amps plus. That might be just 20amps 'spare Habitation charging capacity' before you run into overload?

 

Lastly, is the wiring is rated at the sort of currents you want to draw?

 

A Motorhome used to be all about travelling light, using minimal resources. Small amounts of 12v, little water, etc,

 

I understand why you want to carry so much 12v power on board, but it was not part of the vehicles design. Just as adding more water tanks to carry another 600 litres of Water so you can be more independent, also wasn't in the design. Everyone knows the weight would create serious issues.

 

We would suggest the limits are lower than many aftermarket sales teams want you to think?

 

Rather than think about boosting the 12v to breaking point, think of a way you can carry your own portable EHU, it is so much more flexible and was catered for in the design.

 

The batteries suggested by others are good batteries and good options, but few are as efficient as the Varta LFD/Bosch L range, especially as time goes on. That means a lighter load on the charging systems. It also means they are likely to give nearer to their rated capacity for longer without the degradation in capacity that blights other batteries.

 

Some batteries will discharge to very low levels without damage, but almost all will have a shortened life.

Even a battery designed to drop to 80% (like the excellent Victron energy 4500 cycle Long Life Gel) can have it's life reduced by two thirds if taken to 80% DOD.

See the Victron Energy datasheet about halfway down this page for more info on DOD vs Life : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/battery-technology-2012.php

 

 

[Robbo]

Very many thanks for all your contributions.

 

Brambles - Thanks for pointing out that the starter battery should be reasonably charged and a proportion of the Ah can be subtracted from the total battery bank. I always charge the starter battery at home prior to venturing on a trip. Also, we tend to tour rather than stay in one place for extended periods, so it should stay topped up. The Exide ET650 looks interesting and is retailing at the moment for £145.

 

Lenny - I like your logic for using Gels and effectively increasing the available AH despite a slight reduction in longevity. My previous van had 2 x Gel and they were still going strong when I sold the van 10 years later.

 

Robinhood - I didn't know the CBE charger only supplies 2 amps to the starter battery. That might explain why my starter battery only shows 13.0 volt when on float charge compared with the habitation batteries which show 13.8 volt. Or it may be because I'm using the Gel setting. All a bit strange !!!

 

Allan - Many thanks for the comprehensive overview of how a larger than normal battery bank can affect the other ancillary items for which they were probably not designed. Overall, you've convinced me to stick with 2 x 90Ah habitation batteries and am erring towards the Varta's.

 

Thanks again for all the brilliant advice. I'll report back in 6 months time.

 

 

 

 

[whiskers]

I find this confusing as many Constructors supply AGM batteries. I had an Adria that came with AGM and the Electroblock was set to AGM. I never had a battery problem. My Swift Rio was also supplied with AGM, so are you saying that the likes of Swift are being misguided in supplying them?

[aandncaravan]

An AGM battery requires a specific charge profile, typically a higher voltage than Wet/Flooded Acid or Gel.

Until this Schaudt AGM optimised unit came along, not one Motorhome charger we have repaired has had an AGM optimised profile.

 

Every big Battery manufacturer specifies an AGM optimised charger with their AGM batteries.

 

According to the publicity, an AGM battery is supposed to be a long life 5 year + item. We are seeing them degrade inside 12 months, typical life is 18 months to 2 years.

 

The responses on here mirror that.

 

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Robbo - 2016-01-20 6:45 PM

 

...Robinhood - I didn't know the CBE charger only supplies 2 amps to the starter battery. That might explain why my starter battery only shows 13.0 volt when on float charge compared with the habitation batteries which show 13.8 volt. Or it may be because I'm using the Gel setting. All a bit strange !!!...

 

 

As Robinhood pointed out, when the battery-charger of a CBE ‘plug-and-play’ electrical system is operating the system normally provides a low-amperage charge to the leisure-vehicle’s starter-battery and a significantly higher amperage charge to the leisure-battery This arrangement is mentioned at the top of Page 16 here:

 

http://www.marcleleisure.co.uk/store/pdf/PC100_PC200_DS300_ENcircuits.pdf

 

What is not mentioned in the CBE literature (and won’t be apparent unless the battery voltages are measured during charging) is that - besides being low-amperage - the charge provided to the starter-battery is also at a reduced voltage.

 

The battery-charger range commonly used with a CBE ‘modular’ system is described here

 

http://www.cbe.it/en/serie-cb500/

 

and (as you’ve measured) the maintenance-voltage for gel batteries is 13.8V. My previous Hobby motorhome and my present Rapido have a CBE electrical system and altering the battery-charger’s ‘lead-gel’ setting to ‘lead-acid’ (or vice versa) does not appear to affect the voltage provided to the starter-battery.

