Replacement leisure batteries

[slowgiles]

Hi and thanks for reading.

I have a Rapido 7099, which had two new Platinum Leisure Plus batteries fitted 2 years ago. They are green Class C 506110h. Reading up, I see these are for light use only, which is why the green light has gone and not holding charge much, as I spend a out 6 months of the year off grid.

So I need to change them out for a class A batteries, that I understand.

My current batteries have space in th8er holders to take a bigger battery (360mm length would not be a problem). But, I read I need to make sure the charging system is strong enough to charge bigger batteries. That's where my knowledge fails me, I know they get charged when driving, via the two solar panels on the roof and when Occasionally on mains electric.

So I think I need to see someone to check the system out, rather than just upgrading the batteries, but wanted to get reassurance from the site that the option of seeing someone would not be a waste of money?. I don't intended going down the lithium route yet....

Anyone got some words of wisdom for me, I'm all ears.
Thanks
Slow

 

[Fisherman]

Hi and thanks for reading.

I have a Rapido 7099, which had two new Platinum Leisure Plus batteries fitted 2 years ago. They are green Class C 506110h. Reading up, I see these are for light use only, which is why the green light has gone and not holding charge much, as I spend a out 6 months of the year off grid.

So I need to change them out for a class A batteries, that I understand.

My current batteries have space in th8er holders to take a bigger battery (360mm length would not be a problem). But, I read I need to make sure the charging system is strong enough to charge bigger batteries. That's where my knowledge fails me, I know they get charged when driving, via the two solar panels on the roof and when Occasionally on mains electric.

So I think I need to see someone to check the system out, rather than just upgrading the batteries, but wanted to get reassurance from the site that the option of seeing someone would not be a waste of money?. I don't intended going down the lithium route yet....

Anyone got some words of wisdom for me, I'm all ears.
Thanks
Slow

Why not go lithium look at these 100Ah batteries reduced to £399 each from Alpha, and using the discount code on here you may even get a further 7.5% reduction reducing them to £369 each They are half the weight, will give you full discharge doubling what you will get from lead acid, and they will probably last the lifespan of your van without needing to be replaced.

https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/xplorer-base-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery/

 

[colinm]

First you need to determine what charger your van has, from this you should be able to find the maximum recomended battery bank.

 

[slowgiles]

Why not go lithium look at these 100Ah batteries reduced to £399 each from Alpha, and using the discount code on here you may even get a further 7.5% reduction reducing them to £369 each They are half the weight, will give you full discharge doubling what you will get from lead acid, and they will probably last the lifespan of your van without needing to be replaced.

https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/xplorer-base-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery/

Thanks, was warned off lithium by someone, but will to try at that price. Guess I still need to see someone to make sure my charging system would be good enough

 

[slowgiles]

First you need to determine what charger your van has, from this you should be able to find the maximum recomended battery bank.

Yes, have hunted through all the manuals that came with the mh, but can you guess which one is not there..........

 

[colinm]

Yes, have hunted through all the manuals that came with the mh, but can you guess which one is not there..........

If you hunt down the actual charger odds on it will have it's model number printed on it, from that you look online to find the manual

 

[Fisherman]

Thanks, was warned off lithium by someone, but will to try at that price. Guess I still need to see someone to make sure my charging system would be good enough

I don't know why anyone would do such a thing, soon all new vans will come with lithium batteries.
I would contact Wildebus on here, he will keep you well informed on any of these issues.

 

[slowgiles]

If you hunt down the actual charger odds on it will have it's model number printed on it, from that you look online to find the manual

Have hunted down the manual on line. It might be that the hit is that old that lithium batteries were still a pipe dream, as mention specifically for lead free batteries. Will take this info and ring someone tomorrow to see how easy to change the charger, to one with the phone app for monitoring, which was on the site that those here have kindly pointed me to for lithium battery replacements.
Thanks for the jnput to you all

 

[molly 2]

I bought energy xperdition plus lead carbon from alpha batterys lots of info on website , 1250 charge cycles .you are right to be wairy of lithiam good knowledge advice is needed.

