Trojan batteries

[single]

After a bit of research i am looking at replacing my x2 110Ah domestic batteries with x4 Trojan T105s http://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/product/T105/
Obviously i will need to rewire the setup, but are there any downsides to this plan apart from another £200!?

 

[awol]

If your battery box has the space, why not? T105s are quite a bit taller than my 110Ah 12V ones.

 

[macd]

are there any downsides to this plan apart from another £200!?

Can't think of any, provided they fit. That's precisely the set-up I have. You'll be doubling your available Ah, too.

 

[Sailfree]

Not a sealed battery.

Would not be allowed on a charter coded boat. So someone thinks that having sealed batteries on a boat is important!

 

[KellysEye]

A Trojan T 105 is 225Ah we had two, four seems to overkill compared to the 2x110Ah that you have now. You could perhaps halve the cost.

 

[captmikecoin]

A Trojan T 105 is 225Ah we had two, four seems to overkill compared to the 2x110Ah that you have now. You could perhaps halve the cost.

Remember T105s are 6V. You need twice as many to make up to 12V. I have 8 on my yacht giving me a theoretical 900Ah at 12V but probably lost a bit by now.

Mike

 

[BabaYaga]

It's a bit unclear to me if the OP really intends to double the capacity? "Another £200" will only buy him (almost) two T105 batteries, which will roughly give him the capacity he has today (2x110Ah@12V).

 

[prv]

A Trojan T 105 is 225Ah we had two, four seems to overkill compared to the 2x110Ah that you have now. You could perhaps halve the cost.

450 Ah is generous, but not unreasonable. We have 420.

Pete

 

[Mistroma]

Not a sealed battery.

Would not be allowed on a charter coded boat. So someone thinks that having sealed batteries on a boat is important!

I assume that this is because VRLA batteries shouldn't discharge Hydrogen unless there's a fault and AGM won't leak acid either if cracked. I can see the safety implications but OP's 110Ah batteries may well be flooded. So called "sealed" leisure batteries often have top up plugs covered with a label. OP can consider your point but should know that T105s aren't introducing different risks if he already has leisure batteries.

1) OP might find it worthwhile to check options on his charger.
Trojan specify 14.8V for "daily charging" and 13.2V for float charge. Settings on my charger only give about 0.6V difference between boost & float settings. I can tweak a potentiometer to give either 14.8/14.2 or 13.8/13.2. Neither are ideal and I usually set for 14.7V at anchor and drop float charge level if I'm going to be in a marina for amore than 21-2 days. Seems to work well enough as I don't use the generator much at anchor with result that mains charger isn't run for long periods away from shore power.

2) Trojan T105 have a high self-discharge rate
I think that they quote a max. of 4% per week, so it doesn't take many weeks to discharge. However, that's probably at 25C and will be a lot slower in winter. IT is worth remembering to check T105s regularly over winter if not on float charge.

3) Might be worth checking actual size of T105s vs. battery box (assuming OP is buying 2 x T105s to provide 225Ah)
I increased the size of my battery box because it was about 2mm too narrow and height looked a bit iffy. I measured the T105s when they arrived and found that they were marginally smaller than expected. I think that they would have fitted my existing box. However, it would have been tight for height and I'd already re-built the box.

Great batteries and I'd buy them again. Trojan quote higher than 450Ah from a set of 4xT105s when discharged at less than C20 rate. So you may well get a bit more capacity than 450Ah if only running a few items at once (e.g. Fridge, led lights). Capacity should be max. 450Ah drawing 22.5A and 500Ah if only drawing 5A. However, higher self-discharge start to work against you at lower current rates. Trojan do tend to publish tech. details so that you can find the information.

 

[charles_reed]

I am filled with envy of all you people who can put different sized batteries in your boxes - mine will only accept the one size, which I can only get in low maintenance form which last between 3-5 years, compared to the single wet, open battery up forward which lasts about 10 years.

 

[macd]

It's a bit unclear to me if the OP really intends to double the capacity? "Another £200" will only buy him (almost) two T105 batteries, which will roughly give him the capacity he has today (2x110Ah@12V).

"replacing my x2 110Ah domestic batteries with x4 Trojan T105s" doesn't seem at all ambiguous to me. The "another £200" is presumaby the additional cost of four T105s over replacing like for like.

 

[awol]

The relevant paragraph from the "Blue Book"

8.4.1.6 In the case of a sailing vessel, batteries should be of the sealed type to prevent electrolytic loss in the event of a knockdown or immersion.

I am not entirely certain but the "T105/master-vent" version may meet this requirement.

 

[prv]

I am filled with envy of all you people who can put different sized batteries in your boxes - mine will only accept the one size

So chop it out and build a new one, that's what I did.

Pete

 

[charles_reed]

So chop it out and build a new one, that's what I did.

Pete

Come out to Nea Perama and see if you can do it.
There is no room and nowhere else to put it. But I could be corrected by your ineluctable sagacity.

