# Which leisure battery?



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

Back in September I posted about my 125ah leisure battery being on the way out towards the end of our trip.   Of course I never replaced it as it was getting to the time to be on EHU anyway.

I did some tests yesterday and over 4 hours running 1.5 amps (TV and two lights) it dropped from fully charged to 12.3 under load to 12.4 after I switched off the load so I think its on its way out.  Thats just six amp hours. 

We have a big trip to do so I reckon its best to replace it now than on the road.  Its seven years old.

I really want one of these from Alpha but if you read the link towards the bottom its likely my 2009 charger will not charge it to its full capacity although my MPPT controller might.



			https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-130ah-expedition-plus-agm-leisure-battery-exp12-130/
		


Any ideas what to go for?  Not interested in expensive lithium. Just a maintenance free battery that will serve us as well as this one has for the past seven years.


----------



## MrRob (Apr 17, 2022)

From reading that article (which seems a very good explanation) just stick with a standard wet cell if you want the simplest solution or add and use solar or a dedicated AGM charger (mains or battery to battery) at least once a month to top up the charge.


----------



## wildebus (Apr 17, 2022)

Oddly there are two different "types" of AGM Lead Acid Battery, European and Far Eastern  (I have no idea why that is the case!).  The Far Eastern ones need a slightly higher absorption voltage, and that might be beyond your charger?  (TBH, if it is a basic standard fitment Motorhome charger from 2008 it is possible NO batteries will be properly charged by it.  When you put the charger on, what is the highest voltage you see when testing with a multimeter?).
Personally I would look at something like this for £35 more - https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/1...lead-carbon-deep-cycle-battery-slca-12130-dt/ .   A better battery that requires a lower charge voltage, can be taken down to a deeper discharge with no problems and is happy being left partially discharged for periods of time (unlike standard Lead Acid).  For that extra £35 you get a battery that is rated at twice the charge cycles and a longer warranty.

Interestingly, just read the article and it talks about the two AGM types and also has a link to the Lead Carbon one above.  could have saved my typing


----------



## trevskoda (Apr 17, 2022)

Yep go for lead carbon as above post.


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

Thanks. I Doubt ill be keeping this van that long now so I suspect it will only have to last a year or two.

I do have solar and I have a MPPSOLAR PCM-2012 MPPT Controller.  If you look at the top of the first page of this manual link it shows the voltage capabilities for the various settings. 14.3 seems to be the max although there is a Custom option 05 which I have never noticed or explored.  Most of the charging this summer will be from the 100w solar panel.



			http://www.mppsolar.com/manual/PCM-2012,3012/PCM-3012_24%20user%20manual-20121126.pdf
		


I think I would also prefer 125ah min.


----------



## Obanboy666 (Apr 17, 2022)

I fitted a pair of these in my recently sold Pilote After advise from Wildebus.
They worked perfectly and wouldn’t hesitate to buy again when I return to motorhoming.








						12V 110AH Expedition Plus Lead Carbon Gel Ultra Deep Cycle Battery (EXP12-110C) - Alpha Batteries
					

Ultra Deep Cycle Lead Carbon GEL Battery




					www.alpha-batteries.co.uk


----------



## wildebus (Apr 17, 2022)

barryd said:


> Thanks. I Doubt ill be keeping this van that long now so I suspect it will only have to last a year or two.
> 
> I do have solar and I have a MPPSOLAR PCM-2012 MPPT Controller.  If you look at the top of the first page of this manual link it shows the voltage capabilities for the various settings. 14.3 seems to be the max although there is a Custom option 05 which I have never noticed or explored.  Most of the charging this summer will be from the 100w solar panel.
> 
> ...


the Lead Carbon I linked to and the Xplorer you linked to are essentially the same nominal capacity (130Ah@C100).  The Xplorer has a regular usable capacity of around 65Ah. the Lead Carbon will be more like 90Ah usable as you can dischaarge lower without a problem.


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

wildebus said:


> the Lead Carbon I linked to and the Xplorer you linked to are essentially the same nominal capacity (130Ah@C100).  The Xplorer has a regular usable capacity of around 65Ah. the Lead Carbon will be more like 90Ah usable as you can dischaarge lower without a problem.



