bazooka Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I can't understand what the downside is for sealed batteries, the one on my car is 6 years old still going strong, on the top it says not to be opened, yet in an earlier thread someone said they still have to be checked.It would save removing the seat which is on a swivel and is heavy and fiddly to line up the 4 holes and screw the bolts in with an allen key.Please advise before i buy a batterie. (?) baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 It is my experiance that OEM Vauxhall sealed batteries last around 10 years, replacement ones last little longer than the garentee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon2 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 The replacement battery on my motorhome lasted over 7years untill I accidently left the mutiplay cd player on and discharged the battery beyond the recovery charge. Bought a new one from Halfords hope it lasts as long. The sealed leisure battery is 5years old and going strongly. (I'll probably regret saying that). (^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Sealed batteries are OK(ish) for use as starter batteries. The idea of a sealed battery is that the evaporate from the electrolyte is condensed back into liquid and so in simple theory, no loss of liquid should occur. However when a battery is used for the supply of current over a protracted time, such as a 'van leisure battery, then some loss of electrolyte is inevitable and checking / topping-up is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Engine batteries to not get the same amount of discharging and charging cycles as a leisure battery so a sealed will last a lot longer as an engne battery. Many so called sealed are really just semi sealed in the sense maintentance is actually possible if the cap is prised off, however some manufactres bond them on so removal without damage is difficult and sometimes impossible, whereas some are really easy to get off. Many sealed also use gell, so again cannot be top up as mixing of the gell is next to impossible. If glass mat is used, again mixing is very difficult. The way to do it is to discharge the battery well down so acid strength is extremely low and then add a little water and then immediately recharge fully and give it an equalisation charge. There is always a risk this maintentance will actually kill the battery completely (applies to standard flooded as well). Sealed for life, means just that, sealed until it needs maintentance then time to replace. A good quality sealed battery could easily outperform a poor quality flooded but you pay a premium for quality sealed although they are cheaper in comparison now than they used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I bought a couple of 120Ah SFL marine leisure batteries at the Stratford show about 4 years ago and after fairly heavy usage (spend about 7 months of the year away in the 'van - rarely on hook up and they have to cope with heavy discharge and charge) they are coping admirably. The batteries weren't cheap (about £80 each) but have been well worth the cost. I have 2 120w solar panels to keep topping them up so when not in use they regularly have a voltage of 14.6v and when under pressure (in the winter with heating, tv and sat receiver) I don't let them get below 12.2v before giving them a boost charge. I took both batteries off the 'van about 6 weeks ago as we have sold the 'van and waiting for our new one (due 1st March 2010). The batteries are both showing a full charge now so still in good nick! Highly recommended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Thanks every one for your advise ido have a 60 w solar panel ,ithink it may be worth trying a sealed one,its my leisure one thats hard to get at would it mean having the starter one sealed sa well,this is easy to get at.thanks again baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coachman Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 My Skoda Octavia battery is sealed and there is a view into the battery where it should should green for ok. This week when i started it it just about made it so checked the voltage an it shiowed 11.9 v, cost me £117 for new one yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coachman Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Oops should have said its 4 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 The green indicator is only showing one cell, so in a good battery it is a fine indcation off charge, but in an older battery showing green does not really tell the truth because other cells could be duff, showing black (or clear) does show a problem though. Hope you follow that strange logic. Much better with a volt meter really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Brambles - 2009-12-17 10:37 PM The green indicator is only showing one cell, so in a good battery it is a fine indcation off charge, but in an older battery showing green does not really tell the truth because other cells could be duff, showing black (or clear) does show a problem though. Hope you follow that strange logic. Much better with a volt meter really. That's interesting because my leisure battery has died, with the 'condition indicator' glowing nicely green! Harvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Harvey The indicators are actually showing the S.G. of the battery and it is possible for them to show a high Specific Gravity (S.G.) even when the battery is duff. This can happen for two main reasons: a) the battery has been topped-up with 'hard' water and the increased S.G. is due to the increased quantity of Calcium Carbonate. b) the battery is on its last legs and is indeed fully charged, but in this case 'fully charged' equates to about 5% of the nominal new capacity. In fact one of the indications of a failed battery is that it does indeed charge very quickly, but instead of having for example 85a/h capacity, it can only store (say) 5a/h A true test of a battery involves measuring the voltage, off and on load, the S.G. and the length of time it can supply a current at a given rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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