[duncan h]

Why do you need a leisure battery, I’ve had 3 vans the only time we used a leisure battery we had problems, just run it off the van battery

I did this for a few year but my Transit has 2 batteries. One runs off a split charger, so ideal.
My friend had the same set up as me. Electric reel etc. He had a van battery and a 80 amp leisure battery. His was faster, so decided to get a 110 amp leisure. Ended up slower.
I now run a 110 leisure of my van 2nd battery, so 3 batteries. It still runs flat. The reel takes some juice.
Leisure batteries are designed to be discharged. Van batteries arnt. If you park up and do most of a street, it will kill it quick

[P @ F]

I parked up in 1 street today and emptied a 350 tank , I still had a full battery when i finished 

[P @ F]

The sun was out though !   

[duncan h]

I parked up in 1 street today and emptied a 350 tank , I still had a full battery when i finished 

Never thought, you wouldn't be using an electric reel all the time then. Pumps use nothing

[dazmond]

Why do you need a leisure battery, I’ve had 3 vans the only time we used a leisure battery we had problems, just run it off the van battery

I did this for a few year but my Transit has 2 batteries. One runs off a split charger, so ideal.
My friend had the same set up as me. Electric reel etc. He had a van battery and a 80 amp leisure battery. His was faster, so decided to get a 110 amp leisure. Ended up slower.
I now run a 110 leisure of my van 2nd battery, so 3 batteries. It still runs flat. The reel takes some juice.
Leisure batteries are designed to be discharged. Van batteries arnt. If you park up and do most of a street, it will kill it quick

what electric reel have you got duncan?i dont find the reels use much juice at all even if im reeling in 10 times in a day which i do some days(PF reelmaster)......

also leisure batteries are NOT designed to be discharged lower than 50% on a regular basis...it will shorten the life of the battery....

[Richard Groves]

I have that halfords battery and have also noticed after nearly a year that its pants. Tbf I have discharged it below 50 % on a few occasions through my own laziness / neglect. I'll be charging it each night now but I've a feeling I'll be replacing it once it gets colder. Does anyone have recommendations for replacement and supplier ? Tia

[Spruce]

I have that halfords battery and have also noticed after nearly a year that its pants. Tbf I have discharged it below 50 % on a few occasions through my own laziness / neglect. I'll be charging it each night now but I've a feeling I'll be replacing it once it gets colder. Does anyone have recommendations for replacement and supplier ? Tia

I would go for a Numax

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/numax/xv31mf/

Preferrably I would check around the caravan/motorhome outlets and see if you can source one there as you have more chance of getting a warranty sorted. However, the issue comes with getting one that has been lying around in storage uncharged.

Numax don't like window cleaners and so will not warranty a battery used by us as we are battery abusers.

However, we have had exceptional service from each Numax battery and I would happily take on the warranty risk if I bought one on the internet. But that's my personal opinion based on my personal experience.

.

[P @ F]

Im with Spruce on this one , he twisted my arm a bit with regard to Numax , I went for the xv24mf as I wanted to use it as the  van starter also , the 31 wouldnt fit under my dinky bonnet !
It has already lasted longer than the £50 cheapies I was stupidly using before , its been sat in the engine bay since 15.01.18 without a bench charge yet , but dont forget I have alternator and solar charge on the go .
Numax is money well spent if you look after it as you should , the clue is in the weight of a good battery , also the xv24mf has a listing of 500 cycles , not many cheaper ones come close .

[Spruce]

Im with Spruce on this one , he twisted my arm a bit with regard to Numax , I went for the xv24mf as I wanted to use it as the  van starter also , the 31 wouldnt fit under my dinky bonnet !
It has already lasted longer than the £50 cheapies I was stupidly using before , its been sat in the engine bay since 15.01.18 without a bench charge yet , but dont forget I have alternator and solar charge on the go .
Numax is money well spent if you look after it as you should , the clue is in the weight of a good battery , also the xv24mf has a listing of 500 cycles , not many cheaper ones come close .

Interestingly, the cheaper Numax batteries now also have an NCC rating - class C; 80 charge cycles.

https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/numax/lv22mf/

Looking at the specs, this is one I wouldn't buy along with some other LV models that are also classed as NCC class 3. A better Numax battery doesn't cost that much more.

I have been into 2 caravan accessory shops lately and both have had a big advertising board promoting the latest silver Numax battery as the best ever for the leisure industry. But its classified as class B.

