Battery Type

Londonboii

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This may seem a very silly basic question but how do you know if your batteries are leisure batteries?

I have two 'Oldham AGM115A' start/stop batteries in my van as leisure batteries. Am I right in thinking these are just large batteries the previous owner has used as leisure batteries but they actually arent? Would it be best to replace these with 2 actual leisure batteries?

The reason I am asking is the batteries do not seem to charge very well or hold their charge very long. Is this likely to be because they are the wrong type of battery or just that they are too old or may have been misused (run flat) previously?
 
Thanks Hungryhomer,

so I should replace them for some actual leisure batteries then I guess as these are designed for a different purpose?
 
It's possible that your onboard charger is not suitable for charging AGM batteries. Without knowing what vehicle you have or what charger you have, it is impossible to say.
 
I have a Ford transit T350, a Ring RSCDC30 B2B/Solar controller for charging when driving and solar (issues with that on a different thread), and a halfords advanced smart charger for when on hook up.
 
Any suggestions of what leisure batteries to get? I think I will need something slightly larger than the 2x 80ah batteries I have now. Budget wise I am willing to spend a bit to get something good, but probably not the upper very premium prices I have seen.

So probably looking at around £150 a battery? Like the A batteries on Halfords which say good for frequent off grid usage. Others they have grade C have higher AH but less cycles, and I will be using these alot probably and would like them to last a while.
 
Start stop batterys are fine,if you solar regulator and on board charger is set for them leave where they are,many folk use bosch/varta s/start silver power frame bats because they dont go down hill from day one which les batteries do,many so called les batteries are just rebadged car units except for a few like trojan deep cycle.
 
My 2019 motorhome has a single factory fitted 145ah AGM battery fitted. Low maintenance, no spills, no gasses. No problems atall. Why change them unless faulty. The solar charger is set to AGM.
 
Many leisure batteries are simply engine batteries with a different label stuck on them. They should have thicker plates and be heavier.

Your Ring RSCDC30 has an AGM setting so it might be worth checking that it has been set up correctly, AGM batteries are well known for being easily damaged if not charged properly. I don’t know about your Halfords charger but unless it has specific settings for the individual battery types I would consider it suspect. Some mains chargers claim to be suitable for all battery types but unless they have specific settings I have my doubts, different battery types need different treatment.
 
Thanks very much.

Looked through there but they dont seem to have many batteries with very high number of cycles. Theres also so many there I'm not sure what's good or bad to be honest.

I bought my solar panels from these guys and they were good. So thought I'd look there.

Is this a good battery? Or is there one on alpha that's similar/better?

12V solar panels charging kits for caravans, motorhomes, boats, yachts, marine

12V solar panel solar charging kits for motorhome caravan boat campervan yacht marine off-grid
www.photonicuniverse.com
 
If they are working I'd leave them till they died then get leisure batteries. No point wasting money imo.
 
Londonboii said:
Thanks very much.

Looked through there but they dont seem to have many batteries with very high number of cycles. Theres also so many there I'm not sure what's good or bad to be honest.

I bought my solar panels from these guys and they were good. So thought I'd look there.

Is this a good battery? Or is there one on alpha that's similar/better?

12V solar panels charging kits for caravans, motorhomes, boats, yachts, marine

12V solar panel solar charging kits for motorhome caravan boat campervan yacht marine off-grid
www.photonicuniverse.com
Click to expand...
From the 30kg weight and low 25A charging current I would say it was a proper deep cycle battery, suitable for leisure use. However, being AGM I would make sure your mains charger has a bespoke AGM cycle, they need careful charging.
 
Londonboii said:
Thanks Hungryhomer,

so I should replace them for some actual leisure batteries then I guess as these are designed for a different purpose?
Click to expand...
Absolutely not. If your batteries are worn out, replace them. If not, don't.
There is not really any such thing as a leisure battery.
There are different sorts of lead-acid battery, mainly depending on the sort of electrolyte. It can be a liquid, a gel or a paste.
Liquids are possible to spill, but there are three types of case: vented, which needs topping up, sealed (which has extra space for spare electrolyte above the plates so you don't need to top up), or VRLA (valve regulated lead acid) which basically is a sealed pressurised box, designed to condense and recover gases back to electrolyte, but with a safety valve in case of mishap.
There are different ways to build the plates (sheets of slightly-spongy lead).
Thin plates with a large surface area are good to provide a large current for a short time. Suitable for starting engines and running big inverters. These are sold as starter batteries.
Thicker plates hold more charge for longer, but can't deliver high currents. These are sold as deep cycle batteries.
What is sold as a "leisure" battery is normally some sort of fudge in between the two. They're usually sealed in case you tip them over carrying them from your caravan to recharge them.
They cost more because they aimed at the leisure industry. People happily pay more for things they don't need than for things they do need.
When choosing a replacement battery, simply buy the heaviest you can afford.
 
in h said:
Thicker plates hold more charge for longer, but can't deliver high currents. These are sold as deep cycle batteries.
Click to expand...
A proper leisure battery should be of the deep cycle type, less likely to be damaged by a deep discharge but not capable of the higher currents needed for engine starting. A proper 100Ah leisure battery is likely to weigh nearer to 30kg than 20kg.
 
Okta said:
A proper leisure battery should be of the deep cycle type, less likely to be damaged by a deep discharge but not capable of the higher currents needed for engine starting. A proper 100Ah leisure battery is likely to weigh nearer to 30kg than 20kg.
Click to expand...
The right selection for the individual does depend how they intend to use it.
For example, the Trojan T105s have been mooted as a good choice as they are a reliable Deep Cycle battery - but if the user wants to be able to pull a fairly high current for say an 2000W Inverter, then those T105s would actually not be a great option to go for.

Horses for Courses. Batteries Schmatteries.


Hungryhomer said:
here's the agm 100ah versions from alpha, then take off your 15%

Motorhome Battery - Cheap Motorhome Batteries - Express Next Day Delivery - Alpha Batteries

Order your next Motorhome Battery online from Alpha Batteries today! We stock a wide range of Motorhome Batteries ready for Express UK Next Day Delivery.
www.alpha-batteries.co.uk www.alpha-batteries.co.uk
Click to expand...
PS. only 7.5% now (unless it has changed again?)
 
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