Battery Ah size recommendations

[Drive Wayne]

If you havent chosen solar yet I would really advise it if you have the need for a CPAP machine as your earlier post says, could be kind of important to keep the battery topped up to keep someone healthier at night. Those CPAP machines take some power!

 

[Strettyp]

I've been flipping between solar or not and have decided that I want to upgrade the leisure battery from the factory fitted jobbie under the passenger seat, and swap the charger so it can be charged while I'm driving, then add an inverter

Ideally I'd like the biggest capacity battery that will fit under the passenger seat base - anyone got any specific battery make/model recommendations that they've used ?

 

[Drive Wayne]

Roamer 230Ah Seatbase 3, designed to go under the front seat even a swiveller. £1125 at the moment. I'm much better at spending other folks money than my own. Great company to deal with, help at the end of a phone, great App to monitor. I would still have solar too though to top it up.

 

[roadtripper]

Ideally I'd like the biggest capacity battery that will fit under the passenger seat base - anyone got any specific battery make/model recommendations that they've used

Keep in mind even if you keep the same physical size your usable capacity will go up

 

[Wok134]

Hi All,

Looking to upgrade my leisure battery. Can anyone recommend the Advanced Battery Supplies 120Ah AGM over the Alpha 110Ah AGM?

The former has a bigger Ah and better warranty (5 years) but I’m struggling to find any reviews.

Advanced AGM LP120 Leisure Battery 120ah 12v | Advanced Battery Supplies

The Advanced AGM LP120 leisure battery is a low profile height 120ah dual purpose battery type. This absorbed mat technology sealed unit is popular for Motorhomes, Camper Vans and many other applications. AGM Leisure batteries can be drained using 70% of their capacity. They can also be charged...

advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk

12V 110AH Xtreme AGM Leisure Battery (XR1750) NCC Class A - Alpha Batteries

12V 110Ah fit-and-forget AGM lead-acid battery for multiple applications (LOW-FIT). Also suitable for use as a starter battery (dual-purpose) – […]

www.alpha-batteries.co.uk

Cheers

 

[Dellmassive]

The Xtreme AGM was a very popular choice.

Can be side mounted, fits under the seat etc.

But most people have moved over to Lifepo4 now.

My option would be a 100ah lithium. Which is effectively two 100ah AGMs.

 

[Wok134]

The Xtreme AGM was a very popular choice.

Can be side mounted, fits under the seat etc.

But most people have moved over to Lifepo4 now.

My option would be a 100ah lithium. Which is effectively two 100ah AGMs.

Switching over to Lifepo4 is in my long term plan when I change the layout (U shape). Just looking for something to see us through the next couple of years until the kids have ditched us. We spend the majority of the time on EHU at the moment.

 

[drinfinity]

You could get an EcoWorthy Lithium 100Ah for less than £240, which will be twice as good and probably last twice as long.

 

[roadtripper]

The EcoWorthy is good value but doesn't have the low temperature charge protection built in so either make sure your charger does or take advantage of the general drop in prices to get a battery with it built in.

Low temperature charging isn't just one of those things that if you ignore it it will take a bit of life off the battery, it can cause serious issues, see here

Lithium LifePo4 12v Batteries - Time For An Upgrade?

Did I mention i bought a ECO-Worthy Lifepo4? this was OCT/NOV 2023. . . . but looks like i missed doing the post? 100Ah 12.8v Right, so getting back to this. . . ECO-WORTHY 100Ah Lifepo4 while abroad sunning it up in Spain for a while this popped up. . . £279.99 seemed like a good...

www.t6forum.com

 

[Dellmassive]

Agreed.

Imho a lifepo4 should have low temp protection and an app for monitoring..... For a single or twin install.


I think these cheaper cut down feature set batteries are good for building multiple unit battery banks where low temp, charge and capacity metering is done by external units.

I don't think it's a good idea to fit as a single unit.

 

[drinfinity]

Renogy DCDC for example has a probe for temp

 

[SarahA]

Hi, I'm trying to replace my leisure battery under the swivel driver seat. I currently have a bosch 70a battery which has only lasted a year as I've drained it too much again. I've now got a victron controller for solar panel and that all appears to be working but the gent who fitted it said the battery is too small and recommended to try and get a 100a+... I've had a look online and I can't see any higher ampage batteries the same size as the the one I've got. Has anyone got any recommendations please? . Thanks.

 

[BikerPa]

If it’s a Lead acid LB going up in capacity will inherently go up in size as it will have more cells in it to provide the extra capacity.

The only way really to go up in capacity & not necessarily increase physical dimensions is to go for a different battery chemistry such as Lithium iron phosphate.

