Leisure battery / split charge

[Deleted member 84]

I have never run a starter battery in place of a leisure battery, although I have been tempted to as an experiment. I believe that if something works for you, or you believe it works for you, then stick with what you know.

If a starter battery recharged faster than a leisure battery using an SCR, then I would certainly have given it a go years ago. But it doesn't, so there is no benefit for me there. The cost advantage, if there is one, isn't enough for me either.

There is a now retired windie living just in the next estate to where we live. He didn't have off-street parking, so he carried his 85 amp hour batteries in every night for recharging. He purchased 2 batteries at the same time, both 85 amp. One was a Lion leisure battery and the other a Lion starter battery. His van was a 2-man setup, although he mainly worked on his own. Only had his pumps to power.

One day he would take out the leisure battery, bring it back and put it on charge. The next day he would take out the starter battery and repeat the process, using each battery every other day.

His leisure battery lasted him 6 months longer than the starter battery, but, as the starter battery cost less, he believed there wasn't much in it price wise. 

IMPO if you are just powering one or two Shurflo pumps then a good standard leisure battery is ideal. If you are also powering a couple of electric hose reels, then you have a choice of a combination leisure battery with a CCA rating or just using a good quality starter battery.

Thanks for your time good read all of your input.

I've decided against scr.

Just bought a decent charger Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger - 12V 15A (Bluetooth Built-In)

Tbh charging leisure battery's is all I've done for the last 18 years. Its worked for me but this last 3 months I've been struggling with the leisure battery's losing voltage quickly. 

I put this down to a poor brand possibly but they came with a 3 year warranty hence why I've got 4 battery's. 

My ring charger I've got its on its last legs so fingers ? 

 

[spruce]

Thanks for your time good read all of your input.

I've decided against scr.

t bought a decent charger Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger - 12V 15A (Bluetooth Built-In)

Tbh charging leisure battery's is all I've done for the last 18 years. Its worked for me but this last 3 months I've been struggling with the leisure battery's losing voltage quickly. 

I put this down to a poor brand possibly but they came with a 3 year warranty hence why I've got 4 battery's. 

My ring charger I've got its on its last legs so fingers ? 

Most battery manufacturers void the warranty on batteries used in our industry as we are classed as battery abusers. Period.

Earlier, I commented about battery charging cycles and DOD.

I searched for the YouTube video I remembered watching when it was first released. Charles Sterling makes some very interesting comment regarding battery abuse.



I'm not saying that lithium is the way to go; I don't know, tbh.

BTW, Sterling are the sellers of these Advanced Mobile Power Systems lithium batteries.

https://sterling-power.com/products/lithium-batteries?variant=50393785109

 

[Pjj]

11 minutes ago, spruce said:

Most battery manufacturers void the warranty on batteries used in our industry as we are classed as battery abusers. Period.

Earlier, I commented about battery charging cycles and DOD.

I searched for the YouTube video I remembered watching when it was first released. Charles Sterling makes some very interesting comment regarding battery abuse.

I was talking to my mate who is a marine electrician and he said that there is another battery coming out to replace lithium I cannot remember what he said it was I will ask him . 

 

[Jango]

Thanks for your time good read all of your input.

I've decided against scr.

Just bought a decent charger Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger - 12V 15A (Bluetooth Built-In)

Tbh charging leisure battery's is all I've done for the last 18 years. Its worked for me but this last 3 months I've been struggling with the leisure battery's losing voltage quickly. 

I put this down to a poor brand possibly but they came with a 3 year warranty hence why I've got 4 battery's. 

My ring charger I've got its on its last legs so fingers ? 

Some excellent input from all the guys for you. 
I have a scr fitted to my van, and everyone on here helped with my questions. 
when my van was built they put a scr in, but I do not do enough miles, for it to work. So I bench charge my battery every night in winter and every other in summer. I use a Ctek charger. I find this works well. 
Hope the new charger works well. 

 

[spruce]

I was talking to my mate who is a marine electrician and he said that there is another battery coming out to replace lithium I cannot remember what he said it was I will ask him . 

Toyota have made over 2500 patents on the development of solid state batteries. They believe that this is the way forward. Maybe it's another VHS verses Betamax story?

 

[spruce]

With this battery comparison Charles Sterling has done, he has drawn a current of 25 amps from each battery until it reached 10.5v under that load. That is when the battery is technically flat. To only get less than 20 complete cycles from a standard lead acid leisure battery is not good for our industry as a whole.

He did mention that the battery would last longer if the batteries weren't flattened. This does translate that those using electric hose reels with standard leisure batteries are going to destroy them quickly if they don't recharge their batteries often enough. I have always tried to not go lower than 75% DOD on a daily basis and recharge as soon as possible.

When manufacturers use marketing or sales terms such as "deep cycle" and "ultra deep cycle" they are hoodwinking us to believe that fully discharging our batteries isn't a problem if we buy that particular make. This just isn't true.