 

The Hobby originally had a gel leisure-battery (and an AGM battery later) and its charging system performed just like yours - around 13V going to the starter-battery and 14.3V down to 13.8V going to the gel leisure-battery. The Rapido has a ‘wet’ leisure-battery and the charger (set to ‘lead-acid’) outputs 14.1V down to 13.5V, but the charge to the starter-battery is still around 13V.

 

(In my first paragraph above I said that a CBE system “...NORMALLY provides a low-amperage charge to the leisure-vehicle’s starter-battery...” It’s certainly true that these systems are designed to do this, and have the capability to do this, but I’ve seen Owner Manuals for motorhomes that have a CBE system and the Manuals have advised that starter-battery charging (via a 230V mains hook-up) was not provided.)

[Robbo]

Many thanks Derek for confirming that my 240 volt CBE charging system is working as designed.

 

The 2amp charge to the starter battery is indeed mentioned in my hard copy manual which I must have overlooked. However, as you mentioned, there is no advice that the lower charge rate is combined with a lower 13.0 volt supply voltage.

 

There are some firmly held views by experts in the field of battery technology that a lower float charge, of say 13 volts, is beneficial to the longevity of the battery - so, perhaps not a bad thing.

 

Thanks also for the link to the Marcle Leisure site which shows the wiring diagram. The wiring diagram is not included in my later version of the Instruction Manual dated 27/03/08.

 

I did recently purchase a new starter battery because I couldn't reconcile the differing float charges between starter and habitation battery. However, the results were the same as before. Still, all was not lost as it did need replacing.

 

Thanks again for the heads-up.

[Apuljack Engineering]

AllAs an alternative to an external charger we now offer an AGM conversion service for your existing charger inside your EBL unit. We can upgrade for either AGM1 or AGM2 types at a fraction of the cost of an external charger. If you also take our charger redesign/upgrade then you will get a full 2 year warranty on the charger as with our other repairs and upgrades.For more details of the AGM upgrade see our dediated page here:-

 

EBL AGM Conversion Page

[aandncaravan]

You should note that almost all the big Charger manufacturers will not repair a unit that has been 'modified', and neither do we, for obvious reasons.

 

We often get units returned from Schaudt that have been 'upgraded/modified', where the only option then is to buy a new box, rather than a less than half price repair.

 

We have a stack of units returned as 'unrepairable' because they have had an 'upgrade' or 'enhancement' of some kind that the manufacturer did not approve of.

 

If the EBL is within warranty, we would advise anyone to contact Schaudt for their viewpoint on having the Schaudt Power Control/Charger modified before they go ahead and get the work done?

 

 

 

 

[StuartO]

But presumably the people who upgraded your control box and its charger would be willing to repair it, even if Schaudt and their agents wouldn't, and they would also presumably argue that their upgrading would make the control box less likely to fail?

 

I'm always suspicious  when "official" repairers threaten to dump you if you dare to go to someone else.

 

Clearly you need to go into this sort of modification with your eyes wide open but if the company is an established one and they explain what they do and how it helps, why not?  I had no regrets getting my engine re-mapped.

 

[Apuljack Engineering]

We are Chartered Electronics Engineers with an established company who design Electronic Systems & Products as part of their normal business.  It is quite common for large manufacturers to outsource designs of power supplies, control systems and power units to companies who specialise in this type of design work. In some cases, because we work at component level, we understand the detailed design of the unit better than the large manufacturer that outsourced the design!

 

Since we also offer a complete repair service (even on modified units) there is no need to purchase a new item or send your units elsewhere and particularly outside of the UK.

 

If you wish to have your ‘stack of units’ repaired then we would be happy to offer you a bulk repair price.  These repaired units would, of course, also benefit from our 2 year warranty as with all the EBL repairs that we undertake for the dealers, mobile/MCEA and members of the public we deal with.

 

I hope that helps to explain things.  If you have any further questions/queries then please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

[aandncaravan]

Can we point out that the argument that the Apul option is more cost effective than buying an auxiliary AGM charger is flawed? It doesn't take into account that the new Schaudt approved AGM charger when combined with the existing EBL charger will result in two independent charger units with a combined charge rate of 36amps.

The Apul option might only cost half but only delivers less than half of the Schaudt approved option, with a lot less resilience and flexibility.

 

Stuart we do remapping on the vehicle ECU, but this doesn't change the electronics, it just loads different software.

 

When the electronics are changed, regardless of the quality of the work, all of a manufacturers test rigs will give different results.

How can a manufacturer warrant what someone else has done? It might be good, it might not they just don't know.

We are the same how can I send out a box having fitted a new front Power control PCB knowing that the charger PCB behind it has been modified and might last 2 weeks or 2 years? I can't warrant it, because it is an unknown.

 

It is a bit like asking Vauxhall to warrant a new Corsa after someone has fitted a new ECU and Turbo that completely changes the stress on the vehicle. To ask them to warrant the Gearbox which now has to cope with twice the stress is not realistic.

