What 12v house battery

ghostlymoron said:
Trojan 6v batteries are highly thought of but expensive. Most people go for a quality 12v which if cared for will last quite a while without the complications of wiring two 6v. You need to decide how much storage you need which depends on your usage pattern. ie weekend use/long passages/live aboard/fridge use/ night passages etc. Then look at price per capacity. I chose 75ahr because I have a small boat with few electrical gadgets. As you have previously had a single battery, I would think that you're a low user and could probably make do with a single 100ahr.
Dont know too much about fast charging so I'll leave that to the experts.
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So what is complicated about linking 2 6volt batteries with a single cable to achieve 12 volts?
 
Have a look at Advanced Battery Suppliers, 0800 195 98 97. I have the XD31. Wet battery, with magic eye 5 yr Warrenty, order before 4pm deliver next day twin connections clamp and bolt.12v CCA 1000 115AH £85. Impossible to over discharge even when not being used, this battery is the dogs bollocks, suitable for solar power use. I have one.
 
third engines said:
So what is complicated about linking 2 6volt batteries with a single cable to achieve 12 volts?
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My biggest problem with Trojan T105s was the size difference from a normal 110Ah 12V leisure battery. 4 just squeeze tightly into the space previously occupied by 3 x 110Ah 12V leisure. If the space for the previous batteries had been tight, the Trojans wouldn't have fitted.

If the OP only has space for one "normal" battery, there wont be space for 2 x Trojan T105s.
 
Gladys said:
I have to disagree with PaulRainbow on this one. I have 2x45W semi flex Solara M panels on Gladys wheelhouse roof (which has about a 3" curve over 8' width), and as she basically lies WNW/ESE one panel is usually shaded to some extent. The panels get the 3x110 AH Hankook AGM domestics up to full charge in a couple of days after a weekend of use. The panels do however have a little black box attached to the supply lead that is alleged to reduce the impact of shading. Of course, two smaller panels are better than one big one in these circumstances. Gladys sits on a swinging mooring by the way, not in a marina...
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I'm not saying it won't work Larry, just that it will work better without the shading issues. I also have two panels on the coachroof, which i've recently connected to a Victron MPPT controller and Bluetooth dongle, so i can monitor their output. I found it surprising how low the output is. I'm going to make some more wiring changes next week, connecting the 60w pushpit panel to the controller. I might see if i can rig it with one of the old controllers so i can make a comparison of the two panel banks on a given day or two.
 
PaulRainbow said:
I'm not saying it won't work Larry, just that it will work better without the shading issues. I also have two panels on the coachroof, which i've recently connected to a Victron MPPT controller and Bluetooth dongle, so i can monitor their output. I found it surprising how low the output is. I'm going to make some more wiring changes next week, connecting the 60w pushpit panel to the controller. I might see if i can rig it with one of the old controllers so i can make a comparison of the two panel banks on a given day or two.
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My point was really that if there may be a shading problem, then having two smaller panels rather than one big one is likely to be better.. I've had north of 700AH from the panels this season, which obviously doesn't cover the time when the controller was dumping current as the batteries were fully charged
 
I prefer semi flex mounted on the deck for aesthetic reasons - gantries are ugly. I'm not a great user of lecky so am content with smallish panels and put up with the inefficiency. I've had panels on all my boats for the last 10+ years and they've always kept my batteries up to snuff. My first, a Leisure 17, had no other power supply and lived on a drying mooring all summer.
 
Hi Westhinder, will correct myself, It states Low Discharge rate giving extended life when not in use, Significantly enhanced cold starting,deep cycle battery, Thicker plates for better proformance. Take a look at the specification, let me know what you think, Ticked all the boxes for me.I haven't used mine for 3 months when I put a charger on it, it was still fully charged.
 
Surely "Impossible to over discharge even when not being used", means that it is impossible to discharge (which cannot be true), and that in the special case of not being used it is also impossible to discharge (which may be true in practical terms). Are the words yours or the suppliers?
 
