Dual Battery choice

[daryn]

So my ac delco was shagged, just bought one of these from the battery factory:

Deka Seamate 8A24M AGM Battery 79Ah, 470CCA, N50Z case size, Made in the USA

This us a 10" which fits perfectly next to the 12" crank battery on the tray. Fingers crossed it lasts. All it is powering is my 40l evakool.

[Diddy]

Your gonna love the agm daz

[T_Dogga90]

hey guys will this kit with this battery combo work ok to run a fridge freezer and a compressor?

http://www.sidewinder.com.au/page123a.html
http://www.allpurposebatteries.com.au/p ... cts_id=270

cheers

[Kegsy]

It will work, but there is probably way too much cable in that kit etc. That looks like its meant to run power to a camper trailer or caravan.

Depends also how you want to set everything up, ie anderson plugs, battery location etc.

Personally I'd work out exactly how you want it setup and buy all the bits separately. It may work out cheaper, it may work out more expensive, but at least its done right and how you want it. Not limited to a kits design.

Other than that ABR is good gear, I use some of their stuff in my setup. Derek can probably make you up a kit for a decent price if you call him, that way you're not wasting money on cable you won't use.

As for the battery, I run that battery in the 100Ah version and so far its been faultless.

[biggibbo]

Same battery as mine, is plenty to run my 80 lt waeco for 3 days. I went the 150 amp projecta isolator kit myself, as I like having a button to push so I can jump start from my aux battery incase starting battery is drained.

[T_Dogga90]

i just ordered the projecta kit. should have it by the weekend. Is there a diagram of how to connect it somewhere around on the site?

[biggibbo]

Comes with a set of instructions which is very detailed. Only thing I did different was wire my negative from my aux battery back to my main battery, instead of earthing to the chassis which required an extra 5mt of black cable.

[motoz]

hey guys will this kit with this battery combo work ok to run a fridge freezer and a compressor?

http://www.allpurposebatteries.com.au/p ... cts_id=270

cheers

130 ah
WEIGHT: 35KG !!!

[T_Dogga90]

thats what i thougt about the battery. does anyone else know where i can get a good battery that weighs a bit less?

[koshari]

thats what i thougt about the battery. does anyone else know where i can get a good battery that weighs a bit less?

are you prepared to pay for a Lithium Iron Phosphate? Best power /weight ratio of most batteries, dont know how well they charge in an auto scenario however.

http://www.campertrailers.org/lithium_batteries.htm

[T_Dogga90]

would this battery be ok to run with a battery setup?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-110AH-12 ... 20bafed54c

how long would this battery last running a fridge??

sorry for all the questions

[biggibbo]

Where are you planning on mounting the battery? Will affect the size of battery you can fit.

[T_Dogga90]

in my undertray tool box

[mjwilmo]

Hi All,

Am about to install a DBS and have found these pages helpful - as usual. Im keen to install something that will allow me to plug in a battery box via an anderson plug in the tray. I had been thinking of a projecta kit but came across this..Clicky.. seems to have everything i need (apart from a battery), except the isolator doesn't have a manual over-ride (but i may be able to upgrade it for the one with the over-ride).

what do you guys think? pros cons?

[Snooozy]

I made up a temporary system before the meet. Dont have any photos yet.

Specs.
Ctek D250S DC-DC charger with solar regulator
Input via Anderson plug in tub
all circuits fused with appropriate rated fuse
master circuit breaker to shut off power manually or by overload
switchable to be able to reverse current to assist main battery if low power for starting
switch also shuts off input power to ctek
anderson, cig lighter & merrit accessory outputs
Trojan battery (removed from my boat as a temporary battery)
all fitted into a recycle style tub from bunnings.

I will try to get some photos soon

[drover]

Dual battery isolators!!!!
I bought a "Calibre" 100 amp isolator kit from Super Cheap, used it for 1 weekend before the NTN meet then at the NTN meet it packed it in. So contacted Super cheap, There question: Do you have the recipit ? Answer: Ahh no. Reply: Oh sorry but without the recipit we are unable to do anything ! So $97.00 down the #@$%# drain

[Cowboy Dave]

Did you pay cash or with a card? Sometimes a bank print-out will suffice in place of a receipt. Does anyone else in this country sell calibre brand crap? I wouldn't be taking that one lying down.

[Diddy]

Good thinking Dave

[dan.batto]

I have read this thread 3 times over an still got no idea, trying to decide which battery to get, I was told to get a regular battery for aux as it charges quicker but after speaking with battery world they recommend a deep cycle as the regular battery will be killed once I start running the fridge.