 

[exwindsurfer]

I bought energy xperdition plus lead carbon from alpha batterys lots of info on website , 1250 charge cycles .you are right to be wairy of lithiam good knowledge advice is needed.

Why does he need t9 be wairy of lithium Baz ?

 

[number14]

I don't normally get involved with battery threads as there are others far more knowledgeable than I on here. However, I had the same CBE516 charger as you and earlier this year changed it for the CBE516-3 which has a setting for AGM and is a straight 'no hassle' drop in replacement. That enabled me to swap the dying 'wet' batteries for a pair of good AGMs from Alpha. I see Alpha have an offer on lead carbon atm https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/1...lead-carbon-deep-cycle-battery-slca-12115-dt/ which would be the next best thing to lithium.

This would be a very simple upgrade for you but, of course, if you want to go the full bluetooth/lithium route then I am sure others will be along shortly with good suggestions.

 

[trevskoda]

Your van also charges the batts when driving, also is the solar regulator an mppt.
The charger in your van is for lead acid only and will be no use for liths.
Lead carbon is a better bet for you without having to do a complete upgrade on electrics.
They will cycle down further and sit in a partial state of charge, cost around £160 to £180.
If you changed the onboard mains charger then liths are workable, not sure about the solar regulator,
But types like votronic and others have a switchable selector to do all types of batts.
The other question is what is the solar wattage output, should be about 100w for 100ah of battery as a rule,
Gong higher is handy if using in darker< aut- spring> or more northern places.

 

[wildebus]

Have hunted down the manual on line. It might be that the hit is that old that lithium batteries were still a pipe dream, as mention specifically for lead free batteries. Will take this info and ring someone tomorrow to see how easy to change the charger, to one with the phone app for monitoring, which was on the site that those here have kindly pointed me to for lithium battery replacements.
Thanks for the jnput to you allView attachment 115278View attachment 115279

That charger is a little dated, but you could use it for Lithium ok. The only thing I would not be that keen on is it could be running on full-pelt for extended periods as it is quite small capacity. Fitting a replacement, more capable charger really is a very straightforward job. It is a DIY job for anyone who does any DIY at home, and if you had to employ someone to do it, it should not take them long at all (so lowish labour costs).
Other chargers that are involved maybe ... Solar? again, changing to an lithium-capable controller if need be is fairly easy and usully easier than swapping out the mains charger.
Split-Charge for charging when driving? This is where it can get more complex. This is where you want to speak to someone when they look at your van.
The other complication of Lithium apart from charging is knowing how well they are charged. Voltmeters and LED lights as used in most motorhomes and campers are of absolutely no use and you need either a smart battery, or an extra battery monitor.

End of the day, You will get a much more usuable setup with Lithium, but you will need to invest a fair bit more than just the price of the battery.

 

[peter palance]

Hi and thanks for reading.

I have a Rapido 7099, which had two new Platinum Leisure Plus batteries fitted 2 years ago. They are green Class C 506110h. Reading up, I see these are for light use only, which is why the green light has gone and not holding charge much, as I spend a out 6 months of the year off grid.

So I need to change them out for a class A batteries, that I understand.

My current batteries have space in th8er holders to take a bigger battery (360mm length would not be a problem). But, I read I need to make sure the charging system is strong enough to charge bigger batteries. That's where my knowledge fails me, I know they get charged when driving, via the two solar panels on the roof and when Occasionally on mains electric.

So I think I need to see someone to check the system out, rather than just upgrading the batteries, but wanted to get reassurance from the site that the option of seeing someone would not be a waste of money?. I don't intended going down the lithium route yet....

Anyone got some words of wisdom for me, I'm all ears.
Thanks
Slow

so do elephants. sorry i took my m/h to halfords. yes for a test. it was free ,and batterys ok. but i got them from them. ok pj. keep at it

 

[merl]

Hi and thanks for reading.

