Have to replace my battery

[Beehpee]

Apologies for bringing this up again all but hoping for an answer to something that's been mentioned before but I cant find where, basically I need a new battery on my caravan, I have never gone anywhere without electric hook up, prefer the few comforts electricity gives us, my only use for the battery is the mover, I seem to recall someone saying a car battery is perfectly good enough for a mover and there's no need to by a proper dedicated leisure battery, I haven't looked yet at what the savings would be if I buy a car battery but there is obviously far more places I can buy those from so I would expect to be saving money, would my mover perform the same with a car battery as it would with a leisure battery or would it be slower? Slower isn't really something I would want as they aren't exactly quick already, anyway all opinions welcome, gotta get one within next week or so ready for first trip of the year so I want it to be right, new tyres being fitted Thursday so the battery is last thing apart from a bit of spit and polish.

BP

 

[philspot1]

A car battery is as good or better for using with a mover. Car batteries are designed to to produce a high current to turn the starter, for several minutes if required, (which is what a mover requires), then be recharged once the engine starts. Leisure batteries are better suited to a continuous lower discharge (lights, water pump, etc) over alonger timescale. So the ideal would be two batteries - a leisure for the caravan and a car one just for the movers!
Several contributors to caravan forums swear by their car type battery.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Hello Beehpee Just to help you along a little dont get caught with the prices of batteries in Dav High Street give George a ring at Electroparts on The Royal Oak Industrial Estate he will do you a good deal on either battery Ive bought 110am Leisure battery from him £87 I think it was . but as was said previously car battery for your mover .
Sir Roger

 

[Gagakev]

As Sir roger has stated you can get a reasonable priced liesure battery and you will still need it for your pump and some lights as Phil has said so why bother with just a car battery because that is what its for..... a car

may be a false economy in the long run, just my opinion, good luck

 

[forestgump]

venture caravans do a 110 for £87 but still got me 85 ah and mover is ok .

 

[otherclive]

I have just bought a 100ah Elecsol which replaces a 7year old Elecsol. It has been used for leisure on sites without ehu and also powers the mover. Having a CCA of around 350 the old battery was used for starting cars too. The Elecsol is smaller than most conventional plate batteries and weighed 4.5kg less. Got this one from Tayna with next day delivery at just over £100.

 

[JTQ]

Unless things have change radically in battery technology and the underlying chemistry, saving weight in a lead acid battery is IMO more a warning than an asset. It's the lead 'what do the biz' in respect to true storage capacity and lead is by far the most dominant part of the lead acid battery influencing its gross weight.
So a battery of 20 to 25% less weight than the leaders in respect to quoted storage capacity must raise serious question marks. The EU has addressed battery rating [EN50342] as the achievable Ah varies significantly with the discharge time over which it is measured. You are for a leisure battery well advised to look for one where the Ah rating is quoted for a C20 [or K20 in some EU countries] test, which is the test over 20 hours. Some batteries are quoted, if its C value is quoted at all, at C5 where the same amount of lead will yield very much higher figures.

 

[otherclive]

JTQ
you are perfectly correct I should have qualified my comenst with the fact that at 100ah the Elecsol was smaller and lighter than 110AH batteries which since I don't need the ultimate in endurance was a better fit to my needs.

 

[Beehpee]

Hi just thought I would update my question, I'm going to def be buying a new battery this week in readiness for next weeks first trip out, as stated in first post it is for use purely for the mover, I keep van on EHU when not in use so battery is never allowed to go flat, I always go to sites with EHU as well so don't need battery as power source on camp, anyway I've found a place on the wonder web sells a 88AH with a 3 year warranty, not that in my opinion battery warranty worth great deal, anyway my only question is that it's a sealed calcium as opposed to normal lead acid, they are sold as leisure batteries and reviews all seem good so if anyone has any thoughts please share them. Thanks as always in advance for the replies.
BP

 

[Beehpee]

Forgot to say the battery is £56 inc VAT and delivery so price is excellent.