Exide Batteries

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MidAgeTraveller

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https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/exide/et650/ I am considering these to replace my dud banners that failed after 2 years. Bit of confusion on Ah and WH as 650wh equates to 650/12= 54Ah. But they claim 100Ah at C20 rate I think. Any experts there to offer advice on these batteries or would you recommend different choice. Limited to 190mm height.
 
Don't know, but do include alpha batteries in your price comparisons as we get a discount :)
 
no, they are not good when it comes to warranty, in other words send them back at your expense, they test them and say it is your fault for not looking after them correctly. I will stick with Tayna as I live near there - no delivery, I can check age of battery before purchasing and any problems - back they go.
 
I'm no expert, but I understood from various sources that the Bosch/Varta Powerframe batteries were a cut above others - for instance the Varta LDF90 is 190mm high. This document appears to explain the technology : http://www.**************************/battery-technology.php

I have to say I've had 2 Banners for over 3 years now and they have given no trouble. However, unlike most others they are not maintenance free, and you have to keep a close eye on levels, especially if left on hookup for long periods using the standard non-smart charger supplied with MHs.
 
https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/exide/et650/ I am considering these to replace my dud banners that failed after 2 years. Bit of confusion on Ah and WH as 650wh equates to 650/12= 54Ah. But they claim 100Ah at C20 rate I think. Any experts there to offer advice on these batteries or would you recommend different choice. Limited to 190mm height.

These batteries are rated at 90Ah (C20) according to the Exide data sheet. This will give you 45Ah per battery useable.

As these are wet batteries and will need to be maintained if you want a reasonable life span from them. You will need to check and top up the electrolyte at regular intervals if you don't the batteries will fail and you will be to blame. This is the same as wet Banner batteries, if you are cycling the batteries a lot you should be checking and topping up the electrolyte with de-ionized water every 12 weeks. If you do not want to have to maintain the batteries then buy AGM, Gel or Lithium.
 
Bosch/varta silver power frame for normal batterys running standard chargers/solar,they will go 5 years without drop of as long as you dont discharge below 60-70% and there sealed so no topping up.
 
What killed your Banner batteries? I used Banner for several years without a problem (now using LiFePO4) and would want to know what caused the problem before fitting something new.
 
This thread has given me a timely reminder to check the levels on the Banners - I found they were approaching minimum, so time well spent. It's a bit of a faff to get to them just to see the levels through the casing, and even more to actually top them up.
I've discovered that the good old Lucas "Auto Top Up" bottles are now a collector's item and so are a silly price on Fleabay. There are plastic filler containers available, but these appear to have a simple valve which opens on contact with the plates rather than detecting the level. I suppose that's due to the car starter batteries being almost universally the sealed for life type.
 
This thread has given me a timely reminder to check the levels on the Banners - I found they were approaching minimum, so time well spent. It's a bit of a faff to get to them just to see the levels through the casing, and even more to actually top them up.
I've discovered that the good old Lucas "Auto Top Up" bottles are now a collector's item and so are a silly price on Fleabay. There are plastic filler containers available, but these appear to have a simple valve which opens on contact with the plates rather than detecting the level. I suppose that's due to the car starter batteries being almost universally the sealed for life type.


Not good to have vented batterys inside van unless in sealed box with top vent and pipe taking gas outside.
 
Not good to have vented batterys inside van unless in sealed box with top vent and pipe taking gas outside.
Both vented with the purpose made adapter in the vent and piped outside - although I think it's hydrogen which is produced, I really should collect it to keep the van weight down a bit :)
 
My Banners had a direct vent connection at the top of the battery that took the gasses outside, no need for a sealed box.
We had an emergency at midnight in January in the car park of the Royal Hotel Ullapool. The CO2 alarm went off. At first could find any reason at all. An hour later and it went off again. The site of an old bearded bloke hopping about in the freezing carpark wafting a beeping flashing thing in the air in his pygamas must have seemed somewhat curious! There was an odd smell, after much rooting about we tracked in down to the supposedly sealed and vented battery box. One of the batteries had failed and was overheating and emitting toxic hydrogen dioxide... not nice. The plug in vent pipe on the battery had detached, and thanks to Glossop Caravans dodgy installation, wiring for for the solar panels had been run between the box and lid rendering it no longer gastight. Because the vent holes in the box were 50mm below the top, it was acting as an inverted funnel and discharging gas right next to my head. I have a useless sense of smell, and was congested with a virus I hadn’t noticed the smell. A salutary lesson not to overconfidently rely on vent-pipes!!
 
A salutary lesson not to overconfidently rely on vent-pipes!!
Sorry to hear of your emergency. I would rather rely on a direct vent from the battery, as provided for by the manufacturer, than fill an internal box up with explosive gases. There are inevitably electrical connections and probably fuses too in the battery box, all of which have the potential to spark. I didn’t even know you could get sealed battery boxes but every day you learn something new.
 
emitting toxic hydrogen dioxide.

It's about 50 years since I studied chemistry, but I don't think the battery could have produced hydrogen dioxide - which isn't a gas anyway. I think the most likely product would have been hydrogen sulphide, which has a strong smell of rotten eggs. You would certainly notice it if you had an unimpaired sense of smell, but as you couldn't smell it, its as well the CO (not CO2) alarm detected it.
I hope all is well now.
 
It's about 50 years since I studied chemistry, but I don't think the battery could have produced hydrogen dioxide - which isn't a gas anyway. I think the most likely product would have been hydrogen sulphide, which has a strong smell of rotten eggs. You would certainly notice it if you had an unimpaired sense of smell, but as you couldn't smell it, its as well the CO (not CO2) alarm detected it.
I hope all is well now.
Oops quite right, mental typo!
 
Sorry to hear of your emergency. I would rather rely on a direct vent from the battery, as provided for by the manufacturer, than fill an internal box up with explosive gases. There are inevitably electrical connections and probably fuses too in the battery box, all of which have the potential to spark. I didn’t even know you could get sealed battery boxes but every day you learn something new.
This was a direct vent from the battery, it had come unplugged and the amount of gas emitted from the hole in the battery exceeded the ability of the small vent holes direct to air to cope on a calm freezing night.
 
This was a direct vent from the battery, it had come unplugged and the amount of gas emitted from the hole in the battery exceeded the ability of the small vent holes direct to air to cope on a calm freezing night.


On your other point... the Bessacarr battery box is a plastic box, set in the floor of the under bed cupboard. It is provided with a tightly fitting plastic lid with curved edge profile that seals tightly to a matching profile on the edge of the box, and bolted down tight, it should seal well if silly sods hadn’t run cables between lid and box! Manufacturer installed cables run through external duct into the battery box and do not compromise the integrity of the lid seal. The sides of the box are all exposed to fresh air under the floor, but since hot gas has a propensity to rise, especially when it is below freezing outside...that is what it did. Moral, don’t trust anything dealers have done!
 

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