They recommended the ac delco, deep cycle (10") 82ah for $229. Does this sound like a good price?
Anyone recommend something else?
Thanks

[snowman]

I have read this thread 3 times over an still got no idea, trying to decide which battery to get, I was told to get a regular battery for aux as it charges quicker but after speaking with battery world they recommend a deep cycle as the regular battery will be killed once I start running the fridge.

They recommended the ac delco, deep cycle (10") 82ah for $229. Does this sound like a good price?
Anyone recommend something else?
Thanks

AGM. but you will get someone else who says something different.

for me AGM provided much faster recharging (as i often do shorter trips) with long draw down capability and also cranking capability if required. Can also be houses internally (cabin or tray) due to no gas or leakage.

Mine is a DEKA but i cant remember if it was a seamate or an intimidator. I think the seamate was slightly better constructed for rough water (i.e. apply to 4wding). but dont quote me. i can go and check if you want.

[daryn]

Mine is also a Deca/Deka Seamate, can't be more happier.

I chucked my AC Delco 82a/hr battery as it is not a proper deep cycle, but a dual crank/deep cycle battery. SO I would suggest to stay away from that battery unless you were to use at as the main crank battery and use a 12" for the dualie.

[g_mac]

It may be worth taking a look at some of the Camper Trailer/RV websites to see what sort of batteries they use in their electrical systems.

I've looked at a couple through the week (Complete Campsite etc.) and seen Remco, Full-River etc. that some other members on here are using. Most seem to be using AGM as above.

I'm reading good things about the Optima yellow & blue-tops, just need to decide whether it's worth the extra $$$. I think Rays Outdoors has $50 off Optima batteries at the moment, but you can get them on eBay with free delivery and full manufacturer's warranty (not sure how you'd go with claiming) for cheaper again.

[dan.batto]

Cheers guys, so I'm guessing te ac delco is just a cheap brand to get u by.
I'll look into the ac delco ones an see what I can come up with.

[dan.batto]

Just read this for anyone else wondering about batteries etc this is very informative towards comparing wet cell to agm
http://www.fridge-and-solar.net/agm.htm

[daryn]

Just read this for anyone else wondering about batteries etc this is very informative towards comparing wet cell to agm
http://www.fridge-and-solar.net/agm.htm

and for prosperity:

AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) batteries can have many advantages over conventional deep cycle batteries.

Hopefully with all the reading and research you have done you will have come to an understanding that deep cycle batteries are the best way to go when it comes to auxiliary batteries, but for some people AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) batteries will have huge advantages over the conventional wet cell deep cycle battery.

Although this may appear a little long winded, it is well worth understanding the virtues of both types of batteries, and how you can put them to best use, I won’t go deeply into the technical details of these batteries, just point out some of their advantages, and why.

Basically it starts with how you intend to recharge your batteries, I am talking about your main recharging source here.

If you are going to be using any of the smart charging solutions, like solar panels and a quality smart regulator, or a smart 3 stage mains (240v) battery charger, or the Christie Honda petrol charger (set to hi charge), then in most cases the conventional wet cell deep cycle battery will serve you well.

If treated correctly (and few are) conventional deep cycle batteries can outlast AGM’s, but only if they are well maintained and cycled within their design perimeters, with both correct discharging/charging and equalising (now that a whole other story) and with keeping electrolyte (water) levels up.

However if your main source of charging is from your vehicles alternator, or you need to place the batteries in places that are less than optimum for safe battery storage, keeping in mind that wet cell batteries give off hydrogen (explosive) gas as they are charging, then you should consider using AGM batteries as they are totally sealed and spill proof.

Did you know that if our good quality wet deep cycle batteries have been discharged fairly deeply, it can take 8-12 hours of continuous engine running to achieve just 70-80% charge?

A bit about Alternators.

Standard car and truck alternators are designed, for various good reasons to recharge car batteries to only 70-80%, and this works very well for normal cars and trucks, but when it comes to charging our storage batteries, where of course we need as full a charge as possible, that same 70-80% is not very helpful at all.

Really, standard alternators are designed primarily to top up quickly the surprisingly small amount of energy that is removed from the battery by the starter-motor on engine start up, and then to keep up with all your accessories, radios, head lights etc., they were never designed to recharge deeply discharged batteries, and they fall short in this area unless modified or replaced with a specialised charging alternator, and smart multi stage regulator.

Automotive battery chargers suffer from much the same less than perfect regulation as car alternators, and achieve much the same results, and take a much much longer time to do it.

As an example lets imagine you have a 100 Ah (Amp hour) battery, and you main charging source is you vehicles alternator or a standard automotive battery charger, now both of these will only charge this battery to about 75% (75 Ah), and you should not discharge your batteries below 50% (50 Ah in this case) of their capacity (see note below) if you want them to last, so all you can really safely use of this 100 Ah battery is 25 Ah, not much eh?



