# New Battery advice required



## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

I hope someone can put me right on this with some expert advice.

I currently have two 105 Amp Hour leisure batteries connected in Parallel.

However, one of them has started to fail and is need of being replaced.

My question is would it be possible to replace the failed battery with one that is 110 Amp hour. or would a slight imbalance in their sizes cause a problem , or is it best to always have batteries of equal size.

The vehicles charger is fine with this size. My only question is regarding having one of 105 AH and one of 110 AH, Would it cause any problems ? 

I hope someone can put me straight before I purchase one.

Many thanks

Pat


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

PATSY4 said:


> I hope someone can put me right on this with some expert advice.
> 
> I currently have two 105 Amp Hour leisure batteries connected in Parallel.
> 
> ...


Hi Pat, (& Neil). :wink:

There isn't a lot between the two batteries, but it is usual to have both batteries of the same amperage, and age, so if one is failing, but the other not, and are of similar ages, I would replace both together, and for two 110amp. You could keep the good one in the garage on a trickle charger as a spare starter battery.

HTH,

Jock.

P.S. Please say hello to Neil for me please.

:wink:


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## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

Hi ya Jock and Rita

Thanks for the advice.

We really need to be sure about the batteries before we go to Morocco in a couple of weeks, as we will probably have to do without electric a lot.

Didnt really want to have to purchase two batteries, the good one is a different make, so I presume that had already been changed previously,
before we got the van.

Anyone any ideas

Thanks Pat

Jock Neil says hello


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

PATSY4 said:


> Hi ya Jock and Rita
> 
> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> ...


Hi Pat,

There should be a date code on the battery that you wish to keep. It is usually the week and the year, ie, 34/07. This would be when the battery was manufactured. If it is very recent, then I would only replace the duff one, but if it was say, 18-24 months old, I'd replace both. Do you have a hydrometer with which you can test the specific gravity of each cell. This will give a very good indication of the condition of the good battery. 
Do you have a solar panel on the roof?

Can anyone else give more technical/informed information that will help Pat & Neil, please.

Jock.

P.S. Pat, if no one else comes forward, DABurleigh is possibly your best bet for a definitive answer.


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## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

Hi ya Jock,

I will get Neil to get the battery out and have a look, we have had the vehicle for a year.

Neil used a drop test on it, one battery showed good and the other was low, when opened it was dry so we topped it up with distilled water, I think however that it may be frazzled, not a technical term.

We have solar panel,(never had problem before and tops up the battery nicely, but with the damp conditions and one of the batterys being a bit iffy. The main problem is the truma gas heating that is struggling. When not on ehu hook up, the red light flashes and the heating fails to come on.
This weekend we were fine on EHU until about 4 hours without EHU, the heating kept failing to stay on.
We have suspected that the battery may be the problem, when the engine is on, the boiler works okay.

Our main worry is going to Morocco without the reliability of knowing it all works okay.

Kind regards Pat


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## 107558 (Oct 10, 2007)

Dont add a 110ah battery to a 105ah battery and you really should replace both.

1 ). Battery Age: from the various posts I've seen on here and elsewhere, if you leave the old battery in place it will degrade the new battery.

2 ). The batteries only work together properly if they are closely matched. Not only should the AH, CCA rate etc. be the same but there is a school of thought that they should be from the same "batch" for optimum preformance.

If you're off to Morrocco, I would replace both just to be on the safe side. Easier to sort it here than in the middle of a desert!


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

PATSY4 said:


> Hi ya Jock,
> 
> I will get Neil to get the battery out and have a look, we have had the vehicle for a year.
> 
> ...


Hi Pat,

Flashing red usually indicates low voltage on the leisure side. With it being okay when the alternator is running, that seems to confirm the problem.

Good advice from JQL above. As I said, I would replace both. Our three were replaced with Elecsols, all of the same ampage, size and batch, just over 3.5 years ago. No problems since. And they have a five year warranty for leisure use.

Jock.


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## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

Hi Jock thanks for gettign back to me

Just pricing up for two elecsol batteries, may go for 125ah nice to know someone who has used them.

Kind regards
Pat


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

ah so it was you I spoke to Pat 

as discussed Yes you should replace both batteries at the same time and keep them to the same capacity as putting say a 105Ah inline with a 125Ah battery will mean the 125Ah will only charge to the same level as the 105 so you are wasting capacity.


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## JockandRita (Jun 1, 2005)

PATSY4 said:


> Hi Jock thanks for gettign back to me
> 
> Just pricing up for two elecsol batteries, may go for 125ah nice to know someone who has used them.
> 
> ...


Yep, used them for years when caravanning too. Expensive I know, but extremely reliable, and due to the carbon fibre technology, are less likely to suffer from failure. You'll still be using them in about seven years time. :wink:

Jock.


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## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

t[/quote]

Yep, used them for years when caravanning too. Expensive I know, but extremely reliable, and due to the carbon fibre technology, are less likely to suffer from failure. You'll still be using them in about seven years time. :wink:

Jock.[/quote]

Yes I will hold you to that jock
Pat


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## weldted (May 1, 2005)

*batteries*

Hi all I am in the same state, on our last trip away noticed battery volts dropping very quickly van new Feb 2008, came with a 110 amp hour battery I had a Lexol 100 amp hour battery bought new December 2007
Took both batteries to Plymouth Battery Centre where they have a computerised testing facility. The original battery was only 27% efficient and the Lexol 51%. the chap there told me that the original battery had failed and probably pulled the Lexol one down. Every time a battery goes flat it is like it having a heart attack from which it never fully recovers. So if you do not replace batteries with two of the same size and age you could have the same problem again pretty soon.


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