Trojan batteries - anybody used them

[Mistroma]

I have 6 of these for my domestic system, no complaints after 12 months hard work, 9 of which at anchor with 2 power hungry teenagers; most of time relying on solar power for charging.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/products/SCS22512V.aspx

Did you get a DOD graph from Trojan (see example in post #7)? The 12V models I looked at all seemed to quote CCA for engine starting and were around 50-60% more expensive with only 50% expected life.

T105 x 2 = £235 for 225Ah
SCS225 = £211 for 130Ah (equiv. to £365 for 225Ah)

Only down side was having to re-build the battery box to cope with taller 6V batteries.

N.B. I'm not taking Trojan's graphs as gospel. They will have carried out the comparisons under ideal conditions. e.g. Controlled drop to n% and almost immediate re-charge to 100% at correct temp., volts, amps. I doubt a cruising yacht would get close to the cycles they quote but they do allow comparison (and more information than you get from most manufacturers ).

 

[prv]

Only down side was having to re-build the battery box to cope with taller 6V batteries.

Plus point for me, as my battery bay is quite tall with wasted space above the cheapo Halfords "leisure" car batteries currently in it

Replacing them with more and better quality battery this coming winter.

Pete

 

[Mistroma]

Plus point for me, as my battery bay is quite tall with wasted space above the cheapo Halfords "leisure" car batteries currently in it

Replacing them with more and better quality battery this coming winter.

Pete

Yes, it wasn't all -ve. I was able to use some wasted space and also gain enough depth to fit fan assisted ventilation to the new box.

 

[macd]

The golf cart market is huge in the states and the use their batteries get is very similar to boat bank being charged with wind or solar.

It's pretty big on the Algarve, too. I've never tried to source traction batteries there by that route, but if anyone has, it may be of interest.

By way of a post-script prompted by that thought, one of the troubles with being liveaboard and mobile is that you can't choose where you'll be when your batteries expire. It's often difficult to source the batteries you actually want so you end up with second- (or third-) best. This is not helped by the fact that many chandlers/wholesalers take the easy supply route, aided by the ignorance of many customers, and stock batteries that are, frankly, not fit for purpose. And we've seen already in this thread that T105s are sensibly priced...if you can find them. (Not that I'd buy from a chandler anyway, given the choice). Has anyone ever seen proper traction batteries in a European chandler's? It may happen, but not often. (In contrast you see them quite often in the Carib, perhaps because it's nearer home ground for Trojan and their ilk.)

I wonder if it's worth starting a thread, perhaps on the liveaboard forum, inviting recommendations for battery suppliers outside the UK. Thoughts?

 

[LionsDen]

If you want great batteries then have a look @ Rolls Battery - Deep Cycle Series 4000 which are made in Canada and are available via Phil in Fareham 01489 570770
We had 4 auxillary domestic use only as above installed earlier in the year and they are brilliant imho

www.rollsbattery.com

 

[Richard10002]

If you want great batteries then have a look @ Rolls Battery - Deep Cycle Series 4000 which are made in Canada and are available via Phil in Fareham 01489 570770
We had 4 auxillary domestic use only as above installed earlier in the year and they are brilliant imho

www.rollsbattery.com

Which model, how many Ah, and price?

 

[LionsDen]

Give Phil a call and discuss your requirements with him - will also be useful for him to know what size the existing batteries are usage etc and size of the battery container box - battery charger / alternator size lastly mention me and he will do you a good deal - the will also ship these items if required..

I bought from memory 4 number 125 AH circa £480 + vat

 

[ebbanflo]

I researched the market and found Trojan have a good reputation for their 6volt batteries. I replaced the original Trojans - 9years old (4x 299Amp hour) with 4x L16E's, same size but 370AH, giving me fantastic capacity. the best deal was from batterymegastore.co.uk and included delivery.

 

[Talbot]

I researched the market and found Trojan have a good reputation for their 6volt batteries. I replaced the original Trojans - 9years old (4x 299Amp hour) with 4x L16E's, same size but 370AH, giving me fantastic capacity. the best deal was from batterymegastore.co.uk and included delivery.

I looked at the Trojans, but eventually replaced my bank with US Battery L16 HC XC for a capacity of 420 A/H. They are good, but definitely not light!!!!

http://www.usbattery.com/usb_usl16hcxc.html

 

[prv]

They are good, but definitely not light!!!!

That's why they're good

Pete

 

[Ariadne]

SCS225 = £211 for 130Ah (equiv. to £365 for 225Ah). Dunno where you got those prices from? Mine worked out around £136 each last year, 3 from Budget Marine in Grenada and 3 from the battery bloke in Power Boats in Trinidad.

They are heavy and big, but I had enough room to fit them without any modifications. I bought them on recommendations from people who have them and were happy with them. Golf carts would have better, but lack of space and cost had to come into the equation somewhere!

I have two dedicated cranking batteries, and these are purely for my domestic set up, although I can add them to the cranking set up if need to!

 

[Mistroma]

SCS225 = £211 for 130Ah (equiv. to £365 for 225Ah). Dunno where you got those prices from? Mine worked out around £136 each last year, 3 from Budget Marine in Grenada and 3 from the battery bloke in Power Boats in Trinidad.

They are heavy and big, but I had enough room to fit them without any modifications. I bought them on recommendations from people who have them and were happy with them. Golf carts would have better, but lack of space and cost had to come into the equation somewhere!

