Our cheap battery!

[Mr and Mrs Tupcox]

Cheap batteries..2x110'numax yesterday switch tv on at 5pm lights .pump.normal.hab stuff..
Batteries reading 12.4 this morning..
Shall I buy some expensive new ones .like lithium lets say £1500''..
I think not .....
Lets see how long it takes to charge up .using low cost solar system .

 

[trevskoda]

In winter my electric use becomes minimal, l listen to radio off my phone, tv is minimal, heating is freestanding, hotwater is from the gas hob. At the moment there's still enough sun.

Whats the free standing heating ,hope not a open gas fire.

 

[martinmartin]

Whats the free standing heating ,hope not a open gas fire.

It sure is trev and I do not advocate using one but needs must.Ventilation is needed and after falling on it once and the burn scar to prove it I treat it with respect.I must add I was under the influence of alchohol when I fell.

 

[trevskoda]

It sure is trev and I do not advocate using one but needs must.Ventilation is needed and after falling on it once and the burn scar to prove it I treat it with respect.I must add I was under the influence of alchohol when I fell.

Chap we know was working in a open sided shed cutting wood with a garage oil burner running, he fell off his seat and other chaps could not waken him, doc arrived and pronounced him dead, carbon monoxide poisoning, be very careful.

 

[martinmartin]

Chap we know was working in a open sided shed cutting wood with a garage oil burner running, he fell off his seat and other chaps could not waken him, doc arrived and pronounced him dead, carbon monoxide poisoning, be very careful.

Will be carefull,Ive had the same setup about nine years.

 

[trevskoda]

Will be carefull,Ive had the same setup about nine years.

Would you not fancy a diesel blower which is a good job.

 

[martinmartin]

Would you not fancy a diesel blower which is a good job.

I put a 3kw chinese heater in during summer and its brilliant .The point of the free standing gas fire is it doesnt use electricity and when the solar isnt providing enough power thats when I use it,also it gives instant heat wich is what I need sometimes for short periods of time,in a morning for half an hour before going to work,a couple of hours on a night before bedtime.

 

[trevskoda]

I put a 3kw chinese heater in during summer and its brilliant .The point of the free standing gas fire is it doesnt use electricity and when the solar isnt providing enough power thats when I use it,also it gives instant heat wich is what I need sometimes for short periods of time,in a morning for half an hour before going to work,a couple of hours on a night before bedtime.

Is it the we ones with a gas canister inside.

 

[mfw]

Those small propane garage heaters dont look bad ( cheap enough ) saves blower on heating - if you had a quick connect fitting within the van although safety would be an issue - or put hose through small opening to bbq point - individual choice though

 

[Mr and Mrs Tupcox]

Well that didn't take long dirty grey morning .
On isle of wight .sun is not showing his face .just odd blue sky , as the clouds pass by.
And bingo my cheapo batteries are all most done.
Thank you my cheapo solar system

and regulator..
You dont need to buy the best to enjoy free power..

 

[martinmartin]

Those small propane garage heaters dont look bad ( cheap enough ) saves blower on heating - if you had a quick connect fitting within the van although safety would be an issue - or put hose through small opening to bbq point - individual choice though

Yes a flexible pipe to bbq point, l must stress this setup not considered appropriate.

 

[Obanboy666]

Being of little knowledge regarding batteries what are the benefits of buying an expensive 100 amp battery versus a cheapo 100 amp battery.
Do they drain at the same rate ?, 100 amps is a 100 amps regardless of battery cost I would have thought. Or Is it just that they will last longer before failing, have a longer warranty, charge quicker, etc, etc.

 

[Steve and Julie]

Well that didn't take long dirty grey morning .
On isle of wight .sun is not showing his face .just odd blue sky , as the clouds pass by.
And bingo my cheapo batteries are all most done.
Thank you my cheapo solar system View attachment 88310and regulator..
You dont need to buy the best to enjoy free power..

What power are your solar panels ? we need to upgrade our single 110 lead acid was thinking of getting lithium but if 2 lead acid and decent solar panels do the job I'm all for saving money
Regards Steve

 

[wildebus]

Being of little knowledge regarding batteries what are the benefits of buying an expensive 100 amp battery versus a cheapo 100 amp battery.
Do they drain at the same rate ?, 100 amps is a 100 amps regardless of battery cost I would have thought. Or Is it just that they will last longer before failing, have a longer warranty, charge quicker, etc, etc.

