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leisure battery for diy setup
- Thread starter Craigmac
- Start date
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Leisure batteries are now being catagorized into classes by NCC rating.
https://www.thencc.org.uk/Our_Schemes/ncc_verified_leisure_battery_scheme.aspx
For me I would prefer to use a leisure battery that can also be used as a starter battery. They are a middle of the road battery, not a perfect leisure battery in the true sense, but not a perfect starter battery either.
Generally these batteries are class A and class B but are also a little more expensive. These batteries were developed for the caravan leisure market to fill the need for a leisure battery that would also be able to power a motor mover without self destructing. They will come with a CCA rating (cold cranking amps.)
We have had very good service from Numax Batteries and would recommend them. However here's the disclaimer: Numax don't like window cleaners using their batteries as they refer to us as battery abusers. As such they refuse to give warranty on a battery used for window cleaning. We had 3 to 4 years service from them. We do have a 75amp Numax combo battery that is still holding a charge and is 8 years old.
I'm currently using a 110 amp Oldham leisure battery. Its a standard leisure battery and only drives 2 Shurflo pumps and an aire diesel heater. I will only ever start the diesel heater with the engine running to provide the power to start it but it will run happy off the leisure battery as it doesn't draw much more than a Shurflo pump after being fired up.
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https://www.eurocarparts.com/leisure-batteries
can I have some recommendations on the batteries in the above link.
Prices look expensive but there is a discount code for the next few days that gives a pretty large discount.
can I have some recommendations on the batteries in the above link.
Prices look expensive but there is a discount code for the next few days that gives a pretty large discount.
From experience my advice is not to buy this brand. There were a couple of different local motor factors selling them and I bought a Lion starter battery for my van. A couple of the other lads bought leisure batteries. They all failed well within the warranty period and Lion refused all warranties. None of these motor factors sell this brand now.
Here is my recommendation
https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/numax/xv31mf/
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I have no experience with Bosch batteries. Bosch don't make their own batteries; they are made by Varta I believe. I have no experience with them either. But I wouldn't buy them as they are too expensive.
Jango
Well-known member
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- West Yorkshire
Ours is the original nano not sure if things have changed.
We never charged our battery everyday but it died very quickly, and pure freedom didn’t want to know. Ours was a Yusa ?? Battery.
I got a yuasa couple of months back. Hopefully be ok. Just remembering to not let it go below 60% charge. I dont charge mine everyday yet as I dont use it every day and sometimes its only been on an hour or so. Im trying to keep a tab on how much use so I know when to bring it in to charge. I use the testing thing as well, and if it goes under 12.60 or so I tend to charge it.
Jango
Well-known member
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- 834
- Location
- West Yorkshire
That’s very similar to our situation. Do keep an eye on it, we did what you are saying. Pure freedom said for us a lack of use. But then someone told me they had had a faulty batch, of the yuasa who knows???
i think they are expensive batteries, but it’s what you need for the trolley.
Min the end we bought a ctec charger what they recommended.
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- Gloucestershire
@Craigmac I got this one;
https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444776790&1&cc5_990
it’s a class B battery and very good. Don’t be fooled by whatever stupid discount code they send you, the code BATT50 has given 50% off for the last 2 and a half years (probably longer) that’s why the price is so over inflated compared to Halfords for example.
At the time I searched most of their batteries and this was the only one that was rated by the caravan club as @spruce suggested.
https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444776790&1&cc5_990
it’s a class B battery and very good. Don’t be fooled by whatever stupid discount code they send you, the code BATT50 has given 50% off for the last 2 and a half years (probably longer) that’s why the price is so over inflated compared to Halfords for example.
At the time I searched most of their batteries and this was the only one that was rated by the caravan club as @spruce suggested.
For years we had no way of knowing if the battery we were buying was a good battery or not. Now we have a rating system helps us to make better choices using the NCC ratings guide. If a supplier hasn't signed up to the rating system then we have to ask why.
I got a 75Ah as for my usage does fine. I see that this one also comes in a 80Ah version at £169 so if used the discount would be near as damn it as cheap as the cheaper ones but with the better performance. Hopefully still do the deal when mines worn out.
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- Gloucestershire
Thats a different model, it isn't the brand that is graded by the caravan club its the battery. I haven't checked the smaller ones because I didn't want a smaller battery. This is the link @spruce kindly shared to find grade A & B batteries;
https://www.thencc.org.uk/our_schemes/ncc_verified_leisure_battery_scheme.aspx
This doesn't mean there is anything wrong with your battery, just that these have been rated better. Use yours until you outgrow it. In all honesty a 75ah battery will struggle once you're full and knocking out £250-300 a day but in the same respect you'll be able to fund an upgrade with half a days takings then too. I only run a 100psi pump from mine but I went with one that size because I know I want to add a powered reel in the future. The actual difference in price between the one I posted and the £169 one you mention is actually just £25 after discount.
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@P4dstar the one you bought was on Tanya batteries site for the same money after the 50% discount at euro car parts
My Halfords battery is almost 18 months old and won't last 2 years as it's now charging within 2hrs I am hopeful to get through the summer months with it then will buy the one @sprucerecommends
My Halfords battery is almost 18 months old and won't last 2 years as it's now charging within 2hrs I am hopeful to get through the summer months with it then will buy the one @sprucerecommends
Ah yeh, makes sense, also you dont have to recharge so critically (except when really busy) Also trouble where I live at present is I cant always charge in the van and have to lug it over a car park, so as im no popeye the smaller battery for now.
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- Gloucestershire
I would only ever buy from Euro now purely because of how well they dealt with my warranty on the other battery. The other battery was a Bosch one with a 2 or 3 year warranty. I went in to buy the Exide one above and grumbled that the battery was only 18 months old and had stopped charging. She asked if I had the receipt, I said I could find it. I returned the next day with the receipt and instead of refunding the £95 I paid for the original battery or providing me store credit (This is what I expected) they just gave me a full refund of £110 for the Exide battery I purchased the day before. You won't get that on any website
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Very true mate, but a £100 or so for a battery which gets as much much use as us windys give them ain't bad in the grand scheme of things it's likely as rare as hens teeth a £100 investment will provide you with an income of tens of 1,000s of pounds
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Do you two use a split relay or just charge in the house?
My first battery was just replaced under warranty with Halfords. Lasted just over a year. Someone mentioned before smart chargers get a lot longer life out of them but they're over £100.
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- Gloucestershire
My old battery was on a split charge, I had the split charge fitted very quickly after buying the new battery. I still bench charge it when I've been local all day though.
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- 1,721
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- Scotland
See thats the thing, I had read the split chargers don't fill them up completely, which then makes me wonder what the point is!