 

[Richard10002]

"replacing my x2 110Ah domestic batteries with x4 Trojan T105s" doesn't seem at all ambiguous to me. The "another £200" is presumaby the additional cost of four T105s over replacing like for like.

+1 2 x 110Ah @ £100 each, (Varta Hobby?). 4 x T105 @ £430 or so.

 

[macd]

+1 2 x 110Ah @ £100 each, (Varta Hobby?). 4 x T105 @ £430 or so.

£ per Ah, that makes the Trojans seem like damn good value.

 

[Sarnia]

After a bit of research i am looking at replacing my x2 110Ah domestic batteries with x4 Trojan T105s http://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/product/T105/
Obviously i will need to rewire the setup, but are there any downsides to this plan apart from another £200!?

You may find this helpful: http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html

 

[Mistroma]

£ per Ah, that makes the Trojans seem like damn good value.

It certainly does, I bought mine from Tanya about 3 years ago at £1.09/Ah and thought that was a good price. I've just checked their current price and it's £421.60 for 4 x T105s (approx. 0.94p/Ah).

Battery Megastore prices are even better at £400 (approx. 0.89p/Ah) incl. delivery. Pretty much a no brainer vs. leisure batteries if you use the boat away from shore power most of the time.

Deal for 4 x T105s at £400 incl. delivery: http://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/product/T105+x4

The small amount of extra height required is the main issue on many boats (I had to re-build the box on my boat). Reasonable leisure batteries might be around £300 for 4 x 110Ah vs. £400 for 4 T105s giving 450Ah. So looks as if 33% extra cost to buy batteries likely to last 2-3 time longer (prob. conservative estimate).

 

[single]

I assume that this is because VRLA batteries shouldn't discharge Hydrogen unless there's a fault and AGM won't leak acid either if cracked. I can see the safety implications but OP's 110Ah batteries may well be flooded. So called "sealed" leisure batteries often have top up plugs covered with a label. OP can consider your point but should know that T105s aren't introducing different risks if he already has leisure batteries.

1) OP might find it worthwhile to check options on his charger.
Trojan specify 14.8V for "daily charging" and 13.2V for float charge. Settings on my charger only give about 0.6V difference between boost & float settings. I can tweak a potentiometer to give either 14.8/14.2 or 13.8/13.2. Neither are ideal and I usually set for 14.7V at anchor and drop float charge level if I'm going to be in a marina for amore than 21-2 days. Seems to work well enough as I don't use the generator much at anchor with result that mains charger isn't run for long periods away from shore power.

2) Trojan T105 have a high self-discharge rate
I think that they quote a max. of 4% per week, so it doesn't take many weeks to discharge. However, that's probably at 25C and will be a lot slower in winter. IT is worth remembering to check T105s regularly over winter if not on float charge.

3) Might be worth checking actual size of T105s vs. battery box (assuming OP is buying 2 x T105s to provide 225Ah)
I increased the size of my battery box because it was about 2mm too narrow and height looked a bit iffy. I measured the T105s when they arrived and found that they were marginally smaller than expected. I think that they would have fitted my existing box. However, it would have been tight for height and I'd already re-built the box.

Great batteries and I'd buy them again. Trojan quote higher than 450Ah from a set of 4xT105s when discharged at less than C20 rate. So you may well get a bit more capacity than 450Ah if only running a few items at once (e.g. Fridge, led lights). Capacity should be max. 450Ah drawing 22.5A and 500Ah if only drawing 5A. However, higher self-discharge start to work against you at lower current rates. Trojan do tend to publish tech. details so that you can find the information.

Thanks for all the replies. This charging seems to be the only possible problem. I currently have a 50Ah alternator charging via a X-Split unit (a very old type) and the Aero4gen. Seeing as i'm upgrading batteries and all the wiring would i be better off getting a modern battery management system too? If so which?

 

[Mistroma]

Thanks for all the replies. This charging seems to be the only possible problem. I currently have a 50Ah alternator charging via a X-Split unit (a very old type) and the Aero4gen. Seeing as i'm upgrading batteries and all the wiring would i be better off getting a modern battery management system too? If so which?

Alternator:
Trojan recommend charging 4 x T105s at max. of 45 - 59A and I suspect that the normal charge acceptance rate might over stress your 50A alternator (even with a standard regulator). Look at 80-100A alternators, much above this will probably give problems unless you change to serpentine belt or similar (tends to bump price up quite a bit).

Splitter:
I think that it should be OK to stick with your existing x-Split if it is working. Isn't it just a low volt drop splitter?

Regulator:
Trojan say 14.8V for normal charging and that means you should benefit from an improved alternator regulator.

Wind Gen Regulator:
I don't know which regulator you have. My Marlec HRDi allows adjustment of max. voltage. If I leave it at default of 14.2V then it dumps output from wind-gen and solar when batteries are a bit above 80%. Increasing to 14.7V maintains battery charging until 100%. So might be worth looking at regulator for your wind-gen to check cut-off voltage.

Mains charger:
Worth looking at capacity and settings available as you are moving from 200Ah > 450Ah and a higher recommended charging voltage.