You’d need to make sure your charger(s) supplying a Lithium LB have the correct charging profile for one though

 

[pdid]

Hi, I think my lead acid leisure battery is on the way out so I'm considering the move to lithium.

I'm not 100% sure on the workings of my current set up so I'm after some advice on what would need upgrading. Current setup is:

Hook up point
CBE cb516 charger
Lead acid leisure battery 100ish a/h
Victron mppt 75/15
Sterling Battery to Battery 1230 (I think)
Starter Lead acid battery
Alternator (Van is a 220 6.1 150bhp with stop/start)

So for an upgrade to a 100ah lithium battery I'd need the battery plus an upgraded battery charger? The sterling, as far as I'm aware, can be programmed for lithium? And it's the alternator up to the job?

Any recommendations on which way to go. I could do with a charger similarly sized to the CBE as it's installed in a fairly small cupboard.

Thanks.

 

[NicolasH]

When we converted our van to lithium we went for a Victron Bluesmart 12/30 charger which is perfect for our Fogstar 105ah battery. The free app is very good and it has either a custom or lithium battery profile.

Victron Energy Blue Smart IP22 Charger 12/30(1) - BPC123047022

BMS Technologies LTD are leading Victron Energy distributors offering free delivery throughout the UK. Free technical advice on the IP22 Charger 12/30 (1).

www.bmstechnologies.co.uk

 

[TallPaul_S]

One thing to consider, with LiFePO4, and solar - depending what you're running off the leisure battery, you may not need EHU. Maybe if you're parked up for a week or more, but there's a good chance that solar + the extra capacity of lithium will be enough to cover your needs.

If not, then as above, one of the Victron chargers is a good choice. The IP22 range are fine and come in different physical sizes based on the amp output.

 

[ginkster]

Hi, I think my lead acid leisure battery is on the way out so I'm considering the move to lithium.

I'm not 100% sure on the workings of my current set up so I'm after some advice on what would need upgrading. Current setup is:

Hook up point
CBE cb516 charger
Lead acid leisure battery 100ish a/h
Victron mppt 75/15
Sterling Battery to Battery 1230 (I think)
Starter Lead acid battery
Alternator (Van is a 220 6.1 150bhp with stop/start)

So for an upgrade to a 100ah lithium battery I'd need the battery plus an upgraded battery charger? The sterling, as far as I'm aware, can be programmed for lithium? And it's the alternator up to the job?

Any recommendations on which way to go. I could do with a charger similarly sized to the CBE as it's installed in a fairly small cupboard.

Thanks.

The CB516 will need swapping as you say (I had to do the same). A Victron ip65 or 22 would be an ideal replacement and go with the app for your MPPT. The 15a IP65 is a similar size. As TallPaul says you may be able to do without depending on your use so you could change the battery first, not connect the mains charger and see how you get in. I’ve not used the mains charger yet as the solar plus lifepo4 does the job for my use case. The iP65 is good though as I’ve got it in a quick connect and can take it out to use on other cars etc.

Your alternator and starter battery are fine. It’s worth considering an Ablemail amt12-2 to keep the starter battery topped up. Works great with solar.

I’m not sure about your DC-DC but if it has a lithium profile it will be fine too.

 

[pdid]

Brilliant, thank you for the replies.

I hadn't considered battery only but it would be an option particularly during Summer with the solar coming in.

The battery is used to power the fridge, diesel heater, lights and 12v phone top ups so would probably be fine for the time being. I don't use an inverter. Just the sterling unit to consider.

Thanks again

 

[ginkster]

The battery is used to power the fridge, diesel heater, lights and 12v phone top ups so would probably be fine for the time being. I don't use an inverter. Just the sterling unit to consider.

Same usage as me and mine will run indefinitely in summer even with only overcast daylight (105ah Fogstar Drift battery and 200w panel). Worst case in winter with little/no solar and a couple of hours heater per night I’ll still get 3-4 days off-grid.

Do double check that the wiring and fuses are suitable sizes as well. In my experience some ‘pro’ converters don’t do this correctly and lithium will pull/push more amps.

 

[pdid]

Same usage as me and mine will run indefinitely in summer even with only overcast daylight (105ah Fogstar Drift battery and 200w panel). Worst case in winter with little/no solar and a couple of hours heater per night I’ll still get 3-4 days off-grid.

Do double check that the wiring and fuses are suitable sizes as well. In my experience some ‘pro’ converters don’t do this correctly and lithium will pull/push more amps.

Excellent thanks, I've ordered a battery will have a check on the fuses when it arrives