I was hoping you would reply.  I posted this on FACTS also and Graham suggested I posted on here so you would see it. so that battery then will be compatible with my Solar charger and despite it being 10ah less than my current one or the Xplorer it will have more usable amp hours as you can take it down lower.  I notice they do a 150ah but its £300. Getting a bit steep as I wont be keeping the van that long I dont think (mind you ive been saying that for a decade) 

Will speak to Alpha on Tuesday and probably order one of them.

Thanks very much.


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

Just checked and the battery I have is an Alphaline 125 ah DC31 bought in Canne in October 2014!! So its not done bad considering its been used pretty much up to half half the year most years apart from 2020.







The measurements to the one Wildbus posted seem just about the same.  Will have to check the terminal posts.


----------



## trevskoda (Apr 17, 2022)

If you are not keeping the van long then stick any cheap battery in it.


----------



## RichardHelen262 (Apr 17, 2022)

I have this agm 120ah that I bought about 12 months ago for a project that I never got around to using
That I probably never will so if any good to you I will let it go for £50 I have kept putting it on charge every 3 months or so,  not that it ever needed it 
If I remember rightly I think I paid £145 for it


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

RichardHelen262 said:


> I have this agm 120ah that I bought about 12 months ago for a project that I never got around to using
> That I probably never will so if any good to you I will let it go for £50 I have kept putting it on charge every 3 months or so,  not that it ever needed it
> If I remember rightly I think I paid £145 for it
> 
> ...



Thats a very kind offer thankyou.  Might I have the same charging issues though with the original AGM battery I was looking at?   I think this is the one.  https://advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/product/advanced-agm-lp120-leisure-battery/

It looks like its slightly longer than mine at 354mm whereas mine is 330mm I believe and there wasnt much room to spare but ill have a  look. Would be be interested in @wildebus comments.  Trev kind of has a point. If I part with the van in the next year or so not much point in spending a lot of money on a battery. However we are likely to be away six months this summer and mainly off grid so I need to make sure its up to the job.

Your profile says Huddersfield which is not that far away from me. (about 70 miles I think).

Thanks again.


----------



## RichardHelen262 (Apr 17, 2022)

barryd said:


> Thats a very kind offer thankyou.  Might I have the same charging issues though with the original AGM battery I was looking at?   I think this is the one.  https://advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/product/advanced-agm-lp120-leisure-battery/
> 
> It looks like its slightly longer than mine at 354mm whereas mine is 330mm I believe and there wasnt much room to spare but ill have a  look. Would be be interested in @wildebus comments.  Trev kind of has a point. If I part with the van in the next year or so not much point in spending a lot of money on a battery. However we are likely to be away six months this summer and mainly off grid so I need to make sure its up to the job.
> 
> ...


Yes I am in Huddersfield, I am also going to the Hereford meet at the end of the month so could take it to there if you are going or if there is someone who is at the meet that will be coming back past where you live I could pass to them


----------



## wildebus (Apr 17, 2022)

barryd said:


> Thats a very kind offer thankyou.  Might I have the same charging issues though with the original AGM battery I was looking at?   I think this is the one.  https://advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/product/advanced-agm-lp120-leisure-battery/
> 
> It looks like its slightly longer than mine at 354mm whereas mine is 330mm I believe and there wasnt much room to spare but ill have a  look. Would be be interested in @wildebus comments.  Trev kind of has a point. If I part with the van in the next year or so not much point in spending a lot of money on a battery. However we are likely to be away six months this summer and mainly off grid so I need to make sure its up to the job.
> 
> ...


If I could fit an as-new 120AH battery for £50, I jump at it, especially if I planned on only needing it running for a year or so 

The effect of not charging at the full voltage is you do loose a bit of top-end voltage.  But at the same time, if you need the battery to last 12 months rather than say 4 years, you can afford to hit it a bit harder in terms of depth of discharge, so that will make up for it 

All down to will it fit I guess? something to check ... measure the battery at the bottom, not the middle - some batteries have the little protrusions sticking out for the clamps on a battery tray and they are not included in the width or length usually.  (Had someone caught out with that a couple of years ago where he welded battery trays for a precise size then bought new batteries that wouldn't fit even though "identical" sizes).


