Which Battery?

[thursdays child]

Hiyall!!
Himself is in need of a power boost!! For the caravan that is.!! I have googled and goggled and now I am coming to the only place I can rely on.What is the difference between cheaper batteries and more expensive ones?. The old one is Auto Elite 85ah? I now know that "ah" is the max number of hours use when fully charged but everything else is a mystery. We use ehu all the time so does this have any impact when choosing a new battery?Himself is of the opinion that you get what you pay for(if you are lucky) but we dont want to pay for something we dont need. I await your advice so many thanks in advance.Oh yes,the old one is not holding its charge according to Himself!!!!
Thursdays Child

 

[SirRogerFFS]

HelloT.C..
Well in this case hubby maybe right saying dearest is best but dont do Halfords dearest is best.
I went to our local Electroparts and bought a 110 amp leisure battery cost me £85 we went for 110 amp as ours is a T/A rather large van and thought this was the best choice comparing 85 amp to 110amp in cost. equivalant battery at Halfrauds was £135
but do shop round.
Sir Roger

 

[Sproket]

TC
Do you have a mover on your van ?
If so you will need a 100amp battery,
prices vary as you have found out all ready,
You will also need one that will fit into your existing battery box,
The amount of Lifecycles as in ( how many times can it be recharged ) is also a factor to be considerd.

 

[thursdays child]

Well what a lovely surprise!!!Sproket who rubbed the lamp? I have missed ya loads as have others on here. I used to wait for you to pop up with your links and techno help."
We do not have a mover, that is if you dont count the Jeep!!! We have a 1700kg max twin axle too with all the belts and whistles power wise. Himself is very pleased with yours and "his nibs" advice. and we shall take it all onboard. I knew this was the place to come!!!!Well done and thanks muchly.
TC

 

[Dustydog]

Hi TC
We have an Avon Leisure 110amp battery. It's seven years old now and can still work the mover on our twin axle with no difficulty.
We use the caravan regularly and perhaps the regular charging the battery has received has preserved its life.

 

[David_L]

Hi
Try discover.co.uk
I purchased a Lunax 110 ah 4 years ago and, touch wood, have had no problem ,it is a large battery and I had to make sure it fitted in the battery box. The web site gives all the dimentions of all their units

 

[JohnGriffiths]

I'm out of step with most replies above because I think the cheapest smallest battery is what you want. If like you say you don't have a mover and always use EHU there is no point in wasting money as in effect you don't use the battery. Plus it saves weight.

 

[TopCat1]

Biggest is not always best! however cheapest is usually worst. I would recommend a good Gel Leisure battery. Make sure it a leisure as the plating in a car battery is designed to give short, high ampage output. A caravan battery requires the ability to deliver lower amps for a longer period of time thus a car battery life is much much less if used as a leisure battery. Look for a good agricultural sales outlet. They will often carry good leisure batteries and as they sell to a limited client base they are usually well priced. The Amphr rating indicates how long the battery is capable of delivering 1 amp of power, thus 85 amp/hr will deliver 1 amp for 85 hours (subject to outside influences temp etc) If you always have EHU then 85amp/hr is all you need.

 

[thursdays child]

Thank you all for the excellent advice.We are pleased to announce that we are the proud owners of a Lucas 85ah battery.Ordered and delivered within 24hours from Alpha Batteries for just over £70 complete with 5 year warranty.
Thanks again.
Thursdays Child