I have two dedicated cranking batteries, and these are purely for my domestic set up, although I can add them to the cranking set up if need to!

That'd be the "Treasure Island" factor (+ cost of moving lead from US to UK). UK prices are about £211 (tayna.co.uk or batterymegastore.co.uk) for SCS225 and about £117 for T105s.

Figs. I quoted were correct for UK, no idea about Grenada or Trinidad. But you'd still need to compare SCS225 vs. T105s in your local market.

I checked a US website and found SCS225 at $200 and T105s at $150. On that basis $600 buys either 3 x SCS225 (390Ah) or 4xT105 (450Ah). You get 15% more Ah and Trojan's specs. indicate that T105s would also last twice as long as the SCS225s. Still look like the preferred option if there's room.

 

[RSaxton]

I am about to spend a huge amount of cash on new batteries. Looking around I see that Trojan batteries seem good value, but I have no idea how good they are and how long they last. Any views?

Absolute garbage. Bought a set of 6, new, in April 2016. Within three months, one failed and was replaced under warranty. In March 2018, a second battery failed and the retailer refused to replace it as the one-year warranty had expired. In August 2018, a third battery failed. Contacted the Master Distributor of Trojan batteries only to have them also refuse to do anything. Load testing indicate the remaining batteries in the set are "marginal". The previous set of batteries (not Trojan brand) lasted NINE full years with no interim replacements. I would never purchase Trojan batteries again and recommend you find something better; most any other brand will be.

 

[Bobc]

Absolute garbage. Bought a set of 6, new, in April 2016. Within three months, one failed and was replaced under warranty. In March 2018, a second battery failed and the retailer refused to replace it as the one-year warranty had expired. In August 2018, a third battery failed. Contacted the Master Distributor of Trojan batteries only to have them also refuse to do anything. Load testing indicate the remaining batteries in the set are "marginal". The previous set of batteries (not Trojan brand) lasted NINE full years with no interim replacements. I would never purchase Trojan batteries again and recommend you find something better; most any other brand will be.

I have 6 Trojan T015s which were new in 2009 and are still going strong, including doing a transat. I think your experience was a 1-off.

 

[VicS]

Absolute garbage. Bought a set of 6, new, in April 2016. Within three months, one failed and was replaced under warranty. In March 2018, a second battery failed and the retailer refused to replace it as the one-year warranty had expired. In August 2018, a third battery failed. Contacted the Master Distributor of Trojan batteries only to have them also refuse to do anything. Load testing indicate the remaining batteries in the set are "marginal". The previous set of batteries (not Trojan brand) lasted NINE full years with no interim replacements. I would never purchase Trojan batteries again and recommend you find something better; most any other brand will be.

You are about 5 years too late offering Dick B any advice good or bad .

 

[macd]

I think your experience was a 1-off.

+1.
My first question would be about the maintenance and charging regime adopted by RSaxton (probably Trojan's first question, too). As a new poster, evidently he's pi**ed off enough to have searched for references to Trojan and slag them off. Fair enough, but his view clashes markedly with that of many Trojan users, myself included.

 

[Graham376]

+1.
My first question would be about the maintenance and charging regime adopted by RSaxton (probably Trojan's first question, too). As a new poster, evidently he's pi**ed off enough to have searched for references to Trojan and slag them off. Fair enough, but his view clashes markedly with that of many Trojan users, myself included.

+1

I haven't personally met anyone with a complaint about their longevity. Mine are still fine after a few years.

 

[Mistroma]

+1

I haven't personally met anyone with a complaint about their longevity. Mine are still fine after a few years.

+1
My set from 2012 are still fine. Total water usage over 7 years has varied by less than 5% between batteries, cells always seem to take virtually the same amount. Max. SG temp. corrected difference between cells is still under 0.02 and none of the batteries have ever been given an equalisation charge.

Capacity still seems to be reasonably close to the original 450Ah based on usage figures and certainly above 400Ah. I've checked daily Ah usage figures over an extended period and results are close to what I'd expect for equipment in use. Battery SOC has been checked by temp. corrected SOC and Smartgauge, both agree reasonably well.

My T105s might still give up tomorrow but I've been happy with their performance so far. RSaxton doesn't actually state which model he used or how they were treated.

Mine certainly get a much easier life with the amount of solar fitted. I used to run them between 60%-85% most days and only get to 100% once or twice each month. Now they drop to 85-88% and get back to 100% each day, a much easier life than they had for first 4-5 years.

I'd be interested to know the model RSaxton fitted.

 

[Tim Good]

I moved to 4 x Trojan T-105s about 6 months ago and have used them heavily since. We have 400w of solar and we cook on an electric hob and electric kettle so we hammer them hard each day.

They appear very solid. I check them once per month for water level and specific gravity but they haven't needed topping up or equalising since we got them. As said, they appear bomb proof.

As they are 6v note the wiring diagram Trojan recommends. It doesn't have the Pos and Neg terminal coming in and out of the same battery.

I have 6 Trojan T015s which were new in 2009 and are still going strong, including doing a transat. I think your experience was a 1-off.

Odd. I've never heard anything bad about them. They're probably one the of most common batteries for liveaboards and used the world over for heavy use in off grid applications in hotels and the like. I suspect a problem in charging or cable. 6 in series pairs does need to be cabled correctly and all connections solid.

 

[Minchsailor]

I fitted a pair of 6V T145 a couple of years ago and have never had a moment of doubt about their capability.