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

Thanks again chaps.  Its gonna be close! 

My current battery is the following dimensions. (in mm)

Length 330
Width 172
Height 242

RichardHelens AGM appears to be from the link I found

Length 354
Width 172
Height 190

On the diagram on the site I found it looks like the lip on the photo of the battery at bottom goes all the way round but in the diagram the lip does not appear at either end and in RichardHelens photo you cant see a lip at either end but perhaps he can confirm or better still measure the length at the bottom to include any lip.








						Advanced AGM LP120 Leisure Battery 120ah 12v | ABS Batteries
					

The Advanced AGM LP120 leisure battery is a low profile height 120ah dual purpose battery type. This absorbed mat technology sealed unit is popular for Motorhomes, Camper Vans and many other applications. AGM Leisure batteries can be drained using 70% of their capacity. They can also be charged...




					advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk
				




You can see my problem from the photo below. I shoved the current 330mm battery as far as it would go up against the wheel arch. There is just about an inch to play with now, maybe a touch more so in theory it should fit providing with any lips at the bottom its no more than 354mm but yes, if it fits I think I should have it.


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

RichardHelen262 said:


> Yes I am in Huddersfield, I am also going to the Hereford meet at the end of the month so could take it to there if you are going or if there is someone who is at the meet that will be coming back past where you live I could pass to them



Thanks.  I would be delighted to have it if as requested above you could maybe measure it as accurately as possible along the length at the bottom to include any clamping lips or bits that stick out.  I will also be going away in May but I wont be going to Hereford.  If its a goer I can come and get it or if we are lucky maybe someone is coming up this way towards Richmond / Barnard Castle area. If not, it will be an afternoon out.


----------



## RichardHelen262 (Apr 17, 2022)

Measurements bottom with clamping lugs length 360mm width 175mm height 190mm
Measurements not including clamping lugs length 350mm width 165mm


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

RichardHelen262 said:


> Measurements bottom with clamping lugs length 360mm width 175mm height 190mm
> Measurements not including clamping lugs length 350mm width 165mm



Ok cheers for that. Thats 3 cm more than mine in length then. do the panel think that it will fit then looking at what space I have to the right of mine. I think it might but only just.  Ill go out tomorrow and remeasure the gap. If these lugs are just plastic then do you think they could be ground down a bit or cut off?


----------



## wildebus (Apr 17, 2022)

barryd said:


> Ok cheers for that. Thats 3 cm more than mine in length then. do the panel think that it will fit then looking at what space I have to the right of mine. I think it might but only just.  Ill go out tomorrow and remeasure the gap. If these lugs are just plastic then do you think they could be ground down a bit or cut off?


The way boxes are generally moulded,  I would be wary about grinding them away.   I have a few batteries due to get scrapped... I will look tomorrow if any of those have the clamp protrusions and if so will do some exploration to see if they are hollow or solid.


----------



## RichardHelen262 (Apr 17, 2022)

barryd said:


> Ok cheers for that. Thats 3 cm more than mine in length then. do the panel think that it will fit then looking at what space I have to the right of mine. I think it might but only just.  Ill go out tomorrow and remeasure the gap. If these lugs are just plastic then do you think they could be ground down a bit or cut off?


They are plastic so should be able to trim them down


----------



## trevskoda (Apr 17, 2022)

Use a block hammer, that should get it in LOL.


----------



## barryd (Apr 17, 2022)

RichardHelen262 said:


> They are plastic so should be able to trim them down



Cheers and to Wildebus again.  I think it will fit as is but as said, ill measure something tomorrow exactly 3cm and see if it fits in that gap. If so we are on!


----------



## molly 2 (Apr 17, 2022)

wildebus said:


> the Lead Carbon I linked to and the Xplorer you linked to are essentially the same nominal capacity (130Ah@C100).  The Xplorer has a regular usable capacity of around 65Ah. the Lead Carbon will be more like 90Ah usable as you can dischaarge lower without a problem.


