Services battery recommendations please!

[gwc2004]

My services battery needs replacing before the season starts and I want to increase its capacity to 220 ah using 2 batteries. Any recommendations on lead acid maintainable batteries would be good. Ones to buy or to avoid.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Trundlebug]

Buy the cheapest you can find, realistically they're all very similar in my experience. Any that do last slightly longer will be more than outweighed by their additional up-front purchase cost. IMO battery life is more about how you look after it than how much you pay for it or what name is on the side.

A good start would be www.Towsure.com who sell 105Ah for about £45 each, that's about the cheapest I've found.

No connection just happened to notice what a good price it seemed !

 

[AIDY]

or even Barden

 

[madridpunch]

In completely different direction, Lifeline batteries are, in my view, the best you can get, They are AGM, no maintenance, last three times (or more) as long as lead acid, are true deep cycle and are able to take a very high re-charge rate - but very expensive!

 

[pyrojames]

I used these guys for a couple of 225 Ah 6V last time I needed new ones. I plan to get the 305s next time. Although their prices have gone up somewhat!

 

[iangrant]

Superstart
Unit 4, 30a Clovelly Road
Southbourne
Emsworth
PO10 8PE(Road Map)
Hampshire
Tel: 01243 379865

 

[bobstrawson]

I fitted AGM batteries, biggest I could afford, because they don't need topping up, can be cycled deeper, (70% of capacity), they are very robust and the makers quote 300 cycles from that level of discharge. (They will probably outlive me!) and you can put them at any angle, which I didn't actually.

 

[PeterGibbs]

Go for lowest cost deep cycling wet batteries. All other gel types and the like are not worth the premium. Pay more, get no more, whatever the literature says.

130 amph should cost you £70-80 in this country. I bought my last set in Holland for £70 each. Doing nicely after 4 seasons.

Expect 5-7 seasons use if you keep them loaded: if you take them down to 50% regularly, you will soon be back at the dealers.

PWG

 

[ex-Gladys]

My Squadron AGM's (at about £100 each IIRC) went down to 4V last year... DOn't ask why!

they are now helathy and charging to 12.78V(100%) Lead acids would have resulted in another expenditure of 3x£70 so my 3x£100 has saved money....

 

[gwc2004]

Thanks for all your replies, I shall start pricing the options.

 

[rusailing]

I agree with the positive AGM comments. Bought 2 lifeline batteries and they're extremely well made, can't gas and have already outlasted lead-acid hands down. That's why they were first designed for aircraft and military use!

Make sure you're sat down when you get the quote though.

 

[Trundlebug]

I don't quite understand why anyone would pay £70 for a lead acid if they can get the same thing for £45, but there you go, each to their own..

One other small point is that lead acids charge to a slightly higher voltage - mine to about 14.2v when fully charged, and after a week of stagnation they are still at 13.0v.
I only mention this because modern LCD TV's are very sensitive to voltages below about 11v and drop out completely. The less volts you have to start with, the closer you are likely to be to the critical drop off point when cable lengths, connections & other volt drops are taken into account.

IMO AGM's are good for liveaboards or very heavy usage but for the majority of leisure users, cheap 'n' cheerful lead acids are absolutely fine, especially when purchase cost is about half as much, or less. As I said earlier, battery life is more about how they are looked after and how they are used than anything else.

 

[captainslarty]

Without doubt, TROJAN T105s, a pair is around 225 Ah.
I have 10 on our full time liveaboard.. cheap, work, and easy to maintain...

 

[john_morris_uk]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't quite understand why anyone would pay £70 for a lead acid if they can get the same thing for £45, but there you go, each to their own..

[/ QUOTE ] Perhaps because the cheapest batteries are those that are mass produced for vehicles and those batteries are not as suitable for the discharge-charge cycle that a domestic batteries get put through on a sailing boat? I know that you admit that AGM's are OK for liveaboards, but we 'live' on our boat for up to six weeks solidly in the summer and we need some decent batteries to keep things going when we are out in a remote anchorage.

Actually when we move to true live-aboard status I was thinking of changing to traction batteries. Wet because you can keep them serviced.

 

[tobble]

Rolls is another 'high end' brand, they do lead acid ones. you can literally run then dead flat and they still won't die! garunteed for 7 years I think and often hear stories of ones that are 20+. but depends what you are doing with it - live aboard or occasional weekends? don't forget to work out where they're going to go and if they'll fit...