I have a Rapido 7099, which had two new Platinum Leisure Plus batteries fitted 2 years ago. They are green Class C 506110h. Reading up, I see these are for light use only, which is why the green light has gone and not holding charge much, as I spend a out 6 months of the year off grid.

So I need to change them out for a class A batteries, that I understand.

My current batteries have space in th8er holders to take a bigger battery (360mm length would not be a problem). But, I read I need to make sure the charging system is strong enough to charge bigger batteries. That's where my knowledge fails me, I know they get charged when driving, via the two solar panels on the roof and when Occasionally on mains electric.

So I think I need to see someone to check the system out, rather than just upgrading the batteries, but wanted to get reassurance from the site that the option of seeing someone would not be a waste of money?. I don't intended going down the lithium route yet....

Anyone got some words of wisdom for me, I'm all ears.
Thanks
Slow

Hi, Lead acid batteries like the ones your using like to sit fully charged and are affected very badly by being only partially charged, the lower the charge the quicker the degradation. Now, you've managed to kill your batteries in just 2 years so it seems your batteries are not getting charged up as they'd like so I suggest you are cautious going forward because whatever 'class' of LEAD ACID battery you decide to use they'll probably be knackered again in 2 years time unless you're able to change your charging regime.
Lead Carbon have a massive advantage over lead acid because they have a much greater cycle capacity and also handle partially charged state too but only down to approx 50% full. Your existing charger will be fine with lead carbon.
Here's a link to a good deal from Tayna, you can get a further 10% off if your a CAMC member. https://www.tayna.co.uk/industrial-batteries/leoch/ldc12-105-g27-dt/ .
If your batteries are likely to sit long term below 60% charged then Lithium would probably be your best long term option but as to Lithium being a drop in replacement for you is a grey area so probably best to assume you're going to have to invest in at least a B2B charger as well.
Merl

 

[Nabsim]

I killed three brand new Varta battery’s in 12 months simply because I needed more power than they could give me, that was a total of 270ah, 135Ah useable, (on the rare occasion they would be 100% charged). Because I could get a good deal on Lifepo4 at the time I made the jump and haven’t regretted it once. I spend about 10 months of the year in my van normally and very rarely use campsites, almost always off grid but do have a genny I can use for extra charging at this time of year.

Regarding chargers, you should work on 10 x the amp output ideally then output when sizing for your battery’s (unless Lifepo4). So a 15A charger is good for a total of 150ah. Just check if you have a trickle charge or link back to starter battery though as you can overload charger by not taking into account the starter battery. This relates to the standard charger that came with motor homes, smart chargers can probably cope better but may not provide the power as quickly as you need.

You need to look at how quickly you can get the charge back into the battery bank of wanting to spend a lot of time off grid or you will be sat running your engine for hours on end as I see a lot doing.

 

[trevskoda]

You need to look at how quickly you can get the charge back into the battery bank of wanting to spend a lot of time off grid or you will be sat running your engine for hours on end as I see a lot doing.

Yes and it wrecks engines doing this, DONT

 

[Nabsim]

Yes and it wrecks engines doing this, DONT

Only ever done it in an emergency and mine doesn’t have any of the new fangled dpf stuff on it. Going for a run doesn’t do a lot either in a lot of cases, I would need more than two hours driving every day to keep mine topped up lol

 

[molly 2]

Why does he need t9 be wairy of lithium Baz ?

My sargent system charge voltage cannot be altered so would not charge lithiam correctly , I would not be confident the standard wiring in my van is thick enough for Ithiam , no room on roof for extra solar , so to do a proper job I would need a BtB charger , new solar controler , new lithiam battery charger .inverta ,
Using gas for fridge , cooking and heating ,,I have never run out of amps yet so not really a problem so far with my personal van use . In winter I take a spare battery to run tv ,if I was confident lithiam was plug and play that would be great but ???. So Lead carbon for me .

 

[Nabsim]

Inverters aren’t compulsory Baz lol