That is the reason I went lead carbon plus the massive recharge cycles.


----------



## alcam (Apr 17, 2022)

barryd said:


> Cheers and to Wildebus again.  I think it will fit as is but as said, ill measure something tomorrow exactly 3cm and see if it fits in that gap. If so we are on!


Think there might be a joke in there !
Anyway sounds as though you've won a watch with the new battery


----------



## rabW (Apr 18, 2022)

On these battery changeovers, are the posts on top usually the same circumference, just wondering if you have to alter cable clamp fittings?


----------



## ricc (Apr 18, 2022)

rabW said:


> On these battery changeovers, are the posts on top usually the same circumference, just wondering if you have to alter cable clamp fittings?


Hi there are two sizes of the conical battery terminals....the normal size and a smaller japanese size that occurs on a few jap cars.    Adapters to fit big connectors onto small jap battery posts are available.
I've only ever seen the small jap posts on small car starter batteries.


----------



## rabW (Apr 18, 2022)

ricc said:


> Hi there are two sizes of the conical battery terminals....the normal size and a smaller japanese size that occurs on a few jap cars.    Adapters to fit big connectors onto small jap battery posts are available.
> I've only ever seen the small jap posts on small car starter batteries.


Good news, cheers ricc


----------



## wildebus (Apr 18, 2022)

rabW said:


> On these battery changeovers, are the posts on top usually the same circumferenMore ce, just wondering if you have to alter cable clamp fittings?


More and more Leisure Batteries are coming in without post connectiors at all but bolt downs, which need a standard ring terminal (usually 8mm) to connect



ricc said:


> Hi there are two sizes of the conical battery terminals....the normal size and a smaller japanese size that occurs on a few jap cars.    Adapters to fit big connectors onto small jap battery posts are available.
> I've only ever seen the small jap posts on small car starter batteries.


Not come across this.  I would think it is pretty unusual to encounter?   typically you have the +ve and -ve posts which are just about the same size but one (-ve?) is 1mm smaller than the other.   I think it is so it is harder to connect the wrong way round but is such a subtle difference, people still manage it


----------



## trevskoda (Apr 18, 2022)

You can now buy adaptor post for the flat terminal batteries on ebay.


----------



## barryd (Apr 18, 2022)

RichardHelen262 said:


> I have this agm 120ah that I bought about 12 months ago for a project that I never got around to using
> That I probably never will so if any good to you I will let it go for £50 I have kept putting it on charge every 3 months or so,  not that it ever needed it
> If I remember rightly I think I paid £145 for it
> 
> ...



Right. I took some proper measurements and I am as confident as I can be that it will fit so I say we are on!!!

I will send you a private message so that we can discuss details etc. I might even put a shout out on here see if anyone is coming up from your area this week but I suspect not so we will have a drive down and pick it up.

Many thanks.


----------



## jp11 (Apr 19, 2022)

Put a good lead acid battery in and save your money.  Try an EFB.  Maybe Yuasa L36 EFB 100AH.  More reliable than an AGM, and tons cheaper.


----------



## barryd (Apr 20, 2022)

Richard kindly dropped off his unused AGM 120ah battery last night. he got a job up in Scotland so came back via our village to personally drop it of for which I am very grateful.  For fifty quid its got to be worth a punt. If its no good for my van ill pass it on to another member for the same price.  Vans not here right now as its away getting MOT advisories done but as soon as its back (if it fits) ill get it plugged in and see how it goes.


----------



## wildebus (Apr 20, 2022)

barryd said:


> Richard kindly dropped off his unused AGM 120ah battery last night. he got a job up in Scotland so came back via our village to personally drop it of for which I am very grateful.  For fifty quid its got to be worth a punt. If its no good for my van ill pass it on to another member for the same price.  Vans not here right now as its away getting MOT advisories done but as soon as its back (if it fits) ill get it plugged in and see how it goes.


being an AGM, it doesn't need to be totally flat, so I wonder if you could put it at a bit of an angle and rest it on the frame support on the right hand side? or even make a little platform so it would be level with that support and give you what is maybe 30mm extra width, which might make just the difference you need if tight?


