new battery needed

[handyman]

my gel battery is knackered. The voltage is dropping off when sitting out unconnected (its dropped 1v in 1 hr already). Was going to fit 2 of these to replace the failed 85ah gel deta dg80 battery.

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12V-95AH-Gel-AGM-Battery-Boat-Battery-Marine-Battery-/270607570965?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM

 

Is this ok to do, or am I buying really rubbish batteries or something else wrong with these? (dimensions are fine)

 

Need to order soon, as we were away for the weekend and had to use the campsite showers 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) as there was no power to turn the waterpump or water heater :'( :'( :'(

[hallii]

I reckon for the money and with a five year warranty it's worth a punt.

 

I would probably use them if mine need replacing (I have saved the info. just in case!)

 

I recently revived a dead gel battery (not off my M/H) by removing the sealed top and adding a small amount of water.

 

Then I resealed it with Superglue and it's still going strong.

 

It's probably not worth it if it means there might be a risk of having to use the campsite showers! (Why is the air temperature always so cold, and why can't I have HOT water instead of warm?)

 

Hallii

[handyman]

cheers for your thoughts on those batteries...........ordered them tonight, so should arrive wednesday, will report back on them in 1 year or so, hope they are still going strong !

 

I have been threatening to double up the onboard power for over 3 years, so i suppose the money would have been spent soon enough anyway :->

 

190 Ah, thats a lot of tv and showers :-D

[handyman]

to add, thats been 3.5 years of 33000 miles of touring and travelling in our motorhome, and its the first time I have had to have a shower in public showers (and I shower every day)

 

A shock to the system, and it meant that my 'smug look' was wiped off my face, much to the amusement of our 2 sets of friends in their cold tents! (but our toilet still worked)

[Brambles]

http://www.atlasbx.co.kr/jsp/english/download/ABX%20AGM(09.6).pdf

 

 

These are starter batteries, very good ones at that and probably twice the life of a standard Starter battery, and with good deep discharge characterstics but are not really leisure battereis.

The application is more akin to a marine battery. Suitable as a starter battery but with some leisure capability, or for modem vehicles with high standby current demands, and say camper vans piching liesure power from engine battery.

The 1st 5 in the part number (DIN type part number) tells you this.

 

Will it give good service life as a leisure battery? It may well do, but no way of knowing from the product data sheet as it is primarily a starter battery so deep discharge specifications do not really apply. The cycle information shown is for starting cycles.

Hard to know, but if using them, I would be extremely reluctant to take the Ahours down below 50%.

 

Jon

[handyman]

its partly (mainly I suppose) down to money, the same gel battery supplied with the van costs 260 euro for a 85ah, and has gone to heaven at 4.5 years old. If these ones last that long and give more than 85ah of use for the same ish price, then I'm happy with that.

 

The ultimate deep cycle gel batteries cost a bloomin fortune 8-) 8-)

[Brambles]

Hi again,

The ABX AGM is NOT a gel battery, it is an Absorbed Glass Mat Battery.

Jon.

 

p.s. The Deta Gel you had is the Exide G80 battery and is one of the best gel leisure batteries you can get. It can actually cope with a large number of cycles, I think from memory it is about 400 cycles at 80% depth of discharge. You will not get that from an AGM.

However depending how you use the batteries and if only lightly discharging then they will give good service life. But then again if only lightly discharging then the sealed flooded 450 cycle from AtlasBX , see the leisure batteries from Megabatteries website, would be a much better economic solution.

 

[handyman]

yes, i looked at them, but i have a height restriction of 200mm (under the swivel seat), and most of the cheaper leisure batteries were over this height.

 

Anyway, type above has been ordered...........the old battery did 4 hrs of tv, lights, heating and 2 showers in the morning before it conked out, so will see how these ones do.

 

Will save up and spend £500 on 2 proper leisure batteries when these conk out (which will be over 5 years away I hope :-S )

[handyman]

ps, i would have spent that amount, but the EGR valve on the transit side of the van went to heaven 2 days before the battery, and cost £300 to replace :-( :-( :-(

[handyman]

New batteries in and working great. Did a test on driveway, and left the tv, lights, dvd player and satelite on over 2 evenings.

 

They stayed on for a total of 13 hours, and at this point i gave up with the batteries only showing half empty on the inboard indicator.

 

Superb stuff. :-D

 

Makes me think the new original gel battery with the new van had something wrong with it since we got it, as it never lasted anywhere near that amount (halfed timings of course as it was originally one battery)