# Battery and Power Management Questions



## OwnedbyCollies (Dec 7, 2009)

Can anyone give me some advice about replacing batteries and power management?

We currently have a Varta Hobby 90AH battery fitted under the double bench in the living area held down with 2 brackets. The MH was new in December. 

We aim to spend as much time as possible off EHU so want to increase our capacity. We hope to run all the standard fixtures and fittings in the MH plus TV (may replace with 12v soon) and Sky box (from a small inverter which will also charge the laptop, phone and cameras when needed). Main holiday planned for June (France) and hope to use mix of Aires, France Passion and ACSI sites. 

We are considering Elecsol batteries and going up to 220 or 270AH but have received different advice so far....... so would any of you good people be able to tell me the pros and cons of for example 2 x 110AH versus 1 x 220 or 270AH? I don't think space is an issue but would obviously need new brackets etc... to secure.

Also - can anyone recommend a monitor other than the standard panel indicator in the MH to check power use and battery status in finer detail?

I am aware that we need to consider some sort of charger (solar, genny or battery to battery) but may have to rely on regular driving and EHU initially so this is a consideration for the near future.

All advice gratefully accepted and I apologise if these questions have been answered in previous posts which I have not managed to find. 

Janine

:?


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

I would advise increasing battery capacity to at least 200 A/H and fitting a decent sized solar panel.

I have this monitor fitted http://www.snellyvision.co.uk/store...t/NASA-BM-1-Compact-Power-Meter/prod_255.html

and can recommend it for calculating each 12 volt appliance current consumption


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Janine,

For a given capacity 1 12v battery is better than 2, in terms of maximizing life.

Look at a NASA battery monitor, alternatively you may prefer the Vicron one I use.

Personally, if you have a battery monitor to prevent battery abuse, I wouldn't recommend Elecsol.

Dave


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## OwnedbyCollies (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi Dave

Probably a stupid question but I'll ask anyway (!!) ....... why would you not recommend Elecsols with a battery monitor??

Janine


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## airstream (Jan 7, 2009)

*use 2 x 6 volt traction*

Hi, 
As stated in prev topics Elecsol do not rate batteries as all other manufacturers nor do they actually put any rating on the label it may say "Elecsol 220" but it does not say A/H or "amp hours @C20 " you assume that as it states "220" that its the same A/H capacity as other brands 
Elecsol rate at C100 so an Elecsol 220 is other manufacturers 185 amp hour 
You can check this out on the "actual" manufacturers web site www.centurion-akku.nl 
Also the 5 year warranty is a nightmare if you have problems with the battery 
I would go for 2 x 6volt trojan batteries say the TE35 which are rated at 245 A/H @c20 and are not a lot bigger in width and depth than a single 110 A/H, they do have an extra inch or two in height and are a lot heavier - but its the lead that matters! 
If you buy like for like a lucas 90 amp hour is the equivalent to Elecsol 110 amp hour 
This problem should soon be sorted as there is an EU directive forcing battery manufacturers and re-labeller/distributors to use the same testing standards so then all 110 amp baits will be 110 amp hour 
Regards and good luck 
Ray


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Not stupid at all.

The advantage of Elecsols is their robustness to "abuse", such as regularly discharging below 50%, a rough criterion to maximize life in normal lead acid leisure batteries.

The downside of them, apart from the price premium and in my opinion, is twofold. Firstly their "compact size" for a given capacity is, at least in part, down to the discharge rate used in their marketing/headline figure. Secondly, I suspect due to the plate construction, the terminal voltage under high current consumption drops lower than other batteries - not good for diesel heating or high power inverters when they will shut down due to low voltage with plenty of juice still left to powr lights, etc.

So, if you avoid battery abuse by using an alarming battery monitor, you can do better with other than Electors.

Dave


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## K1m (Mar 6, 2008)

Re: advice for power management...

We replaced all our halogen lamps with LED ones had an 85watt solar panel fitted and the BM1 battery monitor which is great as it is very accurate.
We have a Camos dome and an Avtex 9" monitor together with a 12 volt Sky box these are the main culprits when it comes to current draw.
We have 2 Elecsol 110 which seem to work well.
Just completed 10 nights away in Brittany using Aires and France Passion sites no EHU and no problems.


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## airstream (Jan 7, 2009)

*Elecsol facts*

Hi, Info re "Elecsol" batteries from the manufacturers website

X-TENDER ALL ROUND BATTERY WITH CARBON FIBRE TECHNOLOGY
The X-tender has been used for years in the leisure market and as a starter battery for extreme applications in yachts, campers and caravans as well as an off-grid energy supply (solar and wind energy). The complete semi-traction design with special separators and the application of carbon fibre technology make the X-tender suitable for long-lasting delivery of both low and very high currents..
X-tender multi functional batteries with carbon fibre technology

Type Ah/100h Ah/20h L B H

X-TENDER 110 110 95 353	175	190
X-TENDER 125 125 105 334 172 335
X-TENDER 225 225 185 513	223 223

Hope this helps explain a little
Regards |Ray


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## airstream (Jan 7, 2009)

Hi, For those Dutch speakers - still says the same 110 ah = 95ah
You pays your money etc


Type	Capaciteit C20*	Afmeting LxBxH mm	Gewicht gevuld
X-tender 70	60 Ah	242x175x190	16,5 kg
X-tender 90	75 Ah	278x175x190	20,0 kg
X-tender 110	95 Ah	353x175x190	25,3 kg
X-tender 125	105 Ah	344x172x235	28,5 kg
X-tender 140	120 Ah	513x189x223	37,7 kg
X-tender 225	185 Ah	513x223x223	49,0 kg
X-tender 280	230 Ah	513x270x242	62,2 kg

C20 methode wil zeggen: ontladen met 5% van de capaciteit gedurende 20 uur, tot een eindspanning van 10,5 Volt

However the Ah rating is ok for comparing like for like when rated at the same - ie c20 but in real life you will never get 110 Ah unless you have the same perfect test conditions the manufacturers use 

Regards Ray


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## OwnedbyCollies (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi Ray

Thanks for your help. i have just been looking at the 6v Trojan batteries and am amazed at their AH ratings - why are they not used more in MHs? 

Can they be directly substituted for the usual 12v batteries or do you need to adapt things like the charging unit?

Janine


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## airstream (Jan 7, 2009)

*you need 2*

Hi,
You need two six volt batts to make up your "battery" to 12 volts
Two six volt batteries are always better amp for amp than two 12 volt 
Trojan or the similar US batteries are true deep cycle batteries unlike "leisure" or "carbon fibre" batteries
The best deep cycle batteries are "Rolls" but at a cost, it all depends on how long you intend to keep them - up to two years buy the cheapest lead acid you can find with a two year warranty from a reputable retailer
I cycle the batteries on my boat daily never more than 25% discharged I have two battery banks one Elecsol one Newmax 
The cheapo Newmax same duty and charger/charging regime still going strong -- Elecsol (3x 220's) now on THIRD set due to total failure of two sets 
Elecsol are not rated highly in the marine world do to early failure and nightmare warranty issues 
I have two more years of Elecsol Warranty on my batts and prey they last 
Regards Ray


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