 

 

We repair these boxes, but we would not for a minute think we could improve upon the design of one of the biggest and most respected manufacturers in Europe who have been around a long time.

 

We can't warrant an unknown change that may or may not be good, I think Schaudt would react the same.

Obviously up to the owners of these boxes out there, but I still suggest anyone seeks approval from Schaudt before going down this route.

 

Can we also point out that even though Schaudt have introduced an AGM charger, we still don't recommend the fitment of AGM batteries in a Motorhome because few Alternators are optimised for them.

 

 

[StuartO]

Not sure you are helping yourself here Mr AandACaravans; first you said that if anyone gets their Schaudt stuff modified you wouldn't then touch it with a proverbial barge pole and they'd therefore have to buy a new one if it goes wrong, now you are banging on about your reasons for not guaranteeing someone else's work, which I don't think anyone was expecting you to do.  And you are nailing your flag to the mast by saying that you wouldn't dream of messing with Schaudt's design and choice of components, when my own experience of (consuming) electronics services is that improving performance by substituting higher rated components isn't necessarily rocket science for an electronic engineering company and might well do a useful trick in this context.

 

As I said you go into this sort of things with your eyes wide open because there are risks but if the company offering the service is reputable and is offering to guarantee what they do and provide a follow-up repair service indefinitely, scaremongering noises from "official" dealers who perhaps just don't want someone else taking their work away or offering improvements they can't or don't want to match, shouldn't necessarily put you off the opportunity.

 

Maybe you are purely concerned about technical risks stemming from unauthorised modifications but your intervention in this thread does come across to me as a bit like trying to knock the competition for bulls**t reasons when it sounds like their engineering pedigree might actually be quite a bit better than yours. 

 

So may I respectfully suggest that you put your high horse back in the stable?

 

[aandncaravan]

We were just pointing out that the reason we can't take on a modified unit, is because we can't guarantee that work. It may be good, it may not, we don't know, so can't guarantee it. As a warranty is essential to most, it means we can't touch it.

 

Also pointing out that any body concerned about their warranty, should consult Schaudt before having a unit modified to see if it invalidates it.

 

Sorry but I have to disagree with your summary as we are not knocking anyone. Where does it say anything to that effect in the text?

That is the interpretation you put on it, unfairly me thinks? More like you bashing us?

 

 

 

As well as the news of the AGM/Wet/Gel optimised auxillary charger that we started this thread with, the LAS1218 Bus/AGM, Schaudt have released an AGM/OVP version of the EBL99, the EBL 119.

 

The EBL119 is an AGM/Wet optimised charger, and can be used as a direct 'plug and go' swap for old Schaudt Elektroblock EBL 99's.

 

It is also available with optional Over Voltage Protection built in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StuartO]

aandncaravan - 2016-02-25 12:23 PM....Sorry but I have to disagree with your summary as we are not knocking anyone....

 

I have found your numerous contributions to this forum very useful overall and I don't mind at all that you will have been promoting your business by making them.  I'm also happy to see Applejack Engineering contributing too because they sound like they can provide a good professional service.  Let both of you show by your contributions that you have useful expertise.

 

But I still think you started waffling about warranties on this thread in order to try to muddy Applejack's waters and I don't think that reflected well on you. 

 

Applejack guarantee all their work for two years, which is longer than you do, isn't it?  And both of you are offering your own guarantee of your own repair or reconditioning work, not a worldwide Schaudt-backed guarantee, aren't you?

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

To Apuljack and AandN I would just say this. You both offer valuable, but different, ways to overcome the same problem. It seems you have a parallel interest, but not one in which either threatens the well being of the other. Why not talk to each other, and co-ordinate your offerings according to what your potential clients need? If the need is charging larger battery banks of AGM, possibly AandN supplying/installing the Schaudt unit, but if space is tight, or if the AGM battery capacity does not justify the charging output of the Schaudt unit, why not take advantage of Apuljack's offer? Horses for courses, and everyone wins?

 

May I now ask some questions? Our 2013 van is Schaudt with a Banner AGM battery. When not in use it is kept on mains, but when in use we are seldom off-grid. Rarely, if we aren't on mains, it might be off-grid for an odd night, when we will use lighting (all LED), possibly a spell with the Truma for water heating, and very rarely for the Truma on space heating. The fridge is AES so, when stopped for breaks, or when visiting, it has to run the fridge controls and gas igniter for an hour or two. However, very rarely, probably less than once per year on average, we may use the van off-grid for three or more days at a time. This would not be at times when heating would be needed, but water heating would, and so would the fridge. Also, for the duration, lighting. So far the battery has performed well on these occasions, with almost no reduction in the recorded voltage over the extended periods.

 

So, do I have a problem, and if so, how can I tell - ideally before the battery lets us down when we're relying on it?

