I am ever so slightly dumb, I am sure.... I click on search and put in words one at a time, like Battery/batteries/caravan/duck.... nothing, nil response. Are there some magic words (the ones I tried are banned)....
I was wanting to find out in very simple terms why Lead Acid Batteries are so inferior to Gel or other batteries. I already own 3 lead acid batteries (in the Truck & Tractor) which do a reasonable job, (I only carry 2) charged via the 7 pin plug from the tow or solar or charger when on 240V.
I have a 12V Tundra compressor fridge, which does not like less than 11.5 volts, .... my question therefore is do Lead batteries drop off quicker than the others???
And what am I doing wrong when searching.... thanks for any advice.
Beats me!...maybe it's broken right now - I put the exact heading of a thread in and it said nil. Same with whatever I put in.
Re batteries, at 11.5 volts your battery is almost discharged and using it at that voltage will reduce it's life. I like lead acid batteries - cheap and easily available .
Others will chime in as batteries always brings a solid response!!! What's the truck - an old Acco?
Yep I can't get the search to come up with anything either must be on the blink
looks like an old butter box acco noisy as in the cab with the 555 cummins in them with the 3 speed joey box and what a nightmare to Change gears in both boxes at once one with the right hand and one with the left hand and no hands left for the steering wheel !!!
-- Edited by Woody n Sue on Friday 17th of July 2015 10:39:28 PM
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When the power of Love becomes greater than the love of power the World will see peace ! 24ft Trailblazer 5th wheeler n 05 Patrol ute and Black Series Dominator camper trailer ( for the rough stuff)
It's possable that your caravan batteries are not being fully charged due to the voltage drop between your main battery and the batteries in your caravan batteries, and what is needed is a DC to DC battery charger. This would be installed next to your caravan batteries and what it does is boost the voltage from what is left after the voltage drop due to the long leads to your house battery. This could be quiet low and could be the cause of your batteries not reaching a fully charged state.
While this sort of battery charger is not cheap, they can charge your batteries while you are driving. There are several makes now on the market, just google DC to DC chargers and while they are not hard to install, some times it is better to let the local auto elec do the install and setting up.
While led acid batteries have come a long way over the last few years, there are better types now on the market that do perform better and also less maintance than the old lead acid types.
Lead acid are good for short term loads eg: starting a petrol/diesel motor, but are not very good at substaining a light ( ? ) load over several hrs.
AGM and deep cycle batteries are what you need as while some will also start a engine are not desighed for this type of abuse. These batteries are more suited to your caravan to run your compressor fridge, television and your lighting. In general AGM bateries do cost a lot more than a good lead acid, like about 3 times the cost and if looked after they also would have a long life, eg: I have a 12 Volt 200 Amp AGM battery in my caravan that would be now be going on 8+ years old and even now looks like it's never going to die !! This was second hand and had lived on a house boat as part of a battery bank and was several years old when I was give it and I've now had it for about 6 years. My caravan is connected to the 240 Volt mains 24/7 so as to keep the house batery charged and the satilight decoder to get it's up dates and remain active so as to be ready for when we go away.
AGM, Gell and deep cycle batteries can all be charged by a DC to DC charger, It's all in the seting up ( changeing the charger's peramattors for the different types of batteries that the chrger is tying to maintain ).
What about solar, that could also help and the other possability could be that your dead batteries are at the end of there life ( would be a good chance to change over to AGM type )
Good Luck with it.
-- Edited by valiant81 on Saturday 18th of July 2015 07:30:32 AM
Thank you all for your replies. The truck is a 1968 ACCO with a Perkins & OD box, still working (occasionally), I replaced the seats and lined the cab to make it quiet enough hear the radio (up loud).
enroute to Alice Springs 2010 RTHoF after 10 years in a paddock.... there and back without a hitch.
I was aware the batteries did not exceed 12.4 off the car but made 13.5/13.9 off mains charger (and Solar).
Having started the query here, I will persist, under normal conditions/use will all batteries at a similar starting point, provide a similar length and level of power? Or does one variety hold higher longer?
I am being encouraged to get van specific batteries by the managing director in any case, short sharp discussion about "use the truck" (batteries still in the caravan & tractor flat).
I will do some searching at a more laid back hour.
When I was in the airforce part of my duties was to service lead acid batteries as installed in aircraft.
I think the only reason they didnt use them in caravans was the production of hydrogen during the charging phase known as gassing.
I still have problems getting my head around AGM, gel and various other batteries.
Cant wait for the lithiums to come down in price despite needing a special charger they are the best Ive seen.
I like the longer sustainability under differing loads (as mentioned by valiant) of the AGMs and gels. Suits long term caravaning, solar charging and free camping perfectly. I guess we all have to embrace the future technologies despite my own misgivings.
Cheers
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Ex RAAF, now retired. EX Electrician/Teacher.
Homebase is Murray Bridge Tourist Park (in a cabin). New Horse.. 2020 Ford Everest Titanium, Jayco swan for touring.
