Battery recomendations

[CraigGould]

Hi,i am looking for recomendations regarding leisure batterys.we had a weekend away with our camper and noticed the voltage was dropping by the end of the evening.(we tend to go offgrid rather than sites with hook up)we only bought the van at the start of last summer and all has been good until last weekend.the batteries were in the van when we bought it so dont know how old ther are but thinking of upgrading them to play it safe.any recomendations or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Canalsman]

It's difficult to make recommendations without more information.

What battery or batteries do you have at present?

What is the make, model and year of your vehicle?

What is your budget? Lithium is the best option if your budget will stretch because other components in the 'van are likely to need changing to support lithium charging.

Do you have a solar panel or panels? If so, what output do they provide and what solar controller/regulator do you have?

 

[Boris7]

Canalsman right, you could simply replace like for like but if you doing lots of off grid camping then maybe you should look at options.
I upgraded solar, batteries and added an inverter, all quite expensive but really suit me and my usage. But it may not be right for you.

 

[CraigGould]

The van is a 2015 merc sprinter.it has a solar pannel(already fitted before we bought the van)i dont know the output of it.i know the battery charger is a sterling unit and there is an inverter already there.
All is good with the engine running but when parked up for a day/eavning with electrics being used,loghys,water pump from time to time,microwave etc,thats when the voltage seemed to be dropping.i know we are not getting much sunlight at this time of year so may just be the batteries not getting enough charge from the solar itself but thinking if i renew batteries first then i know they are good.

 

[wildebus]

One key question is what kind of fridge do you have? If it is a 3-way i.e. runs off Gas when you are not plugged in or driving, then that uses NO leisure battery power. If it is a Compressor Fridges, then that uses a fair bit of battery power.
A microwave is a useful device BUT is heavy on the batteries while in use and you could be hitting them harder than advisable if you only have a small battery pack.

I would suggest for the best guidance, you post up as much info as you can on what is fitted - not just a model or thing, but size... So say how big the solar panel is, how large the battery is and what sort it is, what amperage the sterling charger is, type of fridge, etc, etc.
Then what you are hoping to do and how you do it... So if is a week off grid in one place, or you move location every day to somewhere new, or is it just weekends away?

Also, I would not just get new batteries without considering the whole setup. Yes, it could be a fix, but maybe just a temporary one if they don't really match the best overall solution.

 

[Robmac]

Hi,i am looking for recomendations regarding leisure batterys.we had a weekend away with our camper and noticed the voltage was dropping by the end of the evening.(we tend to go offgrid rather than sites with hook up)we only bought the van at the start of last summer and all has been good until last weekend.the batteries were in the van when we bought it so dont know how old ther are but thinking of upgrading them to play it safe.any recomendations or advice would be appreciated.

I'm just switching to Lithium and feel it's going to be a game changer, in fact I know it is based on friends experiences.

It's not a cheap way to go if you go for the best setup which without a doubt is Victron (Controller, B2B etc) and I reckon my setup is costing £2-2.5k+ but I reckon it will outlast me.

I do know that others have setup with Lithium for a much lower price than this and are more than happy with their systems though so it's personal choice. Victron is addictive though, you just know you are buying quality with a long guarantee. Plenty of solar is important too if you're mainly off grid.

My knowledge of electronics is very limited, but there is loads of advice available on here and I'm learning every day and it's really reassuring to know that whatever I do is being properly supervised before I make any costly mistakes.

 

[Canalsman]

The van is a 2015 merc sprinter.it has a solar pannel(already fitted before we bought the van)i dont know the output of it.i know the battery charger is a sterling unit and there is an inverter already there.
All is good with the engine running but when parked up for a day/eavning with electrics being used,loghys,water pump from time to time,microwave etc,thats when the voltage seemed to be dropping.i know we are not getting much sunlight at this time of year so may just be the batteries not getting enough charge from the solar itself but thinking if i renew batteries first then i know they are good.

@wildebus is an expert and professional installer.

He will be able to give you excellent advice.

 

[RichardP]

Hi,i am looking for recomendations regarding leisure batterys.we had a weekend away with our camper and noticed the voltage was dropping by the end of the evening.(we tend to go offgrid rather than sites with hook up)we only bought the van at the start of last summer and all has been good until last weekend.the batteries were in the van when we bought it so dont know how old ther are but thinking of upgrading them to play it safe.any recomendations or advice would be appreciated.

I don't know where you are but I bought a new leisure battery on Orkney a while back thinking my old one was faulty. Turned out it wasn't but returning it wasn't an option. You are welcome to it if you're near Hebden Bridge when we're home