Which new battery should we buy?

[SamandRose]

Not sure if it's the fault of the previous owners of our first caravan before we bought it last summer, or our blissful ignorance since, but we've had the battery checked and it's knackered. Can anyone give us a steer as to what we should be looking for in a new one? Are there any specifications, features or brands that are particularly good or bad? Any advice appreciated, I'm a complete novice in these matters!

Thanks

 

[Parksy]

Hi, a lot depends on how you use your caravan.
If you regularly attend off grid caravan rallies with no battery charging facilities you will need a leisure battery with a higher amp/hour rating. The higher the amp/hour rating the longer the battery would last before it needed to be re-charged but remember that the battery casing will be bigger so you'd need to measure your battery compartment.
If you have a motor mover fitted but always stick to sites with 240v electric hook up (ehu) then a good car battery might be better for providing the power for the motor mover.
If you don't have a motor mover but stay on sites with ehu then a gel leisure battery with a lower amp/ hour rating (meaning less weight) would suit you best. Gel filled leisure batteries are safer to handle and lower gassing than lead acid liquid type batteries.
We have a 110amp/hour Numax gel filled leisure battery which has provided good service, no doubt various makes will be suggested so my advice is to buy the best battery that your budget allows.
Click Here for more information

 

[Dustydog]

Like Parksy we have a Numax but the 120 ah. It was £10.00 more than the 110. It's 4 years old and has a fairly hard life . Two caravans back and a bit on the current ( sic) one we had an Avon which lasted 8 years .
Go for the best you can afford . Beware however in some cases the word "leisure" merely allows the manufacturer to increase the price without the quality. I suggest you stick to the well known brands.

 

[JTQ]

This article by John Wickersham addresses directly your question about specifications and brands:

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/6552072/technical.pdf

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Sam and Rose.There will be different thoughts here but my suggestion is look up Tayna Batteries and search for a 110 am Leisure battery.Check the size of your battery first as they can supply different sizes for different battery boxes. This company also deals with Gell batteries but are that much dearer Go with the battery that is best for your wallet. Several of us on here have been supplied by Tayna and I think if your order is in before 4pm its free delivery.If it helps I found their prices very good and so far very good quality .Good luck .
Sir Roger.

 

[emmerson]

Simple really - the best and biggest that you can afford!

 

[Woodentop]

A little secret: the Halfords 115A/h batteries are actually badged Yuasa units - which are some of the best batteries you will get anywhere and are widely used in the communications industry. If they have any 110A/h batteries left (smooth cased) these are a badged Bosch L4 - another of the better units.

Web site shows price as £89 - which is what I paid two years ago.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Beware of the 115 amp batteries somewhere this subject has cropped up on this forum and not sure when but I believe 115 amp is not good for the chargers in newer vans .Im sure when somebody more techie than me reads the thread more will come to light
Sir Roger

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

not sure when but I believe 115 amp is not good for the chargers in newer vans

I can't recollect seeing this mentioned before.

 

[Sproket]

https://youtu.be/KRf8EmhQBJo

 

[Gagakev]

Like a few of the others on here I have the Numax, supplied by Tayna, 5 years on this van and two on the previous one, only have the 85amp but still drives my mover with the van weighing in at 1700kg.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

WCC. Have you ever thought of posting something constructive on this forum instead of picking a fault with mine.I posted on the 115 amp battery for a reason it may not be the reason I posted but but it would make other posters aware of an issue with them.That is why I said somebody more techhie than me would post on this subject.Now try and help somebody if you can and stop picking on mine

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

WCC. Have you ever thought of posting something constructive on this forum instead of picking a fault with mine.I posted on the 115 amp battery for a reason it may not be the reason I posted but but it would make other posters aware of an issue with them.That is why I said somebody more techhie than me would post on this subject.Now try and help somebody if you can and stop picking on mine

Calm down Sir Roger. I am not picking faults on your statement, but merely made an observation that I had not heard it before.

From what I know of basic battery chargers is that they have an output, measured in amps, and some are as low as 2 or 3 amps. When you connect it to a battery the charger will not know what size the battery is and will steadily give out the amps until it feels resistance that it can't put any more in. The bigger the battery the more hours it takes. An intelligent charger can check the health/state of the battery and vary its rate of charge.

I was just curious if the statement you heard was just marketing hype similar to the industry saying you need a digital TV aerial for a digital TV when all aerials are the same.

 

[peter57]

Banner just pick one up feel the differance

 

[Hutch]

Some ariels are round normally omni directional , others are triangular and directional, but normally both white, so there is a difference, we just use the back and white ones as we dont have a colour TV.
90 amphere, battery, powers the motor mover ok.
Hutch.

 

[Sproket]

90 amphere, battery, powers the motor mover ok.
Hutch.

So does one of these yes it's only 57ah but still weighs 21kg and does what i require and my van weighs 1600kg the 80ah ones weigh 30kg hmy:

For the OP as previously said purchase the best you can afford ....

 

[Hutch]

With that weight saving, you could carry an extra bottle of calor lite, if you could find one.
Saw one in go outdoors, reserved it on line and an hour later they called me to say sorry, we dont have any. Whats new.
Hutch.

 

[Sproket]

With that weight saving, you could carry an extra bottle of calor lite, if you could find one.

Hutch.

Their too expensive for me ...... but i use these instead :kiss:

 

[Hutch]

Yes I know, havent quite bitten the bullet yet, still have two full calor lites. I have a safefill agency about 10 miles from me, but to get my money back on just one bottle it would be the equivelent to 8 refills. I am thinking of BP gas light.second hand bottles for sale between £15 to £20. Are you able to fill the safefill at garages yet. ?
Hutch.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Hutch,

There is no blanket approval to fill portable gas cylinders at road side garages.

It may be against the planning licencees they have from the local authority, or they may be restricted by the operational policies of the company or sites owners.

You have to check with the garages you intend to try to use.

 

[Hutch]

I have seen, differnt thoughts, on different forums, concerning this, I will probably go into my BP garage in Kingson MK.and check up on their policys. I am not sure which would be best , two small or 1 big one small, I supose as you can fill them when you want when you want and not just when they are empty is a big bonus.
Other windge from me is that I have only one reciept for a bottle and Calor will not refund the other two. Might last through until we go to France in June/ july, with the BP They have the same fitting as Le Cube gas bottles. When we go over next May to Switzerland, ( without van again ) I will check at garages about filling stand alone bottles and decide then.
Hutch.

 

[Woodentop]

Oh how I wish people would learn to spell AERIAL correctly!!!

 

[Martin24]

Oh how I wish people would learn to spell AERIAL correctly!!!

I'd just like to say to everyone that taking part in the conversation and offering help and advice to others is to be applauded how so ever the spelling of any word and of much more use than picking holes in how things are spelt.

Carry on posting whatever your spelling is like because I know which is more helpful on a forum.

 

[Hutch]

Its not a problem, to me Martin, its one of the words that I should get correct, but hardly ever do.
I will be alright again come Wednesday, when we are off the [strike]Hertfod[/strike]] Hertford for 4 nights.
Hutch

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Come on Guys ,You should know by now if you spell AERIAL wrong your battery wont fit in the box .