Lead crystal batteries

[Nikki]

Looking into these, does any one have any experience of them, they have good reviews but hard to find supplier, any thoughts appreciated

 

[Two on Tour]

Can't help you I'm afraid, but was interested to learn more about lead crystal batteries as I knew little about them.

For those that might be interest in the technology of these batteries.

 

[jockaneezer]

...and as an added bonus, they can help realign your chakras as you sleep !

I probably missed it, but did the guy in the video mention what the electrolyte was ?

 

[42208]

Read an interesting article following your post. More expensive than traditional, much less than Lithium

Motorhome Lead Crystal Leisure Batteries for Caravan too - Astonishing Performance - but well priced!

600+ cycles at 100% DOD! Amazing Lead Crystal Leisure Batteries for Caravan, Camper, Motorcaravan and Motorhome, fully sealed long life units, deep discharge, 4 year warranty, very affordable.

www.motorcaravanning.co.uk

Need to understand more about them at this stage

 

[Silver-Fox]

Read an interesting article following your post. More expensive than traditional, much less than Lithium

Motorhome Lead Crystal Leisure Batteries for Caravan too - Astonishing Performance - but well priced!

600+ cycles at 100% DOD! Amazing Lead Crystal Leisure Batteries for Caravan, Camper, Motorcaravan and Motorhome, fully sealed long life units, deep discharge, 4 year warranty, very affordable.

www.motorcaravanning.co.uk

Need to understand more about them at this stage

They look to be about £100 more than lead.

If as the promo film is correct they are more usable and better life span.

Certainly interesting and require less looking after if I’ve read correctly.

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[two]

An interesting development to watch. I'm turned away by the suggestion that you can completely discharge them without damage. I've heard those claims before and (so far) they've always turned out to be false.
It seems that the better battery banks are protected by better management systems that measure the battery temperature as well as the voltage. Standard motorhome systems may not respect the needs of a new battery type very well, so that's why I say "something to watch". I'd wait until their performance was proven. In the meantime, accept the need to replace the understood technology more frequently.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Will we ever hit the utopia of stored energy.

Im thinking not but the closer we can get at a reasonable price sounds good to me ?

 

[PhilandMena]

You would think there website would work if they are selling Lead Crystal batteries that they claim have 6, 600 cycles. The video guy says they must be charged correctly and the charging profile is on a data sheet on there website, which appears to be down.

 

[Gromett]

I did a quick google for an independent view on these. Every single page listed on google for the 1st 3 pages are people trying to flog these.
The only source on here that I semi trust is RS components.

The telling point here is that everytime they use the term "Lead Crystal" they use the ® mark. Which suggests to me that it is a registered trade mark and not a technology.
It is a marketing term...

Further down on that page they have this to say in the specs.

Technology A unique micro-porous high absorbent mat (AGM), high-purity lead calcium selenium plates, safe SiO2 electrolyte solution that solidifies into a white crystalline powder when charged/discharged.

So it is really nothing more than an AGM battery with lead calcium and selenium in the plates and Silicon DiOxide in the electrolyte. The silicon dioxide dries to a crystallised powder which is where they get the Crystal in the name from. The lead is not crystallised (not sure it can be)...

Seems to me to be marketing wank more than a technical advancement.

 

[Gromett]

PS: From what I have read... Calcium is used to strengthen the plates and reduce self discharge but this has negative effects. Selenium is used to allow them to reduce the amount of calcium used.
Lead Calcium is a common alloy and Selenium is a common doping agent. So nothing special as far as I can see.
All matting in AGM batteries are micro porous and absorbent. The absorbent bit is even in the name and is the whole point of it...

As for SiO2 this is from what I understand it what makes the gel in in gel batteries? It allows them to reduce the amount of acid in the battery.

Disclaimer: This is just my understanding from a quick read and may well be wrong on some details.

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[two]

The last time I used Lead Crystal was as a glass. At that time the electrolyte used tended to be Scotch.

 

[pappajohn]

They look to be about £100 more than lead.

If as the promo film is correct they are more usable and better life span.

Certainly interesting and require less looking after if I’ve read correctly.

A 200ah is just over £500.
A couple of 110ah FLA will be around half that price.

 

[68c]

PS: From what I have read... Calcium is used to strengthen the plates and reduce self discharge but this has negative effects. Selenium is used to allow them to reduce the amount of calcium used.
Lead Calcium is a common alloy and Selenium is a common doping agent. So nothing special as far as I can see.
All matting in AGM batteries are micro porous and absorbent. The absorbent bit is even in the name and is the whole point of it...

As for SiO2 this is from what I understand it what makes the gel in in gel batteries? It allows them to reduce the amount of acid in the battery.

Disclaimer: This is just my understanding from a quick read and may well be wrong on some details.

