Start/stop battery as a leisure battery? (1 Viewer)

[Bridget]

I need to replace my leisure batteries and took the van to a local battery and solar company to discuss my options.

I was told that it would be best for me to have 2 agm 95ah batteries of Exide make that would do 1,000 cycles. I came away to think about it and today decided I would book the van in but also wanted to check the model number. I was told that it would be a Fulmen FK950 but they were made by exide. I have now looked these batteries up and discovered that they are car stop/start batteries but can find no other data. My gut says they wouldn't be suitable as a leisure battery but thought I should check out with funsters who have far more knowledge than I!

Thank you in advance

 

[TheBig1]

seriously forget AGM as the way we use them in motorhomes is flawed and they fail prematurely. If your charger can be set to GEL, then these would give years of service, however when you do the sums, plain good quality lead acid wet batteries give good value for money. under £200 for probably 5 years use if maintained well, against £300 or more for 6 or 7 years with GEL

 

[iandsm]

I have two 95 Excide stop start batteries. Bought them five years ago in France when my previous ones gave up the ghost, they are still going great. They have been reliable, fast to charge, they hold charge well when not in use and I have never had a problem with them when off EHU for four or five days at a time in the summer months and two or three days on the winter. I have a 100 watt solar panel to support them but of course that’s not much good in the winter. I don’t know how long I can expect them to last but at the moment they seem good as new so I am happy with them and would replace them with similar batteries.

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[rod_vw]

Try talking to Martyn at Travel Volts, he is well respected in the modern VW camper world with good experience of Stop-Start, Intelligent Alternator and Solar equipped vehicles.

Rod

 

[Bridget]

Thank you both for your replies. Sometimes wish we had fewer choices of both batteries and purchases in general.and then I might have more leisure time!

I had decided to stick to wets but the sales patter led me to consider the agms.
@iandism I would have the same set up as yourself if i went for these fulmen batteries but on my current banners have been able to do 5 days off grid in winter and obviously a lot more than that in summer. I guess it's about how we use our Van's really.

 

[Bridget]

Thank you @rod_vw going to have a read on the website now and will chat with him Morris if he's available

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[Stealaway]

This might help

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/exide/

 

[Just smiffy]

Agm’s are getting bad press and car/Motorhome manufacturers are stopping the use of agm batteries..... gel is the way to go and are not much more if at all more expensive then wet lead acid batteries....

@Lenny HB has more experience to offer on this...

 

[Allanm]

AGM batteries are ok as long as your vehicle mains charger can support them ( it should have an AGM setting) you solar panel can charge them properly and your alternator can charge them properly.
Our new van came with an AGM leisure battery, the onboard charger and alternator were set up for AGM, so is the solar system, but the handbook says to charge the batteries on mains hook up as often as possible.
That reads to me like they aren’t really suitable as leisure batteries.
So, after advice on here, I swapped the AGM for 2 lead acid batteries.

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[PeteH]

For anyone, looking for information on Batteries and their uses, this site is a mine of information. http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/.

Note for Jim:- Is it worth making the link a "Sticky" or something. These sorts of requests for information seem to come up quite regularly?

 

[Pausim]

For anyone, looking for information on Batteries and their uses, this site is a mine of information. http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/.

Note for Jim:- Is it worth making the link a "Sticky" or something. These sorts of requests for information seem to come up quite regularly?

I do not feel all his information can be relied on. His argument against LiFePo4 batteries is so full of holes you could use it as a collander and some of the figures he uses are just plain wrong.

 

[Lenny HB]

AGM srevbsd news for lesiure us, last van came with AGM they lasted 18months. Loads of Motorhomes have found they don't last much more than a year.
Current van I got rid of the AGM and fitted 3 gels. With the correct charger gels will last many years some members on here with 10 year old gels still going.

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[Taran_Las]

Which Gels do you have (or recommend) @Lenny HB ?

 

[PeteH]

I do not feel all his information can be relied on. His argument against LiFePo4 batteries is so full of holes you could use it as a collander and some of the figures he uses are just plain wrong.

Have not had the need to research LiFePo4`s, so the jury is out AFAIK personally. But most of the stuff I have seen is a sensible take on the current state of play. It is also worth remembering that like much of modern tech; the knowledge base is accelerating at a rate we have never known before, so as a resource it is at least a useful start.

Also worth knowing is the claim that they do not sell batteries, (They refurb; Chargers as their core business). Many of which (they claim) have failed because of the use of wrongly matched batteries!. So on the face of it they have no axe to grind, beyond observing that Charger / Battery matching is important, and some are better that others for that purpose.?

 

[NickandClair]

Love using this link from Mr Sterling taking through the range of regular conventional batteries. It also can be down to personal experience of course ;


As for Li, best you take a look at previous threads, or I may be forced to get back on the Soap Box . Ill just leave this link here though, but stay with the video if you can (Can't help myself );

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[Lenny HB]

Which Gels do you have (or recommend) @Lenny HB ?

Sonnenschine, part of Exide they make the Exide gels.

 

[Taran_Las]

Do you have a model/type No. to hand @Lenny HB ? I may be looking for some soon.

 

[Zigisla]

I do not feel all his information can be relied on. His argument against LiFePo4 batteries is so full of holes you could use it as a collander and some of the figures he uses are just plain wrong.

