Jump to content

AGM Batteries


Don Madge

Recommended Posts

The following is a post from one of the smaller motor home forums.

 

"I have fitted a pair of Squadron Energy 100Ah AGM to my van.

These AGM batteries are fully sealed and can be fitted on their side."

 

Would Clive & or Dave care to comment.

 

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don Madge - 2007-07-07 10:10 AM

 

The following is a post from one of the smaller motor home forums.

 

"I have fitted a pair of Squadron Energy 100Ah AGM to my van.

These AGM batteries are fully sealed and can be fitted on their side."

 

Would Clive & or Dave care to comment.

 

Don

 

It seems this post has fallen on deaf ears :-D :-D I would welcome some opinions please. :-D :-D

 

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Don,

Can't comment on those actual batteries but I am jubious about being able to fit them on their side.  I reckon that even totally sealed batteries could leak.  I have just fitted two similar batteries (upright) as a result of offer in July Caravan Club magazine for M-tec 100AH totally sealed with silver technology (whatever that is!) at £44.99 each, a saving of 25% on full price. Available from a1 motorstores.co.uk.

Best wishes,  Roy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Don

 

We had a sealed battery fitted as an additional leisure battery at the Peterborough show a couple of years ago. It was sited beneath the passenger seat in our Boxer. As it was a bit of a tight fit the fitters decided to fit it on its side. It has lived there quite happily for the past 2 years or more without any leaking or charge problems.

 

Regards

 

Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apologies for being away in our van Don. Sunny week end and all that!

 

AGM batteries.

My understanding is (I I may be wrong) is that these are essentially wet cell batteries with the electrolyte contained within an Absorbent Glass Mat. They have a catalytic converter built into the cell top to change the hydrogen and oxygen gasses back into water. In essence they have the advantages of gel batteries without the disadvantages of gel batteries. They are very tollerant of mechanical shock.

You should recharge before the battery drops below 50% discharge. AGM batteries are safe for indoor use and maintain low discharge rates during long term storage.

In a trawl of several sites on AGM batteries I have not found one that says you can mount them anything other that terminals and cell tops upwards, even though the construction technique may lend itself to it. I guess that the position of the catalytic converter most likely needs to be at the top as gasses will always go to the top.

I would therefore mount them (sealed) cell tops upwards.

An important thing about AGM - Just because a battery is AGM does NOT make it a deep cycle battery. Several companies, (such as Optima,) have adopted AGM for starting batteries and other non-deep cycle applications. Those still have the advantages of AGM, but are not deep cycle.

In AGM batteries (also called starved electrolyte), there is a thin ultra-fine fiberglass mat sandwiched between the plates that are saturated to about 95% of what they can hold. This mat is then packed in between the plates and slightly compressed, then welded/soldered in place. Because the plates and mats are packed fairly tight, they are almost immune to vibration.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...