----------



## barryd (Apr 20, 2022)

wildebus said:


> being an AGM, it doesn't need to be totally flat, so I wonder if you could put it at a bit of an angle and rest it on the frame support on the right hand side? or even make a little platform so it would be level with that support and give you what is maybe 30mm extra width, which might make just the difference you need if tight?



Being a technical expert with an eye for detail I am sure my calculations and measurements will be spot on and it will fit.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





When it doesn't, I will resort to a high tech solution to make it fit from my precision high quality motorhome toolkit.


----------



## barryd (Apr 24, 2022)

If any of you were wondering why I had not updated the thread, the van is still away (worryingly) at the garage getting MOT advisories looked at. In anticipation of its return and assuming Richards AGM Battery fits does anyone want to take a stab at which setting I should select for it on the Solar MPPT Controller?  It mentions an option 5 as user defined but I dont remember seeing that option.  The only differences seem to be the floating voltage.

From the manual.


----------



## wildebus (Apr 24, 2022)

The way to do it is look up the data sheet for the battery to check what the specs are and use option 05 to set the parameters to those two key numbers of Bulk and Float.  If you don't have that info available, I would use the Sealed or Gel options.
And to be pedantic, the voltage in the first column is not actually the BULK voltage, it is the Absorption voltage.  (Bulk is CC - Constant Current, where the voltage varies, but the current is constant;  Absorption is CV - Constant Voltage, where the voltage is constant (and set at the number defined) and the current drops down as the battery gets charged).


----------



## barryd (Apr 24, 2022)

wildebus said:


> The way to do it is look up the data sheet for the battery to check what the specs are and use option 05 to set the parameters to those two key numbers of Bulk and Float.  If you don't have that info available, I would use the Sealed or Gel options.
> And to be pedantic, the voltage in the first column is not actually the BULK voltage, it is the Absorption voltage.  (Bulk is CC - Constant Current, where the voltage varies, but the current is constant;  Absorption is CV - Constant Voltage, where the voltage is constant (and set at the number defined) and the current drops down as the battery gets charged).


Cheers. I'll have a look when the van returns


----------



## barryd (May 10, 2022)

wildebus said:


> The way to do it is look up the data sheet for the battery to check what the specs are and use option 05 to set the parameters to those two key numbers of Bulk and Float.  If you don't have that info available, I would use the Sealed or Gel options.
> And to be pedantic, the voltage in the first column is not actually the BULK voltage, it is the Absorption voltage.  (Bulk is CC - Constant Current, where the voltage varies, but the current is constant;  Absorption is CV - Constant Voltage, where the voltage is constant (and set at the number defined) and the current drops down as the battery gets charged).



I guess everyone (that will be no one ) is wondering what happened with the battery change over. Well with the van being away for two weeks getting repaired and then a couple of weeks where we came within a hairs breadth of trading it in this morning we made the decision to keep it for another summer at least so I have gone in this morning to see if I can fit the AGM battery and wahay it fits!! Just.

Seems good. Solar MPPT controller whacked a bit of charge into it but not for long so it must be fully charged.  I put some lights on and the satellite dish to see what was going in. At the moment its set to number 2 which is Sealed.   I cycled through the options to number 5 which is self defined (custom) but having read the manual it just says "This option is self defined bulk / floating voltage via bundled software".  Im pretty sure I saw 14.8v and even 15v going in when I selected this option but I think I also saw 14.8 on option number 2, sealed led acid battery.

Will have a rake around the internet but I am guessing for option 5 it needs plugging into a laptop and some kind of interface to set the parameters.  Now I might be a numpty with a screwdriver but I might actually be able to handle this.  I wonder if it can be done in situ. Or shall I just leave well alone and leave it on number 2?


----------



## barryd (May 11, 2022)

Left the TV, Satellite and a couple of lights on for four hours last night as a test and straight after the battery was hovering between 12.5 and 12.6 so all is looking good. I think ill maybe just leave the controller as is on number 2.