Note. Have you heard that you can drain deep cycle batteries all the way down, and then recharge them?

Have you been told that this is what deep cycle batteries are all about?

I hear this almost everyday that people have been told this, and by some battery sales people that should know better.

This line of thinking is totally wrong.

All conventional deep cycle battery manufactures say that their batteries are designed to be cycled to 50% of their rated capacity!

So each and every time you take these batteries below this 50% you are shortening their lives, and if you do it regularly and deeply you will even more dramatically reduce their lives.



Ok OK !! I can hear the cry's from here "but I get many more amp hours out of my deep cycle battery than what you say I can!".

The truth is that most people discharge their batteries far too low, way down until their fridges cut out, or their lights start to dim (does this remind you of anyone ??), at this point they have discharged their batteries so low that they are doing serious damage to their batteries, and consequently won't get anywhere near the life out of their batteries that they could and should normally expect if the batteries were cycled within their design perimeters.

Now remember the 100Ah battery with only 25Ah usable? A huge gain can be had if you are using any of the smart charging solutions, like solar panels and a quality smart regulator, or a smart 3 stage mains (240v) battery charger, or the Christie Honda petrol charger (set to hi charge), you can expect close to 100% (100Ah) charge,

So 100 Ah capacity, discharge to 50% (50Ah), that’s now 50Ah usable, twice what you had before!

Now lets look at some of the direct advantages of these AGM batteries.

these batteries are totally sealed, ‘transport’ classed as spill proof, never needing topping up with water, ever!

because of this they can be mounted inside a car, caravan, motorhome etc and only need to be vented to atmosphere, they do not need to be in a sealed box vented to the outside like wet batteries, and can be mounted on their sides or ends if needed.

because of their very low internal resistance these batteries will fully charge at a lower voltage, and accept a much larger charge current, so when charging from a standard car/truck alternator these batteries will all but fully charge, and fast too, in about 2.5 to 3 hours!

they can occasionally be discharged much much deeper than conventional deep cycles without major damage.

these batteries when left unattended only self discharge at the rate of up to 3% per month, and even after 12 months sitting idle can be recharged and put back into full service without any ill effects. On the other hand a standard deep cycle battery if treated the same way will have destroyed it's self, it will no longer hold a good charge, and is sadly ready for the rubbish tip and recycling, not cycling!

AGM batteries were originally developed for the military, they are very robust and will take a real pounding.

The original AGM batteries were made in the US, brands like Odyssey, Concord, Lifeline, all excellent batteries, used extensively also in the aircraft and in the motor racing fields, but hugely expensive, there are now a lot of these (AGM) types of batteries coming out of China, and some are just rubbish.

My battery supplier (ALCO Battery Sales Australia) has found a couple of company's over in China that has been in production for many years, and have been selling batteries into the European market for a long time and have built up very good reputations, ALCO now import these batteries into Australia and are selling them through their own outlets and dealers like myself.

These AGM valve regulated batteries (also called SLA or Sealed Lead Acid) offer very good value, and when compared to standard deep cycle batteries in a dollar per usable amp hour format, they come out miles ahead, plus all the added advantages that I have already outlined, but there is still more.




Lets look at it in dollars and cents. (please note, as battery prices are changing almost on a daily basis, please use this a s guide only)
Using a 100 Ah deep cycle wet cell Trojan (the best), my price $325.
Useable capacity if charged with smart charging system............................ say 50Ah, cost $6.50 per Ah

Useable capacity if charged from the alternator or auto charger only........say 25Ah, cost $13.00 per Ah

Using a 100Ah AGM Battery, my price $355.

Useable capacity if charged with anything.............................................. lets say 80Ah, cost $4.50 Per Ah


Now lets look at the space saving

Lets say you needed 100Ah usable capacity from your batteries, and your main charging system was from the vehicles alternator.

Now with conventional deep cycle batteries because you would only have 25% of your battery bank usable you would need 400Ah of battery bank, now there are a few ways you could do this, but the least expensive way would be four x 225Ah 6 volt Trojan batteries at a cost of $1,120.

Now with AGM batteries you could have just two x 100Ah giving you 200Ah total, so there is your 100 Ah with heaps in reserve and an easy life for the batteries, so only 2 batteries, at a cost of $710 all up, or better still you could use a single 200Ah battery for a cost of $695.00.

So with space and money saved, and with the many other advantages of AGM batteries, they really are a very good option for most people.
Personally I will never muck about with messy, cantankerous, wet cell batteries ever again for my own needs.