# What's the life expectancy of leisure batteries?



## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

How old are your leisure batteries?
Our van is coming up on it's 6th birthday and still has the original leisure battery fitted (plus an extra one we added).

We use the van all year round and have a solar panel which helps keep us topped up.

Is it time to replace them, or should we just keep going until they don't hold a charge anymore?

Thanks


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

I will replace mine after 4yrs max. I'll give them away :lol: 
Liesure batteries put up with a lot especially with large inverters. Solar helps reduce the discharge cycles to a huge extent but for me after 4yrs I will have had value for money.

"Based on sealed units"

I inherited 2 elecsols with 7 yr warranty, I'll see how they go :roll:


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## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

The original Gel 80 Ah/hr batteries lasted 3 years then one of them failed virtually overnight. The replacement was a 270 Ah/hr Elecsol which lasted two years before failing & was then replaced under warranty. The present one is still going strong.

I'd buy another Elecsol. The warranty claim was straightforward after jumping through a couple of hoops.

D.


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## valphil (Sep 5, 2012)

mines been in 3 years that I know of , could well be older , while we are on the subject its a bosch heavy duty 135 amp , all the adverts I see are for 80,90 and 110 , any pluses or problems with a 135 ....cheers Phil


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## VanFlair (Nov 21, 2009)

Hi

7 years Exide gel x2 still going strong so don't see the point in changing them, solar panels to keep them topped up and running inverter for microwave coffee machine hair dryer etc.

Martin


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

I should add that when I give them away I don't expect they'll be anywhere near knackered. We budget for things and at 60 to 70 days per year away for us poor workers  it's less than £1 a day for the 375AH at the back. £255 in todays money for 3 new ones


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

The two Varta Semi-traction fitted as original equipment in our 2005 'van are still going strong  
I think that getting regularly whacked by the high charge output of the B2B is doing them good.


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## Snunkie (Mar 21, 2011)

We had 2 varta 90ah in our 2008 van which we replaced just under a week ago as we felt they weren't lasting long enough so they were approx 5 years old.

Lucy


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## Yaxley (Jul 25, 2008)

Three original batteries replaced earlier this year at 7 years old. There were indications at end of last year that they were not holding the charge as well as before.
Ian


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

End if life in industrial terms is that point where the battery capacity is reduced to 80% of its new value.

In practical terms, most motorhome users never get to use the full capacity, so a battery that is down to 50% capacity may still be useful.

As very few places have proper capacity testing equipment, batteries tend to be used until they drop, or an internal cell link goes open circuit through corrosion.

Peter


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

I bought 2 x 110s from AB Butts of leicester a few years ago and had them 7 years before they failed

On my current van a 2009 the leisure battery failed after 3 years.

It depends a lot on the quality of the battery in the first place. i never buy the more expensive ones just normal lead acids

Phill


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## TheNomad (Aug 12, 2013)

We've got 2 X 125 amp hour sealed leisure batteries; and I will just keep using ours until they die. 

If that was to happen when away from home on tour, I'd simply buy new from anywhere I could source at that time/that town/region of Europe.

Perhaps worth noting that it seems to me that batteries are quite a bit more expensive here in Spain than in the UK, on a like-for-like basis, but are readily available.


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