----------



## wildebus (May 11, 2022)

barryd said:


> Left the TV, Satellite and a couple of lights on for four hours last night as a test and straight after the battery was hovering between 12.5 and 12.6 so all is looking good. I think ill maybe just leave the controller as is on number 2.


Certainly is looking good  
Unless you definately had the right software (and also the right cable - often it is not just a matter of connecting a simple cable), you'd be best off not fixing what isn't broke    Option 2 and 3 look perfectly acceptable I would say  (I would typically set the float at a value in-between those two but the difference is not worth loosing sleep over).


----------



## barryd (May 11, 2022)

wildebus said:


> Certainly is looking good
> Unless you definately had the right software (and also the right cable - often it is not just a matter of connecting a simple cable), you'd be best off not fixing what isn't broke    Option 2 and 3 look perfectly acceptable I would say  (I would typically set the float at a value in-between those two but the difference is not worth loosing sleep over).



Yeah ill just leave it well alone and wing it.  Even if it is only getting 80% capacity charge its got to be better than the old one and for fifty quid a bargain.


----------



## wildebus (May 11, 2022)

had a right result there


----------



## barryd (May 11, 2022)

wildebus said:


> had a right result there



Yes absolutely thanks to this great forum and of course Richard and delivered to my door!! I bet if I tried I would get twenty quid scrap for the old one as well!


----------



## SquirrellCook (May 11, 2022)

For Murky I've just ordered 8 200Ah cells and a couple of BMS to assemble two batteries to replace my Trojan T105's
That should give me nearly 4KWhrs for the habitation.  It will be a grim trip away to use that lot.


----------



## barryd (May 25, 2022)

Bit of an odd one this morning. Went into the van (not been in it for at least a week) to start sorting stuff out for a trip and the solar alarm was going with a constant high pitched wail and an F1 error on the screen of the MPPT Controller.  I thought maybe somehow the battery has discharged but its not that.  Readings were good, 13.3 or something like that so I checked the manual.  It points to an overcharge.  Second one down.







However elsewhere in the manual it says F1 could mean a loose battery connection  but I cant get at that to check right now as Mrs D is now in there doing whatever it is she does in there.






If you remember the worry with the AGM battery was that it wouldnt charge enough so I doubt there is an over charge issue. I just pulled the fuse and reconnected it and its alright now. 

I set it on option 2 for sealed.





Full manual here.  http://www.mppsolar.com/manual/PCM-2012,3012/PCM-2012_24 user manual-20121126.pdf

Ill check the connections once Mrs D is done.  Any thoughts?


----------



## Canalsman (May 25, 2022)

I used to have the same controller and I experienced the same problem.

For me it happened in this circumstance. 

If I was on a ferry, in daylight, when the 'van was on the car deck the controller went to sleep thinking it was night.

When I drove off the ferry with the battery being charged using the alternator, as soon as the controller sensed daylight the alarm would sound continuously. 

I assume that when the controller switched back on it sensed an over voltage condition because the leisure battery voltage had been raised by the alternator charge.

Once I'd worked out what was going on I kept a screwdriver in the cupboard ready to disconnect the battery briefly to reset the controller.


----------



## barryd (May 25, 2022)

Canalsman said:


> I used to have the same controller and I experienced the same problem.
> 
> For me it happened in this circumstance.
> 
> ...



Thanks. I checked all the connections, seem fine so ill just keep an eye on it.  Hopefully a blip. We will be away in it from next Tuesday so will soon find out if its an issue and a one off or not.


----------



## alcam (May 26, 2022)

Been following this thread with interest . Think Barry has done well .
I've got 2x70ah batteries which , purely from readout , are beginning to show their age (3+ years)
It would appear my Sargent EC176 doesn't do AGM batteries .
Change unit and fit AGM or , simple solution , buy decent lead acid
 battery ?


----------



## barryd (May 27, 2022)

The Alarm and F1 overcharge error happened again just now.  A couple of times I checked over the last couple of days I never heard the alarm. The only thing today is I went into the van to check and I turned on the electric.  Its just an old fashioned rocker switch at the back of the van. No fancy modern controller.  Checked the voltage, it was fine, turned off the electric and went outside to clean the exterior.  Ten minutes later I heard the alarm sounding.  Just had to unplug the fuse and plug it in again and it went off.  Michelle just informed me that its doing it again right now.

