spirou Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 True, but then again, Varta LFD is also only rated at 180 cycles if I remember correctly and for "light use" only. Yet regarded as quite a good low budget choice. Compare victron datasheets https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Lead-carbon-battery-EN.pdf https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-AGM-Super-Cycle-battery-EN.pdf https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-GEL-and-AGM-Batteries-EN.pdf Lead Carbon 1400 cycles @ 40% DoD, 1000 cycles @ 60% DoD, 500 cycles @ 100% DoD AGM Supercycle 1000 cycles @ 40% DoD, 700 cycles @ 60% DoD AGM Deepcycle 1500 cycles at 30% DoD, 600 cycles @ 50% DoD Gel Deepcycle 750 cycles @ 50% DoD, 1800 cycles @ 30% DoD This specific lead carbon (EFB) battery clearly outperforms even their best AGM/Gel deep cycle batteries. Sadly I haven't found it for sale anywhere. So if Yuasa only claim 200 cycles at 80% DoD for the L36 EFB it tells me it was designed as dual purpose battery, not specifically a deep cycling battery. Every other EFB I've seen is only described as a starting battery. In other words, the market works the same way as with standard lead acid batteries where they are optimised for a specific use. Just because it says EFB it doesn't mean it will be suitable for constant deep cycling. It will be better than a standard starter battery but it doesn't mean it will tolerate such use for very long. edit: you might be lucky in UK, £250.00 + tax https://www.solar-wind.co.uk/2v-6v-12v-deep-cycle-solar-batteries-gel-agm-lead-carbon-opzv/victron-lead-carbon-battery-12v-106ah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I hesitate to point this out, but in the 2nd posting on this thread it was spirou who responded to freeflow’s battery-related enquiry by providing links to adverts on the Alpha Batteries website. Two of the links were to EFB batteries and one of the EFB batteries was the NordStar product that has led freeflow down the Elecsol blind alley that took him on to the Practical Caravan/Motorhome forum. https://forums.practicalcaravan.com/threads/batteries-elecsol-110-carbon.60552/#post-487068 The fact is that most batteries (gel, AGM, EFB or traditional wet-acid) marketed for ‘leisure’ purposes are dual purpose with a design-capability to start a motor as well as to provide a degree of ‘deep cycling, and this will be evident when the battery’s specification includes a CCA figure. Andrew has provided a link to an Exide document and, although the Type List in that document omits a CCA figure for the Exide ET650 battery that Allan Evans suggested in the past, it’s plain from other sources that the ET650 is dual-purpose and has a CCA of 800A. For a reasonably-priced ‘019 size’ wet-acid battery with no CCA value and advertised for deep-cycling not engine starting, Banner offers their “Energy Bull” 957 51 product https://www.bannerbatterien.com/en-gb/Products/Starter-Batteries/Energy-Bull/226-957-51 but long-term forum members will be well aware that this battery has received plenty of criticism here in the past. Long-term forum members will also be aware that there has been considerable concern here about choosing AGM batteries for ‘leisure’ purposes when a motorhome’s electrical system has no specific AGM battery-charging functionality (which will be the case with freeflow’s 2006 Adria). So, if freeflow accepts that EFB batteries and AGM batteries and Banner “Energy Bull” batteries all might be problematical, that leaves Varta’s LFD90 (sealed wet-acid dual purpose) that I’m not aware anyone has complained about (yet!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirou Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Indeed I did include the northstar. It was before I started digging a bit deeper and found the inconsistencies I mentioned lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Freeflow has enquired about battery charging on two other O&AL forum threads https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/AGM-battery/54257/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Solar-power-charging/53496/ and this thread’s enquiry repeats a question he asked on the Practical Motorhome forum in October 2019. (Unsurprisingly no response was forthcoming.) In his original posting above he said that his 2006 Adria has two unlabelled batteries of 105Ah capacity each (so presumably those batteries must carry some indication of their capacity). And it’s near certain that freeflow has not owned the Adria from new and that a previous owner will have been responsible for installing the current batteries. As there is a warning in the Adria’s battery compartment that lead-gel batteries should be used, it’s reasonable to assume that the motorhome had that type of battery when brand-new - but gel batteries are quite expensive and it seems more likely that, 14 years on, the present batteries will be traditional wet-acid ones and, if that’s so, hopefully the Adria’s “charger and transformer control unit” will have been appropriately set. Freeflow also asked for suggestions for cheap replacements - so a lithium battery solution is definitely out and probably Victron batteries too. So, do we have a consensus that fitting 2 x Varta LFD90 batteries would be a sensible way to go, or is anyone prepared to recommend a better and/or cheaper alternative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Derek Uzzell - 2020-01-21 6:24 PM So, do we have a consensus that fitting 2 x Varta LFD90 batteries would be a sensible way to go, or is anyone prepared to recommend a better and/or cheaper alternative? Agreed, my vote goes for the Varta LFD90's. I fitted a single LFD90 back in October 2011 and it is still going strong, although we are relatively light users of 12 volt power. https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/VARTA-Leisure-Batteries-New-Range/25243/ Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeflow Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Thanks to everyone I will be going with the Exide 100ah ET650 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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