 

Second, if I'm likely to run into a problem, what would be the suggested remedy?

 

It seems I could dump the existing battery, changing it for either flooded or gel (and re-setting the Schaudt output as appropriate), or keep the battery and have the Schaudt modified or augmented to provide the correct charging regimen for AGM. Which would make the best sense, and/or is there another option I've missed?

 

It's those periods of extended off-grid use that I want to cover reliably and without the spectre of a dead battery looming. Thanks in advance.

[aandncaravan]

Brian, At nearly 3 years old your AGM battery is one of the oldest we know of that is still functioning effectively.

However, your use of the battery seems to be very light? So maybe this has a bearing?

 

I took a phone call yesterday from someone who asked a similar question to yours, except his Motorhome and AGM battery was less than 9 months old.

He had noticed loss of performance of the AGM battery since buying the vehicle new and wondered if buying a LAS1218 AGM auxilary charger would 'perk it up'.

 

"Should I pay £189 for an AGM optimised LAS1218 charger and a £139 for a AGM optimised Solar regulator?".

 

We tried to point out that binning the AGM battery and fitting a Varta LFD90 for £85 was a much cheaper option than spending over £300 trying to boost a battery that sounds like it has already peaked?

 

Not only is this a cheaper option now, but when the batteries expire in the future, the replacement costs are again £85 for a Varta LFD or £150 for an AGM. If there are 2 x AGM's that is £170 for the Varta option versus £300 for the AGM.

 

We pointed out that the Varta LFD90 was a much more efficient battery, Varta claim up to 70% better Electrical conductivity over a similarly aged conventional battery.

 

The lack of internal corrosion means they should outlast and outperform an AGM battery in a Motorhome over a 5 year period. Even with an AGM optimised charger.

 

 

He understood our argument but had trouble grasping that we were persuading him not to buy products we sell, so believed he had misunderstood.

 

 

There is a lot talked about AGM batteries potential for longer life, greater durability, etc over a conventional Wet battery when used in a Car. However, a Motorhome is a really specialised environment.

 

We would argue efficiency has a higher priority than almost any other battery characteristic for most Motorhome owners.

 

Efficiency means a battery will charge more quickly from the Alternator. The importance of this characteristic to the Motorhome community is demonstrated by just how many people pay hundreds of pounds on specialised Battery To Battery (B2B) chargers to get the battery back to full charge after a stopover.

 

A more efficient battery will waste less charge energy, so a Solar panels charge will be maximised to the full. The worst batteries can waste 15% of the Solar Charge. That could be the difference between a battery getting back to 100% or just 85% after a night watching TV.

 

A more efficient battery will have less heat as a by product, heat, even just a few degrees, is damaging.

 

A more efficient battery will place less load on the Alternator and the mains charger, prolonging life and saving fuel. Remember that charging a battery from the Alternator is not free energy, if you load up the Alternator it will pass that load to the engine and use more fuel.

 

It means less time running that Generator, again saving fuel and noise.

 

Greater battery efficiency enables a bigger battery bank to be supported than would normally be the case.

 

 

I am sure people can think of other ways battery efficiency works in a Motorhome to our great benefit, yet is almost ignored as a battery characteristic.

 

 

We think the reason it was not previously given any priority, was because 4 years ago all batteries were pretty much the same in this department.

 

The Bosch/Varta Powerframe technology changed all that.

 

The latest American Ultra Thin Plate 'Pure Lead' technology is changing it again. Rewriting the rule book which now says that thin plate Starter battery Technology is already outperforming old style thick Plates when it comes to both deep and repeat cycling. It's efficiency is set to be about the highest there is.

 

But the real issue is not the battery technology itself, but the way Motorhome chargers treat that technology. For example the latest Schaudt AGM optimised charger able to replace the Elektroblock EBL99, the EBL 119, has an AGM charge profile that charges an AGM at 14.7v for 4 hours then drops to a lower 13.7v.

The 'Wet Acid' battery profile charges at 14.4v for 16 HOURS before dropping to 13.7v. You tell me which battery is going to charge the fastest? Remember this is an AGM optimised charging profile. See the PDF at the bottom of our Schaudt page : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/resources/Schaudt%20Elektroblock%20EBL%20119.pdf

 

 

The above is why we still don't recommend an AGM battery in a Motorhome, even with an AGM optimised charger.

In a Motorhome environment, there are better options out there.

 

 

Sorry, as usual gone off at a tangent again, but to come back to your question, we would suggest you think about binning your AGM. Experience shows that when you next really call on it, is when you will see what it's made of.

 

 

 

One small point is that you will notice that the new Schaudt chargers have a slightly lower 'trickle charge' voltage of 13.7v.

We think, in line with the Battery manufacturers growing concerns over too high a 'maintenance' charge voltage when left on long term charge in Storage.

We suspect this will be a growing trend.