Source: Mr Positive. Having some insight to the different batteries which is the right one for your Conqueror off-road camper? This brings us back to our initial question; how much are you prepared to pay? One of the drawbacks of these batteries are there specific charging needs. Car batteries are not the correct batteries to use in your Conqueror, while they are considerably cheaper, they simply cannot cope with deep discharge cycles and you will probably have to replace them a lot sooner resulting in additional expenses.
They will provide adequate power to handle almost all loads in your camper without breaking your piggybank. If you plan on staying off-grid for extended periods rather consider adding a good quality, suitably sized Solar Panel to your power arsenal. Contact Number. Email address. Special Requests. Visit South African Resource Portal. So AGM batteries still contain lead and an electrolyte, but with a different construction.
The electrolyte is trapped within a fibreglass mat. AGM batteries are also a form of VRLA valve regulated lead-acid batteries to stop a build-up of pressure within the battery. A specific benefit of AGM batteries is their ability to cope well with vibration. Therefore as you will appreciate with the significant number of potholes on UK roads, their ability to cope well with vibration makes them a great choice for caravans and motorhomes.
The downsides are you will have to spend more on an AGM than either a flooded or sealed battery. Also, they will have a shorter operating life. However, if you only do some infrequent off-grid camping or you have a motormover, an AGM should be a serious consideration. However, instead of using a fibreglass mat to suspend the electrolyte, it has been made into a thick pasty gel. The main advantage of Gel batteries is their discharge rate.
Therefore, if you are a frequent off-grid camper , a Gel battery may be for you. Another advantage of gel batteries is they can have a longer service life over 25 degrees Celcius. However, if you only use your motorhome or caravan in the UK, the number of days above this temperature is pretty rare.
Now, there are two main downsides to Gel batteries over AGM. Not only are they more expensive, but they also do not handle high discharge and recharge rates as well.
The construction of the mat and electrolyte is different. The video below serves as a good introduction to what a lead crystal battery is and how it works.
This technology does not suffer from sulfation, so what that means is you can deplete the battery without permanent damage. You can discharge down to 0V and fully charge back up from 0V.
You can even leave a lead crystal battery at a partial rate of change without damaging it. A lead crystal battery will also provide a significant advantage in the number of charge cycles. Typically it will have a lifespan triple that of a standard sealed lead battery. It also still performs well in cold and hot temperatures.
The only real downside, you guessed it, price. Finding lead crystal batteries available for sale is also currently quite difficult. They are also predominantly used in hybrid and electric cars. My father owns a Nissan Leaf and the performance of the battery pack is really impressive.
In terms of leisure batteries for caravan and motorhomes, Lithium batteries also know as LiFePO4 and have some significant benefits. Compared to lead-acid technology Lithium can provide roughly double the energy density for half the weight!
Lithium batteries will also last much longer than lead-acid, up to potentially ten times longer. However, if a Lithium battery is fully discharged it can cause damage.
Lithium leisure batteries have a much higher energy density and lower weight, however currently they are significantly more expensive: Image — Amazon. The only real downside to Lithium leisure batteries is their current cost. You will have to spend significantly more than you would for even the best lead-acid batteries. However, as electric cars start to become more common expect that price to drop significantly and for Lithium leisure batteries to become the default for caravans and motorhomes.
So as you can see from the information above, 12V lithium batteries have some significant benefits when it comes to their use as a leisure battery. The BMS will monitor each cell within the battery and is designed to protect the battery from over charge, over discharge, over temperature and short circuit.
Check the QnA section on any of the Enerdrive Lithium Battery product pages for more info relating to parallel connections. Dave from Enerdrive also talks about parallel connections in the video below:. This model was designed as an entry level lithium battery, with less bells and whistles so customers can get into the lithium market without spending big.
Instead, you will require a battery monitor to monitor the health of your battery. The main reason to choose a Lead Acid caravan battery is price. They are extremely affordable. If weight and space are not an issue, you can keep connecting batteries in parallel to increase the overall battery capacity. Anyone towing a Caravan, Camper Trailer or Boat is going to want to minimize battery weight and size as much as possible.
This is because their operating requirements are different. In contrast, a leisure battery has to provide a steady flow of current over a prolonged period and seldom gets replenished until the user recognises that its voltage level has substantially fallen. If left long in a discharged state, a battery will generally not regain its former condition. Furthermore, manufacturers often recommend that re-charging is commenced when a battery drops to 50 per cent of its full condition.
To achieve the required performance, a leisure battery should be constructed in a way that copes better with a life of repeated significant discharging followed by re-charging. There's also 'uninteruptable power supplies' UPS batteries, capable of very deep cycling and withstanding a continuous charge too, these are found supporting servers, security systems and emergency medical facilities.
This Data Sheet focuses on lead-acid batteries which are manufactured for particular tasks but in recent years we've seen an increase in the availability of lithium batteries so they're now worth a mention.
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