OK. I will give you an real life example involving the popular Banner Bull Batteries vs the Batteries I just got in yesterday to put in my Motorhome - so putting my money where my mouth is ...
Key Features of the two batteries

Banner Bull 100Ah Battery
£120
100Ah @C20 Discharge Rate
24.5Kg
2 Year Warranty
Requires periodic maintanance (topping up of water)
Requires external venting
200 Cycles when taken down to 50% Discharge (so it is expected that you can take out 50Ah 200 times before the performance is notably reduced and likely needs replacing.


12V 100AH RITAR AGM LEAD CARBON ULTRA DEEP CYCLE BATTERY
£190
100Ah @C20 Discharge Rate
29Kg
5 Year Warranty
Maintenance Free
No venting required
3000 Cycles when taken down to 50% Discharge (so it is expected that you can take out 50Ah 3,000 times before the performance is notably reduced and likely needs replacing)

So why buy the more expensive battery?
Well, the warranty is twice as long. It requires no maintenance (so pretty well fit & forget) and you can take out 50Ah every day the year for over 8 years. Do that with the Banner Bull battery and you will run out of cycles within 7 months. And the more expensive battery will also not complain too much if you want to take 80Ah or even 90Ah out of the 100Ah battery and still give you nearly 10 times the cycle count the Banner Bull will taking just 50Ah out.

To me, paying an extra £70 for those benefits is a no-brainer.

 

[trevskoda]

Being of little knowledge regarding batteries what are the benefits of buying an expensive 100 amp battery versus a cheapo 100 amp battery.
Do they drain at the same rate ?, 100 amps is a 100 amps regardless of battery cost I would have thought. Or Is it just that they will last longer before failing, have a longer warranty, charge quicker, etc, etc.

Not much unless you buy a varta/bosch one which will not disintegrate internally as fast, remember that if you go down below about 30% it will shorten their life.
Now camper batteries are ment to have a different thickness of plates , but in fact many are just rebadged starter units.

 

[Mr and Mrs Tupcox]

What power are your solar panels ? we need to upgrade our single 110 lead acid was thinking of getting lithium but if 2 lead acid and decent solar panels do the job I'm all for saving money
Regards Steve

300w

 

[bartman]

I think in order to decide what to replace my two Banner batteries with, I would like to know whether an agm type would need an expensive upgrade to the alternator output, such as a B2B, being a 2002 van it's certainly not a newer smart alternator. Also would the fact that the vehicle battery is non-agm affect the split charging?
I am beginning to think that the efb types might be more straightforward to charge.

 

[wildebus]

I think in order to decide what to replace my two Banner batteries with, I would like to know whether an agm type would need an expensive upgrade to the alternator output, such as a B2B, being a 2002 van it's certainly not a newer smart alternator. Also would the fact that the vehicle battery is non-agm affect the split charging?
I am beginning to think that the efb types might be more straightforward to charge.

What kind of Split-charge system have you got? that is the first thing to know. You may well have a B2B type of system fitted (even older vans sometimes did)
Next, bear in mind that a basic relay setup will not really look after any battery properly and efficiently anyway, as an alternator is not a battery charger.

 

[bartman]

What kind of Split-charge system have you got? that is the first thing to know. You may well have a B2B type of system fitted (even older vans sometimes did)
Next, bear in mind that a basic relay setup will not really look after any battery properly and efficiently anyway, as an alternator is not a battery charger.

The only relay I've seen is under the cover in the centre of the engine bay. I saw this mentioned in another thread on here this week, it's common to the Sevel type vans of that era. I don't know whether that is the relevant thing, and I'm not sure how to find out. As far as the other charging sources go, although the solar controller doesn't have a specific setting for agm, there is an option to set "user settings" for the voltage so presumably that would be OK. When on hookup I have a multi stage smart charger which presumably charges at the rate appropriate to the battery type

 

[trevskoda]

What kind of Split-charge system have you got? that is the first thing to know. You may well have a B2B type of system fitted (even older vans sometimes did)
Next, bear in mind that a basic relay setup will not really look after any battery properly and efficiently anyway, as an alternator is not a battery charger.

It is a charger, maybe just not the best at peaking power, but better than nothing.