Then we have this;
https://www.tayna.co.uk/leisure-batteries/numax/xdc31mf/

Its specs states; Exceptional Cyclic Capability for Extra Deep Cycling. Its classed as class A. The XDT30MF has 2000 charging cycles at 50% discharged which is quite impressive for my usage. Worth paying the extra for? In my opinion, yes even although I think the yellow top isn't a good colour choice.

https://www.thencc.org.uk/downloads/Verified_Battery_Register_03.10.2018.pdf

[P @ F]

And what may I ask do you have against yellow ?   

[P @ F]

Very well priced if it does indeed return 2000 cycles , would have to be the ideal battery for a bod like Daz with a hungry heater and reel

[P @ F]

Or you could go for this if you were thoroughly stupid and could be seen coming a mile off 

https://www.varitech.systems/product/battery-lead-acid-leisure-12v-100ah/

[Spruce]

Or you could go for this if you were thoroughly stupid and could be seen coming a mile off 

https://www.varitech.systems/product/battery-lead-acid-leisure-12v-100ah/

Agree. But they will sell them to a 'captured' customer. They fit systems and do servicing. A customer pays X for a new system to be fitted. So the battery price is hidden in the overall cost.

A customer has an issue as his system isn't working so the battery is fitted and charged to the customer. Many times a customer will have no idea how much a leisure battery is and will just pay the price invoiced.
Now the customer might know what the price is of a new battery and decide that he will fit his own next time.  But the next issue further down the line is the diesel heater is playing up.

It needs servicing and it needs a new battery as the one you have has lost capacity. So the customer might be 'forced' into buying a replacement at that price again whilst the Webasto is being serviced.
 

[Spruce]

And what may I ask do you have against yellow ?   

Nothing actually. It's just that shade of yellow.

But I'm taken with the performance specs.

[Plankton]

On spruces pdf link there's Yusa HalfordsHLB800 which is £145 and the equivalent Yusa L36 AGM is around £180 which makes the Halfords HLB800 a good buy. It's literally a different sticker!

[Plankton]

For the purpose of comparing the Halfords Yusa hlb800 (429 life cycles) what is the stated life cycles of the Numax xdc 31mf. I can only find a mention of it being 450-500 on a yachting site but nothing else from any suppliers other than it was only a class C due to casing restraints.

[Spruce]

For the purpose of comparing the Halfords Yusa hlb800 (429 life cycles) what is the stated life cycles of the Numax xdc 31mf. I can only find a mention of it being 450-500 on a yachting site but nothing else from any suppliers other than it was only a class C due to casing restraints.

That's interesting. I was a little confused and talking at cross purposes when joking with P&F about the yellow cover.

Manbat say;
In the XDC range Numax’s extra cyclic batteries offer exceptional cyclic capabilities. The XDC24MF offering 80Ah is renowned for its high performance and is regarded to be the best battery in its size category despite the fact it is only able to gain a C class NCC rating due to casing constraints. Along with this the XDC range also consists of the XDC27MF (95Ah) and the XDC31MF (105Ah) both with the potential to achieve a category A NCC rating.[/color]

http://www.manbat.co.uk/news/numax-the-leading-leisure-battery-brand/

What has casing restraints got to do with the rating given to a battery?  And again just because they say the XDC31MF has the potential to achieve class A rating doesn't mean it will achieve it.

I took the class A rating of the XDT30MF and presumed it was in the same class as the XDC31MF battery, but its clearly not until its NCC rated.

Another point is that Manbat say that their 30MF (refering to the XDT30MF battery) has a cyclic rating of over 1000 cycles where the NCC rating says 2000 cycles.

The final battery in Numax’s all new leisure range is the XDT30MF which is a class A rating, consisting of 115Ah it is the perfect battery for more difficult environmental conditions. The 30MF also brags its ability to achieve over 1,000 cycles; it also carries tubular plate technology making it more robust. Finally the XDT30MF has both an enhanced life expectancy and enhanced performance in order to gain a lower depth of discharge, making it an extremely high quality, reliable battery.

Now I am confused! Either Numax are being very conservative or the NCC use totally different rating's standards. The only good thing with NCC ratings are that if each battery is tested using the same standard it gives us a good comparision so we can make an informed buying decision.

Now that throws another spanner into the works. Would I pay £186.00 for a super battery or £114 for one not quite as good but from a brand that has always given me excellent service?