I wonder if its worth trying a different setting. We are going to go away in it next week and this is going to be a problem I think.

These are the possible settings but I have no idea what option 5 does.  Its currently set to option 2 sealed as suggested.


----------



## barryd (May 27, 2022)

Apparently when Michelle ran the tap the alarm went off!


----------



## barryd (May 27, 2022)

The Alarm and error keeps happening (its a sunny day) so I have had to disconnect the fuse between the battery and controller. I did notice when there was a burst of sun when I was running some appliances that for a second the voltage went above 15v. I dont think I have seen that before but generally it was 14.x

I have Emailed the manufacturers MPP for advice but its an old controller now. I am confident its not the controller though as its only happened since we changed to the AGM battery.


----------



## wildebus (May 27, 2022)

barryd said:


> The Alarm and error keeps happening (its a sunny day) so I have had to disconnect the fuse between the battery and controller. I did notice when there was a burst of sun when I was running some appliances that for a second the voltage went above 15v. I dont think I have seen that before but generally it was 14.x
> 
> I have Emailed the manufacturers MPP for advice but its an old controller now. I am confident its not the controller though as its only happened since we changed to the AGM battery.


Remember WHY you changed the Battery though... the old one has had it and it could be the issue was masked as it was sucking the charge out the controller and stopping it reaching the higher voltage?


----------



## barryd (May 27, 2022)

wildebus said:


> Remember WHY you changed the Battery though... the old one has had it and it could be the issue was masked as it was sucking the charge out the controller and stopping it reaching the higher voltage?



The old one I think was on the way out but it was still working. I think it was a case of changing it before it failed completely.  It would be seven years old I think.


----------



## Canalsman (May 27, 2022)

Have you got the van on hook up?

If so that could be the cause if the onboard mains charger is elevating the battery voltage to a value that the controller is unhappy about.


----------



## barryd (May 28, 2022)

Canalsman said:


> Have you got the van on hook up?
> 
> If so that could be the cause if the onboard mains charger is elevating the battery voltage to a value that the controller is unhappy about.



No its not on hookup. I am going to have another look this morning, tighten up the connections and maybe ill try a different setting with a lower float charge. If that fails Ill put the old battery back on and see if that stops it. If it does then maybe there is a compatibility problem with this new AGM battery and my controller.


----------



## barryd (May 28, 2022)

Well today I disconnected the battery terminals and noticed one of the ones for the solar on the new leisure battery seemed to have been squashed out a bit so repositioned everything and tightened it up pretty good and also reconnected the cables into the panel.  connected the panel back up and I didnt see any over the top surges in voltage. Maybe saw a 14.8.  Left the electric turned on and we have been in and out doing stuff. Tested the invertor as I read on another forum that a battery getting too much charge blew an invertor but I suspect my modern invertor will be protected against that (hopefully as we plug some expensive gear into it).

Seems alright so far. This van is like something out of Harry Potter. Its bewitched. Maybe it doesn't like change and is not happy about the idea of some new fangled AGM battery I dunno.  So I guess ill just as said earlier have to wing it and see how we get on.


----------



## barryd (Jun 9, 2022)

Bit of an update. Been away 9 days now and so far so bloody brilliant. Touch wood. I think this AGM battery is maybe nuclear powered as I've hardly seen it dip below 12.6v. even after an entire day in the van when it chucked it down all day and we caned it all day with two laptops, phones and a TV it was still hovering between 12.4 and 12.5 at midnight and fully charged by 10am the next morning from the single 100w solar.

Early days but a result I would say and no further issues with the controller alarm as yet. I think however my cab battery might be about to let me down but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.


