# AGM battery set up.



## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Just about to buy a new MH which comes with a 95Ah AGM battery. Previously we've always had twin 110Ah but as we are on a tight weigh restriction is one AGM plus a 100W solar just as good as a twin set up?

Having read up on batteries my understanding is that AGMs can have more power taken out than a conventional lead acid and they charge quicker. As we don't wild camp and only have 2 or 3 nights off grid and then usually travelling between stopovers will one battery and the solar provide adequate cover?

Also been reading up on lithium batteries, a 100Ah one is now down to £675. With its weight being down around 13kgs and it can stand a greater discharge is this something to consider?

Richard


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

I wouldn't touch a big Lithium battery at present, not until there are long-term performance data available.

AGM is just another lead-acid battery, it has no magical qualities other than its construction, which is not that dissimilar to other VRLA battery types.

AGM's may be advertised as being able to take a deeper discharge level than others, but the very basic wet lead-acid battery will beat them all, so don't get too carried away with technology claims.

Going from 220ah to 95ah is a big drop, but it really depends on your power consumption when away from EHU. 95AH + 100W solar may well be OK, only you will known once you start to use the MH.

Peter


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

I'm using a 95ah varta battery linked to 140 watts of solar panels. No problem .and have been off grid for two months with just 30 km drive per week.
Other things to take into consideration are lights, led or filaments, lighter evenings, tv etc. We usually watch a movie in the evening and have various pads, phones and so on on charge.
Our big advantage is the almost uninterrupted Portuguese sunshine.


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback guys, I've just read that AGMs have a different charge requirement so have asked Hymer if their internal charger and the Fiat Ducato alternator are able to provide 14.6 to 14.8 volts.

Regarding battery usage we are not heavy TV watchers or use inverters for low power appliances. The van will be fully LED so I'm thinking that 95Ah plus a solar panel will be enough.

Richard


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## EJB (Aug 25, 2007)

AGM batteries are/were standard fit on Hymer and a few others.


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

It's a Hymer I'm looking at so would assume that they fit a suitable mains charger for AGM, but what about the Fiat Ducato alternator, does that provide the required AGM charge voltage. 

Richard


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

RichardD said:


> It's a Hymer I'm looking at so would assume that they fit a suitable mains charger for AGM, but what about the Fiat Ducato alternator, does that provide the required AGM charge voltage.
> 
> Richard


You would assume Hymer would fit a suitable mains charger, but they didn't:frown2:. Mine failed at 3yrs old, and there are many, many stories of premature failure on the different forums. Electroblock have only recently produced a charger with an AGM setting, what year is the Hymer you're getting?

Malcolm


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Hi Malcolm, it will be a brand new one so hopefully they have used a suitable charger. 

Richard


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

Make sure, my opinion of modern Hymers based on my 2013 exsis-i isn't very high.


Malcolm


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Hi Malcolm, I have asked the question of Hymer so see what response I get. It is the Exsis-i range that we are looking at, would you care to expand on the issues you had?

Richard


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## coppo (May 27, 2009)

I think they now fit a charger in Hymers which charges AGM's correctly.

Paul.


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

It may be just me, but we, like you had to downsize due to loss of my C1. There's a lot of things which I don't like and feel that Hymer standards are dropping rapidly. For example, the blinds have both the fly screen and blackout coming from the top, so that not only you can't use the blackout as a partial privacy screen, but the blackout doesn't seal completely at the bottom, letting in light directly into our eyes when in bed. The main roof vent only winds up horizontally, and only a few inches, so isn't very effective in allowing heat inside the van to escape. I've had to replace the micro switch on the Reich tap in the kitchen, which is purely down to bad design trapping the internal wires. The view of the drivers wing mirror wing mirror is restricted when a simple re positioning would have dramatically improved it. There are a few other niggles and problems we've had, but basically I get the impression that our MH was designed by somebody who doesn't use MHs themselves, the blinds being a classic example, with other things definitely lacking German quality and reliability. The over riding concern though is a company like Hymer fitting AGM batteries to motor homes which weren't capable of charging and maintaining them correctly.

Having said that, the basic layout of our 562 is just what we wanted, and the payload for a 3.5t van is excellent, and as I said, it may be just me, and each to his own, but make sure your choice is the correct one, 

Malcolm


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

emjaiuk said:


> It may be just me, but we, like you had to downsize due to loss of my C1. There's a lot of things which I don't like and feel that Hymer standards are dropping rapidly. For example, the blinds have both the fly screen and blackout coming from the top, so that not only you can't use the blackout as a partial privacy screen, but the blackout doesn't seal completely at the bottom, letting in light directly into our eyes when in bed. The main roof vent only winds up horizontally, and only a few inches, so isn't very effective in allowing heat inside the van to escape. I've had to replace the micro switch on the Reich tap in the kitchen, which is purely down to bad design trapping the internal wires. The view of the drivers wing mirror wing mirror is restricted when a simple re positioning would have dramatically improved it. There are a few other niggles and problems we've had, but basically I get the impression that our MH was designed by somebody who doesn't use MHs themselves, the blinds being a classic example, with other things definitely lacking German quality and reliability. The over riding concern though is a company like Hymer fitting AGM batteries to motor homes which weren't capable of charging and maintaining them correctly.
> 
> Having said that, the basic layout of our 562 is just what we wanted, and the payload for a 3.5t van is excellent, and as I said, it may be just me, and each to his own, but make sure your choice is the correct one,
> 
> Malcolm


I was intrigued when I saw your comment on the windows letting light in, so had a look for your model on Youtube to look see, I am actually appalled that they have fitted the very same blid that we have on the Wentworth, I would have expected nothing less than a Seitz S4, and certainly the S5 as an option, they are the worst blinds we have ever come across.

