Bigger Battery

Has anyone had any experience of putting a bigger leisure battery in a Symbol. ?

My leisure battery is (I think) 100Ah, but I'm using the Eberspacher a lot more these days, and apparently the blown-air Fan drains the battery quite a bit... I'd like to err on the safe side and have the battery capacity to accommodate it.

How big a battery can I fit in there ?? (It seems quite snug, squeezed up next to the boiler)..

Any recommendations ?


Thanks.

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ForresGeek

Don't know about a bigger battery but it's not a bad idea to start the Eber with the engine still running for a few minutes til the Eber is self igniting - less drain that way. Once they're running they don't consume a lot of current.

Might also be an idea to think abour installing a biggish solar panel on the roof to keep the LB topped up.

My previous Pavo (Symbol copy) had the same heating and a 65w solar panel. I avoided EHU except in January and I never had any problems. My battery was the original 110 amp.

We were worried about battery drain in our new cotswold from what we read on the net, before we pick the MH up Savilles are fitting twin 110 amp batteries in it. We are getting it delivered 23rd december and registered on 1st January 2012. We hope to give the heating a good testing in the first month or so. :)

Hi ForresGeek

I replaced my 110Ah habitation battery with a 130Ah AGM of the same dimensions. The original Numax battery was behaving with a 'false capacity' much less than what it should have been, despite the voltage readings suggesting that it was fully charged.

These AGM batteries offer advantages over the normal flooded type but are, unfortunately, much more expensive. I chose this type as I was able to buy one from an importer for about the same as what a normal flooded type would have cost.

Both my vehicle and habitation batteries are now permanently connected to a solar controller.

Keith

ki wrote:Hi ForresGeek

These AGM batteries offer advantages over the normal flooded type but are, unfortunately, much more expensive. I chose this type as I was able to buy one from an importer for about the same as what a normal flooded type would have cost.

Keith

You are not kidding - just compared price (unfortunately cannot get same dimensions as mine) for as near equivalent as I can get and price of £285 compared to £85 or less for wet type.

Hi Forres,
One important point when buying a leisure battery is dont go for a super cheap one, a well respected motorhome journalist was present ealier in the year when so called leisure batteries were cut open to check that they were genuine leisure batteries, not starter batteries relabled. (An artical in MMM Magazine) and it was found that several of them were in fact only starter batteries (different construction.) not designed for the slow discharge that is required of a leisure battery Banner, Exide or Varta batteries were recomended. Buy from a reputable dealer.


Brian

A lot of the leisure batteries sold are really just marine or ‘hybrid’ types and are a cross between starting and deep-cycling with the plates composed of lead sponge, but heavier and coarser than that found in starting batteries.

A true deep-cycle battery (and this term can be overused by the battery retailers) will use solid lead plates and not sponge. These then give the smaller surface area required for their discharge requirements.

Starting batteries have a large number of thin ‘sponge’ plates so as to maximise the surface area and so speed up the electrochemical reactions taking place at the anodes and cathodes when large starting requirements are needed. ‘Deep-cycling’ these types results in the sponge being consumed and falling to the bottom of the cells.

Keith

I've often wondered if hybrid batteries would be better in a motorhome - especially if an inverter is used???