Have not had the need to research LiFePo4`s, so the jury is out AFAIK personally. But most of the stuff I have seen is a sensible take on the current state of play. It is also worth remembering that like much of modern tech; the knowledge base is accelerating at a rate we have never known before, so as a resource it is at least a useful start.

Also worth knowing is the claim that they do not sell batteries, (They refurb; Chargers as their core business). Many of which (they claim) have failed because of the use of wrongly matched batteries!. So on the face of it they have no axe to grind, beyond observing that Charger / Battery matching is important, and some are better that others for that purpose.?

Having read their page on Lithium batteries, I find it strange that of all the research available on line, they are the only ones quoting their own figures. Having been quoted on their page, it astounds me that they assume I have not carried out any research myself and been taken in by Vanbitz. They just concured with everything I had read before and if you know vanbitz, they certainly will not sell you someting you don't need. From previous posts, there is certainly no love lost between @Jim, @eddievanbitz and aanadn so it is no surprise that out of all the available posts and information out there, they quote one post from Motorhomefun to slag off and nothing else.

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[Lenny HB]

Do you have a model/type No. to hand @Lenny HB ? I may be looking for some soon.

This one, they are actually 78a/h.

 

[Feltwell]

I've followed the advice from A&A and gone for Enhanced Flooded Batteries this time, the Yuasa L36-EFB. His last recommendation worked well for me, ask me in 5 years if the change was the right thing to do

http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/battery-technology.php

 

[eddie]

I wouldn't trust a word from a business that signs onto forums under different identities and praises their own business to the hilt!

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[Bridget]

Thank you everyone for your input.
My charger supports gel but not agm. The chap at the battery company said this was not a problem when I said that I didn't think mine supported agm as it was just down to a translation error on my ep solar mppt. Is this correct?
Sorry to be such a numpty but want to work out if I'm being fed a pack of lies and need to use another company.

 

[Lenny HB]

Thank you everyone for your input.
My charger supports gel but not agm. The chap at the battery company said this was not a problem when I said that I didn't think mine supported agm as it was just down to a translation error on my ep solar mppt. Is this correct?
Sorry to be such a numpty but want to work out if I'm being fed a pack of lies and need to use another company.

Without a proper AGM charger AGM's will have a very short life. The battery & charger manufacturers will tell you they are fine on the gel setting, they are not.
Even with the correct charger if your use is mainly off grid they still have a very short life.
To complicate it further there are AGM type 1 & type 2 both require diffent charge boltages.

IMO AGM are the worst possible choice for lesiure use.

 

[pappajohn]

Thank you everyone for your input.
My charger supports gel but not agm. The chap at the battery company said this was not a problem when I said that I didn't think mine supported agm as it was just down to a translation error on my ep solar mppt. Is this correct?
Sorry to be such a numpty but want to work out if I'm being fed a pack of lies and need to use another company.

If it doesn't say AGM it isn't suitable for AGM.
Looks to me like they sell batteries by any means.
My bench charger is suitable for lead/acid, gel and AGM..... if gel and AGM were the same why fit a 3 position selector switch capable of selecting AGM.

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[Nasher]

I've followed the advice from A&A and gone for Enhanced Flooded Batteries this time, the Yuasa L36-EFB. His last recommendation worked well for me, ask me in 5 years if the change was the right thing to do

I've heard that the Halfords HLB7000 is the same battery as the Yuasa L36-EFB - can anyone confirm this?

I am a big fan of Yuasa & use them on my motorbikes & starter battery for the van

 

[Bridget]

@Lenny HB , @pappajohn , thank you so much. You have confirmed what I thought, they're trying to pull a fast one on me! Next job,cancel my appointment with them. I wont be getting agm's either!
Cheers

 

[NickandClair]

I've heard that the Halfords HLB7000 is the same battery as the Yuasa L36-EFB - can anyone confirm this?

I am a big fan of Yuasa & use them on my motorbikes & starter battery for the van

This wouldn't surprise me as there is always a bit of "re-branding". You know what it's like in the bike industry with "Branded Chargers" and clothing .

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[Blue Knight]

I've heard that the Halfords HLB7000 is the same battery as the Yuasa L36-EFB - can anyone confirm this?

I am a big fan of Yuasa & use them on my motorbikes & starter battery for the van

It's the Halfords HLB-700 that is the exact same battery as the Yuasa L36-EFB. I think you added an extra zero by accident.

The L36-EFB costs £120 delivered from Alpha Batteries but if you add the word 'Facebook' to the code section on the order form then you'll get a 5% reduction.

The Halfords HLB-700 is £105 (collected) but if you have a Halfords trade account then you can get one for circa £86.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[GPW]

Without a proper AGM charger AGM's will have a very short life. The battery & charger manufacturers will tell you they are fine on the gel setting, they are not.
Even with the correct charger if your use is mainly off grid they still have a very short life.
To complicate it further there are AGM type 1 & type 2 both require diffent charge voltages.

IMO AGM are the worst possible choice for lesiure use.

Interesting. To pour fuel on the fire this negative view of AGM's is backed up by A&N (as mentioned by some on here), often people of controversy are controversial, but that doesn't make them wrong about everything especially when backed up by references and logic (such as the lack of cooling in AGM due to lack of acid mobility).

http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/agm-batteries.php

It does appear as if AGM should be avoided.

 

[Pausim]

Oops

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