domestic battery recommendations

[Heckler]

Na, they are lightweights! My 200 amp hour domestic batteries weigh 65kg each and I have 4 of them......

I isolated mine before we splashed, 4 Numax 110 amp leisure from the local farmers place (they use them for electric fences), left for a month disconnected, put a load on them for twenty mins, came up 12.7-8v. They were a bit low on electrolite so topped up with distilled water. Am impressed, considering that I bought two of them in 2008 when I first had Sacha!
S

 

[Otter]

The Hankook 31 looks identical to the Alphaline DC31's I have, so I imagine it's the same with a different label. For 76 quid delivered they seem to offer the best bang for buck, and they're just fit and forget, with no maintenance required. I've been using them for a few years with no problems.

Fit and forget is a pain. I'm sure my Alphalines have gassed a bit, I think the charger puts in 15.2v when it's bulk charging and I can't top them up because the tops are sealed properly, no way to prize it off. Next time I will have proper batteries you can check, I'm sure that a cause of battery replacement is low electrolyte that people can't top up.

 

[abraxus]

Fit and forget is a pain. I'm sure my Alphalines have gassed a bit, I think the charger puts in 15.2v when it's bulk charging and I can't top them up because the tops are sealed properly, no way to prize it off. Next time I will have proper batteries you can check, I'm sure that a cause of battery replacement is low electrolyte that people can't top up.

You may be right, but I've not had any problems with mine.

As I understand it the Alphalines are calcium, which are supposed to gas less and take a higher charge. In fact the calcium battery bulk charge setting on my charger is 15.1v.

 

[Plevier]

The Hankook 31 looks identical to the Alphaline DC31's I have, so I imagine it's the same with a different label. For 76 quid delivered they seem to offer the best bang for buck, and they're just fit and forget, with no maintenance required. I've been using them for a few years with no problems.

For what it's worth, they also have no trouble starting a 5.7l V8 petrol engine.

Alphaline is made by AtlasBX in Korea. Here's the proof http://www.alphalinebatteries.co.uk/
If you look at AtlasBX's main website they class the DC series as "dual purpose starting and cycling", they do not call it deep cycle.

 

[ghostlymoron]

The Hankook says deep cycle on the label and has a 4yr warranty.

 

[sailorman]

Ok Sir, we have made the battery "what label do you req"

 

[abraxus]

Alphaline is made by AtlasBX in Korea. Here's the proof http://www.alphalinebatteries.co.uk/
If you look at AtlasBX's main website they class the DC series as "dual purpose starting and cycling", they do not call it deep cycle.

Perhaps not directly, although I imagine DC stands for deep cycle.

Not that labels matter really, as it's how they perform that counts, and in that regard they've worked fine for me, as both start and house batteries, require no mainenance, and are fairly cheap.

 

[Plevier]

Perhaps not directly, although I imagine DC stands for deep cycle.

Not that labels matter really, as it's how they perform that counts, and in that regard they've worked fine for me, as both start and house batteries, require no mainenance, and are fairly cheap.

The graph in their brochure claims for the DC series a cycle life of 100 at 50% DoD, 300 at 25% and 1000 at 10%. I wouldn't call that deep cycle capability.
They have an XDC series for which the figures are about 400, 850 and 2000 respectively. I haven't seen that series offered here (and based on the battery construction I would take those figures with a pinch of salt anyway).
They also have the XV series. They list that as a starting battery and do not give cycle life figures - yet the UK distributor sells them as "deep cycle".

I'm not knocking AtlasBX. I actually have Alphaline XV batteries (I can't get the taller DC ones in the space). What I hate is distributors making ludicrous claims that don't match the manufacturer's own information.

 

[Plevier]

Ok Sir, we have made the battery "what label do you req"

Spot on. The major manufacturer I used to work for had a bewildering range of labels for batteries that differed only in colour of the box, if that. Often the exact same unit was sold at different prices depending on 1, 3, 5 year or lifetime warranty. Our price didn't change, it was just how distributors - usually own brand - played it.

Incidentally Hankook is a brand not a manufacturer.