Sure looks like a con to me, I tried their website and found none of the 'read more' links worked. I was interested in your comment about the SiO2, had no idea what it is and how it applied to batteries. Thanks for the general info, from your post it would seem to be a hyped up AGM battery.

 

[68c]

Just found this, a Welsh Utility started to do research on lead crystal batts but soon realised no benifit

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...WMAF6BAgAEAE&usg=AOvVaw20hf4pq4u-J5kQbNfRIRt0

 

[Silver-Fox]

A 200ah is just over £500.
A couple of 110ah FLA will be around half that price.

From what I remember standard battery 100ah is about £120

The ones in the list on here were £230 so around £100 more ?

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[Nikki]

It's so tempting to believe it all, but always ever cautious, that's why I wanted to see if anyone else had jumped first, so to speak.
All the marketing looks good at first, even some on camping club site, but you can't seem to dig deeper
Thanks to everyone, will keep an eye on any developments on the market

 

[Lenny HB]

I did a quick google for an independent view on these. Every single page listed on google for the 1st 3 pages are people trying to flog these.
The only source on here that I semi trust is RS components.

The telling point here is that everytime they use the term "Lead Crystal" they use the ® mark. Which suggests to me that it is a registered trade mark and not a technology.
It is a marketing term...

Further down on that page they have this to say in the specs.



So it is really nothing more than an AGM battery with lead calcium and selenium in the plates and Silicon DiOxide in the electrolyte. The silicon dioxide dries to a crystallised powder which is where they get the Crystal in the name from. The lead is not crystallised (not sure it can be)...

Seems to me to be marketing wank more than a technical advancement.

Oh dear AGM, about the last type of battery you would want in your Motorhome.

 

[maison]

Oh dear AGM, about the last type of battery you would want in your Motorhome.

OK.

I’ll bite. Why?

My new motorhome came fitted with an AGM leisure battery so I am genuinely interested.

 

[Jim]

My new motorhome came fitted with an AGM leisure battery so I am genuinely interested.

Difficult to say, everyone's charging regime and use is different, but I went down the AGM route, even bought a dedicated AGM charger and the batteries were knackered in a year. Other users have had very similar experiences, so the mud sticks. You couldn't give me an AGM battery.

 

[simsy56]

Marketing..... like the Toyota 'self charging hybrid'....ALL hybrids are 'self charging'.

Craig

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[jonasw19]

OK.

I’ll bite. Why?

My new motorhome came fitted with an AGM leisure battery so I am genuinely interested.

My 2 AGM did me fine for 3.5 years, never discharged below 50%. They have begun to lose the. capacity to run a small inverter comfortably. Still sitting at 12.8v after 3 weeks off charge, just above 85% capacity at c/20 rate. Seldom on hookup nearly 500 days use.
Only replaced by Lifepo4 when we added ebike charging.
From my experience I wouldn't replace an AGM before it fails, as they performed up to spec.
If they fail I am impressed by lifepo4 as a replacement.

 

[Lenny HB]

OK.

I’ll bite. Why?

My new motorhome came fitted with an AGM leisure battery so I am genuinely interested.

My last van they lasted all of 18 months both failed at the same time when we were in Greece, like Jim you couldn't give them to me now.
When we bought the current van swapped the AGM for the 2 one year old Gels I'd fitted in the last van and fitted a 3 rd. Currently have one 3 year old Gel and two 4 year old Gels all performing like new.

 

[Minxy]

Oh dear AGM, about the last type of battery you would want in your Motorhome.

Getting slow in your old age Lenny ... I'd have thought you'd have been posting that much, much quicker ... perhaps you need a bit more 'charge' in your batteries to get you going in a morning? ☺

 

[ChrisL]

I know it's being used in a different context but I have an Exide AGM battery on my motorcycle (BMW K100), which has been on there about 6 years, I don't ride it very much and occasionally the battery has dropped as low as 8 volts but I put it on an Optimate charger and it comes right back with no issues at all, so I'm just wondering if it's the quality of the AGM batteries that's the issue with the AGM's that have been failing early or if people have experienced the same issue with top brands as well.

 

[Gromett]

I have had AGM since I started motorhoming.
200AH in my first van lasted the 2 years and got sold with the van.
1000AH in my second van, when I sold that van after 2 years I sold 2 of the batteries on and kept 2.
The 500AH I kept lasted in total 8 years.

If AGM's are correctly looked after and are from a reputable supplier they last a very long time.

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[pappajohn]

From what I remember standard battery 100ah is about £120

The ones in the list on here were £230 so around £100 more ?

Agreed, but I wouldn't buy anything but a regular Pb car battery and cut out the middleman with the spurious leisure battery labels and his inflated prices.