Spares are fun too :roll: I am trying to sort ours out so little or no light comes in and the best that has been suggested so far is lengths of 15mm pipe lagging or from Liz stick some foam on the back edge, which has a lot of merit actually as it might work and be mostly out of sight. annoyingly it was an oversight on my part, I checked everything else out, and missed the blinds as there were all open.


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

I must admit it never occurred to us to check the blinds, particularly on a Hymer. They really are cheap and nasty. Apart from the light, I really miss not being able to raise the blackout from the base so that it forms a partial privacy screen, particularly on aires where you may be close together. As I said previously, it seems as if the designer never uses a MH. The electric step for example is fitted so close to the MH floor, the slightest bit of grit gets stuck between the step and the floor and it jams. Totally thoughtless.


Malcolm


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I wonder if for you anyway it might be worth swapping them for Seitz S5s, there will be expense of course, lots of it if you can find any to fit.


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Hi Malcolm, thanks for your honest appraisal. Must admit never really looked at the blinds but I do remember one van we went in definitely had the S4 blinds but I can't remember whether it was a Hymer or a Carthago. I will certainly have a check when we go back for a further viewing next week when a i588 gets delivered from Hymer.

Losing your C1 is definitely a real bummer!!! We had just got our Rapido to where we wanted it for the next 5 or 6 years, having fitted full air suspension, large Omnistor, satellite, refillable gas, alloy wheels, ECU remap. Going to have to give it away now for peanuts now!!!

How did you get into a 3500kg? The Hymer i588 is around 2900kg unladen and once you put options on like 150bhp engine & auto box, oven, carpets, cab air con, awning, 2nd battery, solar, bikes and 2 occupants you are left with about 210kg for all your other necessities, like all the motorhome set up equipment, levellers, blocks, EHU stuff, water pipes and toilet equipment and then finally food, medicines and clothing. I just weighed the maps and site directories we normally carry and they worked out at just over 10kgs. It's going to be a real struggle.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Richard


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Do you really need 150bhp to do 60 even 70mph though, I had a 2.2 which sailed up any hill I pointed it at, I may have dropped to third, but that's part of the fun, it would do 80 up any motorway hill if requested, cheaper to buy and run too, I can't comment on the rest of the must haves, but I'd lose a few of those due to the way we camp, I'd lose the quick shift in favour of weight and reliability further down the line, and the A/C no use when wild camping, we also don't need EHU leads or levellers etc, I'd get runners and store the carpets, change them when they get too grubby, I'd lose the awning too.

Obviously you have your way of touring, but you asked for any advice, so pick a few or none, main thing is to find the right van, and enjoy it.

Another way to save a few pounds, lots in fact, is to buy used, I don't like the smell of new vans, I feel as if I'm breathing all the chemicals that went into making all the fixtures etc, I don't even go in new vans now, it can't be good for you.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Oops missed that it was cab A/C, that I would have, I get earache if I drive with the windows open.


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

RichardD said:


> How did you get into a 3500kg?
> Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Richard


Hi Richard

In short, I haven't weighed it! Having said that, the original spec of my Ford based 562 gave a payload of 670kg. The only extras on it are the awning and Oyster auto dish, although I'm about to fit an extra battery. We'd fit an oven/microwave if there was somewhere to put it. The lack of storage space compared with our previous Chausson means we can't carry as much as we used to, and some of what we carry we've actually used:laugh:
We had 20 years of RVs and were still adjusting!

Malcolm

ps I forgot to say I agree with Kevin re engine power. We gad a 3 litre in the Chausson, and have a 2.2 in the Hymer and don't really notice the difference, and the Chausson was only 4T..


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## RichardD (Sep 14, 2009)

Hi Malcolm, what power output does the Ford 2.2 have? Coming down from a remapped 160bhp 3.0l and Comformatic it is difficult to judge what will be adequate.

But it's not just power, the 150bhp as variable turbo geometry which improves low rpm torque and should therefore be slightly better on mpg if you believe the technical reviews.

Think I'll start a new thread about weight conscious motorhoming!!!

Richard


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

I can remember weighing out everything when we bought our old Hymer 584. I took it to the weighbridge and we were going to be running on max weight once we topped up with water. Neighbours must have thought I was going mad as I loaded bake bean tins onto the scales. Stuff that hadn't been used on our last trip got shoved to one side (my belt and braces mentality not helpful for weight saving) and then carted off to the garage for storage with all the other stuff I thought I needed. It was most frustrating knowing that we had a heavy aircon unit on the roof that we never used due us wildcamping. The new van is 3.8 so the pressure is off...well until I stuff a scooter in the garage.


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

RichardD said:


> Hi Malcolm, what power output does the Ford 2.2 have? Coming down from a remapped 160bhp 3.0l and Comformatic it is difficult to judge what will be adequate.
> 
> Richard


book says 140

Malcolm


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