# Leisure Battery Queries?



## henri (May 10, 2008)

I have read all the advice on here, but am still a bit confused.

Are these conclusions correct?

1. Our leisure battery is stored in the box under the passenger seat - does this mean we should get a gel/sealed one as we don't have exterior venting?

2. For the same reason as above we don't have access to easily allow for distilled water topping up without removing most of the electrics - so again best for the gel/sealed battery type.

3. Buy the best, biggest AH we can fit in the space, but don't be fooled by Elecsol who use different ways of measuring AH. 

4. What advantages do Carbon Fibre Batteries have - or is it just weight?

5. I have read that buying a battery depends on your charger - how do we tell which type of charger we have & which battery suits?

We don't have any solar panels but we do rely on lots of solar chargers & lights, so we only need our battery for running the pump & occasional lighting. We tend to wild camp & have to fill up with water every 5 days, so can choose to recharge regularly. We do spend 3 months on the road, so constant recharging/discharging is a factor!

Many thanks in advance - really worth the subscription fee just for venting these queries & getting advice!


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## clive1821 (Mar 27, 2010)

Your best leisure battery is first AGM , and then followed by gell batteries... if they are going to be housed in the living area. The charging is usually done by a charger mounted in your van and there's usually a display of some kind to indicate the state of the battery. If the battery is housed under the passenger seat they are very difficialt to get to so even more reason to get a battery listed above as they will not need any maintainence... hope that helps...


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## ChrisWade (Jul 3, 2006)

*Leisure Batteries: Elecsol, Banner, or other?*

I need to replace & supplement my leisure battery. I'll probably go for 2 batteries of around 180-220ah. They will power a domestic-style electric oven running around 9a max for around 30 minutes max, through a 2000w modified sine wave inverter (the system works). Other than this, there's nothing unusual or heavy drain. Battery top-up is planned to be via an EG20 generator.

There is a lot of discussion in mags at present about the difference between starter batteries and leisure. Conrad Anderson (EG20 installers) supply Elecsol, but Henri (above) commented on the ah rating perhaps not being accurate. Banner batteries are being promoted by this month's MMM mag article. Can anyone recommend a type/ brand of battery to choose?


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