----------



## Nabsim (Jun 9, 2022)

One of the reasons AGM battery’s have such an anti-following is because the charging systems in vans could not charge and maintain them properly. That wasn’t just where people had fitted new battery’s as replacements but even modern vans from the factory at the time.
Whatever battery you fit you should make sure everything is compatible, it’s not just Lifepo4


----------



## barryd (Jun 9, 2022)

Nabsim said:


> One of the reasons AGM battery’s have such an anti-following is because the charging systems in vans could not charge and maintain them properly. That wasn’t just where people had fitted new battery’s as replacements but even modern vans from the factory at the time.
> Whatever battery you fit you should make sure everything is compatible, it’s not just Lifepo4



Yep I think we were aware of that when looking at the Alpha AGM batteries and the max charge of my mppt controller. Couldn't find any details for the requirements for this one supplied by Richard but I assume it's similar and maybe my controller is not giving it the full beans but so far it's looking good. For fifty quid if it lasts this summer I'll be happy.  That's about a quarter of a tank of diesel these days.


----------



## molly 2 (Jun 10, 2022)

Nabsim said:


> One of the reasons AGM battery’s have such an anti-following is because the charging systems in vans could not charge and maintain them properly. That wasn’t just where people had fitted new battery’s as replacements but even modern vans from the factory at the time.
> Whatever battery you fit you should make sure everything is compatible, it’s not just Lifepo4


That's why I went for lead carbon correct  charging profile for my van


----------



## trevskoda (Jun 10, 2022)

My votronic caters for all types of batteries with a switch.


----------



## barryd (Jun 10, 2022)

I think for AGM the all important charging voltage needs to be 14.8 and most traditional chargers are around 14.3 or 14.4. does that controller do 14.8 Trev?  It doesn't have a screen though. How do you know what's going in and what's being used?

I think this summer should be an interesting test to see how an AGM performs with an older controller.


----------



## trevskoda (Jun 10, 2022)

barryd said:


> I think for AGM the all important charging voltage needs to be 14.8 and most traditional chargers are around 14.3 or 14.4. does that controller do 14.8 Trev?  It doesn't have a screen though. How do you know what's going in and what's being used?
> 
> I think this summer should be an interesting test to see how an AGM performs with an older controller.


You can buy a plug in screen, the little switches to the right set the voltage for all types of battery.


----------



## trevskoda (Jun 10, 2022)

I also have two voltage meters on the dash, one for starter and one for less batts, gives a good general idea of charge both stationary and on the move.


----------



## SquirrellCook (Jun 10, 2022)

trevskoda said:


> I also have two voltage meters on the dash, one for starter and one for less batts, gives a good general idea of charge both stationary and on the move.View attachment 109426


You should really label your switches Trevor


----------



## barryd (Jun 10, 2022)

trevskoda said:


> You can buy a plug in screen, the little switches to the right set the voltage for all types of battery.View attachment 109425



Yes but my controller also has several settings for various battery types but the question was does it have one that charges at 14.8v which seems to be the sticking factor for most chargers with AGM batteries?  Having said that, so far so good with this one.  Even if its only operating at say 80% capacity and stays that way so far its pretty impressive.  The test will be over the next few months and into September. Both of us are sat with Laptops plugged in right now, two phones in the invertor on charge on fast high powered chargers, couple of showers in a bit, then out for the day before an evening of TV or watching stuff on the laptops.  I bet the voltage at midnight is still hovering around 12.6.  So much daylight hours this time of year you can pretty much act like your on EHU.  It was September we hit issues last summer but the old battery was clearly goosed.


----------



## trevskoda (Jun 10, 2022)

SquirrellCook said:


> You should really label your switches Trevor


Sorted


----------



## trevskoda (Jun 10, 2022)

barryd said:


> Yes but my controller also has several settings for various battery types but the question was does it have one that charges at 14.8v which seems to be the sticking factor for most chargers with AGM batteries?  Having said that, so far so good with this one.  Even if its only operating at say 80% capacity and stays that way so far its pretty impressive.  The test will be over the next few months and into September. Both of us are sat with Laptops plugged in right now, two phones in the invertor on charge on fast high powered chargers, couple of showers in a bit, then out for the day before an evening of TV or watching stuff on the laptops.  I bet the voltage at midnight is still hovering around 12.6.  So much daylight hours this time of year you can pretty much act like your on EHU.  It was September we hit issues last summer but the old battery was clearly goosed.


Yes does all batts.


----------

