PCC Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I'm thinking of upgrading the leisure battery in my VW T4. At present I've got a cheap 50Ah battery under the driver's seat and I run a vent out of the window when I charge it. 2 days and 3 nights at Dusseldorf was, not surprisingly, a bit of a challenge even keeping use to a minimum. I calculate that to run my compressor coolbox and lighting for a few days without a hook-up I need about 30Ah. One option would be to put a nice big battery in the boot, but I'm trying to avoid that. I'm also trying to avoid drilling a hole in the floor for a breather pipe. All of the dimensions are tight, particularly height at about 190mm max. Looking at what's on the market, I could just about squeeze in a cheap(ish) Ultra Plus or XEL wet battery at 80 and 70Ah respectively. I could also go up market a bit and squeeze in a Varta 80Ah sealed wet battery. They claim a reliable 60% depth of discharge. Going further up market, I could fit a Sonnenschein or Exide gel battery of 56 or 60Ah. The lower capacity should in part be offset by a greater depth of discharge - Exide claim 500 cycles at 80% depth of discharge, and even if the batteries were only 80% charged to start that would still give me my 30Ah with a bit of spare capacity. Finally, there seems to be an option of fitting 2x34Ah gel or AGM wheelchair batteries in parallel. These would fit very nicely. Suitable brands seem to be Lucas/Numax and Platinum. Ideally I'd like to fit gel or AGM batteries because that should solve the venting problem. Does anyone have experience of using wheelchair batteries? Are they suitable for motorhomes? Which are best - gel or AGM (there seems to be a lot of conflicting advice out there some of which is a bit out of date)? Do they have a reasonable life or are they a bit fragile (I use a Sterling 3 stage battery charger that seems to provide suitable voltages of 14.4 then 13.6V float)? Any views would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Wheelchair batteries are sealed lead acid types and perhaps not the best choice. They are not particularly deep cycle as the main requirement is that they don,t spill. Golf buggy batteries though would do well. Or Use the available mains hookups at Dusseledorf. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 We have just parted with a Trendscout that came fitted with a large Gel Battery, never took note of the capacity but size wise it equaled an 85/100 AHC. When we parted company it was holding a good charge at 3+ years old. I enquired about replacements if required and was told: a) Difficult as their stockist didn't hold them. b) Expensive Probably more important the van charger had a switch for Acid or Gel and a handbook warning not to charge a Gel battery on the Acid setting. So for gel you may also need a new charger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I don't suppose there is space under the passenger seat or under the bonnet for a second battery is there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Go for the Varta 80 Ah, next the Exide gel, and finally like Clives idea of the golf buggy batteries but again stick to good ones and none of the budget brands. Sonnenschein /exide gel are the market leaders in gel. With gel you do not need to vent, with the varta in good nick it will not gas but as it gets older or overcharged it will. Do not be worried about drilling a hole, its quite small and a rubber bung inserted. No one likes drilling their pride and joy, but who wants a tube they have to hang out of the window! If you search you may find a cable loom going through the floor you can put the tube through as well. Or make it neat and use a bolt in flange thingy you can attach a tube to either side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 A tube out of the window may get condensate in it when the battery is under charge, this can condense into liquid and form a "water trap" offering resistance to gas flow. Gassing is a real problem with wet batteries, I have seen major damage from such gas as it exploded, blowing the wall of the battery room out. Drill a hole, use some tight fitting plastic pipe and thread it through a rubber bung. Then you will sleep better at night. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCC Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Many thanks to all of you for taking the time and effort to respond. To pick up on your comments: - Gel batteries are expensive but a number of the german manufacturers seem to fit them without problems. - Avoid cheap batteries - Make sure the vent pipe won't get blocked - I hadn't considered the issue of condensate blocking the pipe. I hadn't looked much at golf buggy batteries because they tend to talk about the number of holes they can do rather than the Ah rating. It seems the same gel or AGM batteries are now fitted to some mobility scooters but I'm tending towards the Varta or the Exide/Sonnenschein. I can't even contemplate the idea of drilling a hole through the metal myself - mentally it would just be too painfull. If I go for the Varta I'll have a good look for an existing hole that I can use, or failing that I'll have to see if I can get the drilling done by Middlesex Motor Caravans - they're local and have always been helpful. I think I need to check the measurements again before I do anything else. I'm not aware of there being any space under the bonnet for an additional battery, and I find the space under the passenger seat very useful for other things. When I went to Dusseldorf two years ago there were'nt any spare hook-ups, so if I go this year (which I'm tempted to do) I want to be prepared. Just out of interest, according the the manufacturers specs just one of the (8W) reading lights typically uses more power per hour than the fridge (approx 3.5-6.3W depending on the temperatures)! I live in hope of finding a replacement LED bulb but haven't had any success yet. Once again, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 What type of bulb does your reading light use currently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 PCC - 2011-01-16 12:02 PM ...I live in hope of finding a replacement LED bulb but haven't had any success yet... This vendor offers a large selection of replacement LED bubs. Chances are that, if you can't find what you need there, you are unlikely to find it elsewhere. http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCC Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 I've got 3 flexible reading lights with 8w BA9S bulbs. The problem is that the bulbs are inserted from the rear of the unit so the width of the lens section can't be any wider than the base cap (excluding the pins). I'll keep looking - haven't found anything on the internet and I always ask at the shows. Bilbos fit really nice light fittings so I'd rather not think about replacing the units themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 PCC - 2011-01-16 8:23 PM I've got 3 flexible reading lights with 8w BA9S bulbs. The problem is that the bulbs are inserted from the rear of the unit so the width of the lens section can't be any wider than the base cap (excluding the pins). I'll keep looking - haven't found anything on the internet and I always ask at the shows. Bilbos fit really nice light fittings so I'd rather not think about replacing the units themselves. Is 10 mm dia of the top part ok..... http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct.jsp?sku=SC01104&CMP=e-2072-00001000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCC Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 No. It's a tight 9mm. The bulb pushes through a copper ring and beds on the two studs. The good news is I've just reduced consumption by 60% using a piece of advanced kit known as a magnifying glass. Turns out it's a 5w bulb, not 8w. Osram 64111. Thanks anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 http://www.eliteled.com/products/lightbulbs/ba9basedbulb.html U.S. though. Not found Uk supplier yet. A trick for you, put in description in google i.e ba9s led bulb, and then search images. You will see easily what designs are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCC Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 I've used Google to search for bulbs many times, but probably never used the precise string that you've suggested: it gives some different results. If bulbs are available in the US they will probably, at some time, become available over here. No doubt they all come out of a limited number of factories in China and Taiwan. There's a whole culture of modifying cars out there and it seems it's not unheard of for people to file down the fixing lugs on bulbs to make them fit. Perhaps this is the way to go, but I think I'll ponder it for a while. Might pass up on the opportunity to fit blue running lights underneath the van though. Thanks for the links everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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