When we got our van 3 years ago i got a big 120ah battery.This was incase i needed a mover.The battery is now ready for changing next season and im not having a mover,such a large battery seems over the top so what would be a good size to have for basic use,i was thinking 70ah,any suggestions please
We have gone down from a 110AHr to an 85AHr. Lighter and easier to move in and out of the battery box. We always go to sites with hook-up and have no need for the extra capacity.
Unless there is an actual problem with battery and unless its causing difficulty in moving etc, I would stick with what you have till you have to change?
We have an 85ah one and is fine for us on 3 day rallies, but we are quite light users and use LED lamps etc
THree years seems a bit early for a battery to go wrong, unless it is failing to do its job I would not replace it. If you are going on sites that only have hook up then any battery will do the job, if you are going to go on sites without mains hook up and expecting more than 3 or 4 days usage then you need as large a capacity battery as you can handle and for preference two of them.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
if it wasnt for the weight factor i would fit two 110 amp hour batteries in my van..
but as has been said if you are always on hook up any old battery will do.. the van battery is basically doing nothing..
i am never on hook up so i use my batteries.. the basic rule is the bigger the battery the better..
i just replaced the batteries in my 4 x 4 truck.. they had been on the truck seven years.. they were still starting the truck.. i replaced then to supplement the van batteries..
there is only one reason my truck batteries lasted seven years.. it has two of them at 90 amps each.. one would done the job but lasted a more normal three years..
i now have a pair of 75 amps batteries in the tow vehicle plus a spare 110 amp in the back and a normal 110 in the van..
if always on hook up there is no need for a large battery.. but if you actually use battery power there is.. the only down side is the size and weight of the things..
trog
ps.. cost wise you pay 20% more for the bigger battery but it will last at least twice as long.. where batteries are concerned bigger is always better.. :)
I would not expect a decent battery to be beyond use at 3 years old. It should last twice that, if it has been looked after. If weight is a problem, then go with a 75ah battery, but if not, I would fit a 110ah one. Better to have too much capacity than not enough.
I got it from ebay,we always use electric hook up.I have access to battery testers and a fail is 50% or less,a good battery is 130% approx.My existing battery is now testing at 30% so not good,i do remove from the van every year and charge it and then discharge on the tester once a month and re-charge.Just to similate being used.I work as a mobility engineer and our equiptment is very good,im also used to battery testing etc.I think i will get a 75ah.but the sizes are important as the battery locker is not very high
i have two large 90 amp our batteries just taken off my truck.. they are sat outside on my work bench..
my battery tester shows them as being 65% of as new..
this is where the term beyond use comes in.. to most people its when the battery is totally worn out..
i could use one of my 90 amp hour batteries on my caravan.. its the size and weight of a 90 amp battery but its really only a 30 amp hour battery..
my spare leisure battery tests out at around 75% of as new.. it started life as a 110 battery now its only a 75 amp hour but its still as big as a 110 amp hour battery..
"beyond use" does the battery still seem to be doing its job or are you lugging around a huge lump of lead for nothing.. i would say most folks are..
batteries wear out slowly which means the way most folks use batteries they spend most of their life at only a fraction of what they are supposed to be.. which also means people are lugging around a large lump of lead for nothing..
are the two large batteries sat on my work bench "beyond use".. i think they are even though one them jump started my neighbours car without the slightest problem a couple of weeks back..
i would have given her one to replace the genuinely knackered one she was struggling along with.. the only reason i didnt was it would not fit..
trog
ps a battery may say 110 amps on it.. but all that means is what it was when new.. it dosnt mean what it is now.. its shame batteries do not contain some visible sign of how worn out they are.. a fancy meter tells you but most folks dont have access to one..
Does your "fancy meter" correctly test C20 rated batteries? The normal garage, starter batter "stab testers" are not suitable, and can even be damaging to properly constructed "deep cycling" Leisure batteries.
correctly test is a variable.. the really expensive meters run a different algorithm for different makes of battery..
mine is a general guess at common or garden lead acid batteries.. gel or wet..
when i bought it my son said it will only tell you what you already know.. it did but with a quick ten second test..
it dosnt put any load on the battery.. they dont work like the pretty useless garage ones.. they are meant for people (organizations) that need to know the state of their batteries before total let down failure..
mine was around £50 quid from china.. you can pay much more for such things..
google MST AR600 which is what mine is..
it uses 50% of as new for its replace (worn out)figure.. the battery isnt fully knackered at this stage simply half of what it should be.. which in some cases may be enough in other cases not enough.. it depends..
Quote: Originally posted by JTQU on 16/10/2014
Does your "fancy meter" correctly test C20 rated batteries? The normal garage, starter batter "stab testers" are not suitable, and can even be damaging to properly constructed "deep cycling" Leisure batteries.
Not sure,They test gel and lead acid batteries whatever the ah rating.The testers are built for leisure type or mobility batteries.Drop testers or ones that use big resistors and test in minutes are ones to avoid.Our testers cost £800 each and i have 2,they can also be connected to a computor to give a graph reading if needed.And some companies need that if under warranty.And they are very accurate,thats why i know my battery is knackered
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Topic: battery size