Binman you'll get indigestion if you swallow so much codswallop!
That battery will be to all intents interchangeable with any of the equivalents from Battery Mega, Tayna etc., not significantly better or worse. It could be identical to some of them other than the label. Batteries like this are just about a standard commodity product now from a number of Korean/Chinese producers, and all the retailers of them claim ridiculous figures.
It's highly unlikely to meet its claimed capacity if tested to any normal standard, ditto its cranking capacity. The claimed CCA is incompatible with a claim of thick plates. High CCA needs thin plates for surface area. Thick plates have their CCA limited by acid diffusion time.
Such batteries have their place. I have the Alphaline that looks indistinguishable and it copes with light weekend use and the occasional cruise. Just don't compare them with real cyclic batteries like the T105.

PS If you go to http://www.atlasbx.com/, about us, BI guide it shows you their brands - AtlasBX, Hankook, Alphaline, Koba, Aurora, Forte, Primax, BX3000, Super Diamond, American Eagle, Magma, Bullet and Hope, all from the one manufacturer as an example!
 
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I agree about 2 Trojan T105s linked in series to give 12 volts as deep cycle battereies, they are used in golf carts, they will last a lot longer than normal batteries and thus good value. Long distance sailing we were using them every day and they lasted five 5 years.
 
brians said:
+1 Well pleased with both Varta & Taynah.
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I always found it a bit strange that most reviews of batteries seem to be related to the efficiency of delivery, (or otherwise), and nothing to do with the quality of the battery - which obviously cant be assessed for several months, or even years.

Having said that, I was badly let down by Battery Megastore with repeated lies and none delivery, whereas Tayna delivered at 9.30am the day after I'd ordered at about 3.30pm - The batteries seem to be doing OK 18 months on :) ( 4 x Trojan T105)
 
Thanks Plevier, I'll take that point about plate thickness on board, I'll find out if it lasts it's 5yrs in time,any problems I will report back.
 
Alpha22 said:
Trojan T105.... all the way. Look after them and they will last years. They are 6 volts each so you will need 2. Giving 400+ Ah for around £250. Footprint is not far of a 110Ah 12v battery, but they are a bit taller.

They are true deep cycle so great for domestics... not ideal for starting engines though. But you have another battery for that.
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Second the recommendation for T-105s but I believe the amp hours if connected in series to give 12V is more like 230 amp hours.
 
Another benefit to the T-105 (or similar quality 6V, true deep cycle batteries) is they will tolerate deep discharges and come back to full capacity much, much better than leisure batteries or starting batteries. Just generally take more abuse and bounce back.
 
skipmac said:
Second the recommendation for T-105s but I believe the amp hours if connected in series to give 12V is more like 230 amp hours.
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T105s are rated at 225Ah at 6V. So two connected in series gives...225Ah at 12V. As you suggested, Alpha22 is confused -- and possibly in a bit of bother if he's basing his usage on 400+Ah capacity.

I doubt that any of this, nor any recent posts, are of the slightest interest to the OP, who went out and bought a Halfords cheapie 12V.
 
macd said:
T105s are rated at 225Ah at 6V. So two connected in series gives...225Ah at 12V. As you suggested, Alpha22 is confused -- and possibly in a bit of bother if he's basing his usage on 400+Ah capacity.

I doubt that any of this, nor any recent posts, are of the slightest interest to the OP, who went out and bought a Halfords cheapie 12V.
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I didn't notice, but what was the cost of the cheapie (cheapo or sometimes el cheapo in American English)? In my boat I went with 6V golf cart batteries from a reputable and tested manufacturer that were a bit less expensive (and more readily available in my locale) that cost USD$90 each. 12V "deep cycle"/dual purpose (which are just make believe deep cycle) batteries that I guess are comparable to the UK leisure batteries were a bit more per amp hour. Almost seven years later and my set is still going strong. I just can't see a compelling argument to buy any other type of FLA battery.
 
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