Batteries - Tech advice please!

[Andrew38]

My Broom 42 has 4 Trojan 6 volt batteries in series for the domestic supply. Just 1 is showing a voltage drop BUT advice from a battery supplier is that if one goes replacing it will just make it a sacrificial unit as the others begin to fail. They are about 5 years old.

I can put on one cheapo, non-Trojan and delay the big spend (at least £150 each), put 1 Trojan on, put 2 off 12 volt deep cycles on but they are heavy and probably wouldn't fit the battery box but they would be cheaper or replace all 4!

Any bright ideas?

 

[rafiki_]

Advice is probably right, as as they are 5 years old, then I guess they are due to die off. Try for a bulk discount? Have a look at the BatteryMegastore website. They give as good prices as I have seen.

 

[miket]

If reasonably well looked after I would expect around 10 years out of these batteries.
Would be galling to replace all 4 for the sake of 1 dud.
I'd risk £150 even for a few more years only.

 

[halcyon]

Changing just one is a no no.

You could change 2, so you had a new pair and and a old pair, then next year change the other pair.

Brian

 

[[2068]]

On related note, how long would you expect a set of Hoppecke energy sealed batteries to last in normal use?

They are topped up with shore power regularly, and still seem to have a reasonable capacity despite being 2003 vintage, but I don't want to find out half way through a week long cruise that they give out on me.

I was browsing around for suitable replacements for the future, but they all seemed to have the terminals the "other" way around.

dv.

 

[DavidJ]

[ QUOTE ]

On related note, how long would you expect a set of Hoppecke energy sealed batteries to last in normal use?
I was browsing around for suitable replacements for the future, but they all seemed to have the terminals the "other" way around.


[/ QUOTE ]
I had Hoppecks fitted to my Sealine early in 2002 and they died late last year so thats 7 years of use and winter neglect.
The Bosch 110Ah leisure (wet) batteries I replaced them with from Costco (£72 incl VAT) had the same termination configuration. Sealed batteries still use water but then the difference is, you can't top them up!

 

[Wiggo]

Curiously our 2001 Hoppecke port cranking battery just started to be unwell (the starboard ones were all killed off by being used as domestics and taken down too far), so that's 8 years.

 

[DavidJ]

My S37 was fitted with the same Hoppecke batteries throughout (presumably leisure type) but I guess because the port cracking was supported by two leisure batteries then it's OK for cranking.

 

[Andrew38]

Thanks - hadn't thought of that as an option but it makes a lot of sense.

I've found out that the Trojan importer went under 3 months ago so there are no new Trojans around and by definition everything available is old stock.

Had an offer on 4 off Dyno 6 volt @ 235 amp/hr deep cycle batteries which are actually higher spec @ £72 + vat, about half the price of the Trojan equivalent - so worth a try, particularly if I go for an initial trial with 2