best kind of battery for domestic use

Modulation

Modulation

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2001
Messages
495
Location
finder
Visit site
Over the years I've seen many so-called "deep cycle" batteries hardly see out a couple of years. Does anybody have personal experience of batteries which genuinely do last and don't let you down when you really need them?
This time I'm quite happy to pay a bit more to get a reliable product.

Thanks

Brendan
 
Elecsol which is a carbon fibre reinforced plate, wet deep cycle but with the capability of withstanding engine start as well, actually have a 5 year guarantee. perhaps that will solve your problems!
 
For domestic use the best type are so-called leisure batteries like they sell for caravanners. For starting you need an ordinary car/lorry type.
This can get to be a very complicated subject but if you are not running a fridge and lots of other stuff and run on the engine now and again to keep them topped up then my view is that simple works OK. I've not had a flat battery for years and never use a charger.
 
Either you have something wrong with your system (eg incorrect charging), bad maintenance, bad operation (eg cycling to low capacity each cycle) or what you are calling "deep cycle" batteries really are not so (that is common, with references to "leisure", etc being tell tales).

Any reputable manufacturer's (eg Trojan among others) cycling wet lead acid batteries will last much longer than that unless you are a very, very heavy user or have one of the above problems.

John
 
I look at batteries differently. I have 3 cheap leasure batteries of 115 amp hours each connected in a single bank. I have one 26 amp hour emergency starter battery. I do everything through my leasure batteries including engine starting. The logic is that the starter load is 80 amp and this is less than 25% of the battery bank capacity so you dont get any battery damage. I do have heavy battery use including fridge freezer, watermaker, auto pilot, radar. I do monitor battery condition and I have 210 watts of solar power connected. The Battery bank rarely falls below 75% charged and my cheap batteries lasted 3 years last time. At £ 150 outlay for the full set I am more than happy.
 
Re: best kind of battery for domestic use ..... certainly

Breakers yard ..... ask for a Heavy Duty ewx diesel van / truck battery .... Small cost .... high capacity .... and often last more than just a year ... I've had small and big last ages .. 2 - 3yrs in fact. Most are from crashed vehicles and are still good working condition batterys .... Average car battery would set you back 5 - 10 quid.

Other way is to go to a Battery supplier that Truckers use and ask for the HD Batterys that do both start the engine and also power Hydraulic Tail-lifts ... fantastic battery's - beat most others into the ground and usually you pay by a/hr not some inflated Dealer price ......

Failing that and if space is limited - local caravan shop ... they do batterys designed for leisure use ..... along with many other items ..... have a browse and be amazed !
 
I have 'ruined' liesure batteries in my camper in a very short time.
This was before I started to believe those 'experts' who warned against flattening them.
Since fitting a device to stop discharge before the battery gets flat I have had no problems.
You do have to monitor your batteries carefully or at least fit something to protect them.
 
My boat has four Sonneschein Prevailer 8D (200Ah) Gel batteries (they weigh about 150lbs apiece!)...

At least two of them have a date of 1993 on them, and the other two are almost that old. In all probability they are past their best (I haven't tested them as such), but they are still providing excellent service...
 
I bought a yacht with 2 knackered batteries and replaced with (claimed) leisure / starting batteries.

The domestic battery died very shortly after the first time it was deeply discharged, and was replaced with a battery (I forget the type number) designed for tail lift truck applications (they are also the starting batteries). This has lasted 5 years including my wife allowing it to go so flat it wouldn't even excite the alternator to get it charged.

The one used for starting lasted about 5 years and has been replaced with the same.

Pay about 50p / Ah from a truck battery supplier. Similar spec. used in coaches with high domestic loads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top