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Truth About Leisure Batteries
Truth About Leisure Batteries
I would like to update my readers here in 2021. We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel regarding the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic that took over the world.
Consequently, there was all sorts of panic buying as the country began its first lockdown. It came as a huge surprise to me when the nation decided that they needed a spare battery.
Truth About Leisure leisure batteries is that sales went through the roof. As a result, there will eventually be a global shortage of all types of batteries. including car batteries. So, since then, the situation has not recovered. Shipping costs around the world are also rising.
Now that we are starting to pull out of the lockdowns, people are becoming freer to travel again. For many owners of caravans and motorhomes, this means freedom again.
But people who need new batteries are having a hard time because there aren’t enough leisure batteries. Popular sizes, such as the 110 Ah twin-post batteries, are difficult to get a hold of because of shipping delays. However, other batteries of the same size are now becoming available!
This includes a battery the same physical size as the 110 Ah but with a larger capacity of 120 Ah. This battery, which is also a twin-post, is an excellent replacement that comes with the same guarantee.
Choosing a leisure battery-Truth About Leisure Batteries
Choosing a leisure battery, whether for a canal boat or a motorhome, can be a difficult task. So let’s face it, there is a very wide choice of battery products out there that will all do the job.
Of course, it is like anything else in life. There are “horses for courses,” and what one guy wants will be very different from what another guy may want. Let’s face it: not that long ago, there was not much choice at all.
Most leisure batteries in the early days were just regular car batteries. Lead-acid car batteries are still being used. Small caravan users who just pop to the coast twice a year do not require an all-singing, all-whistling semi-traction battery. Although, like anything in life, you get what you pay for, A large lead-acid car battery, on the other hand, will most likely last a couple of years before needing to be replaced.
The leisure battery market is so wide and varied that it is difficult to know where to start.
My own experience tells me that in the past five or six years, when looking for “Truth About Leisure Batteries,” our best seller has been the XV31MF battery. This battery has twin posts for easy connection to other batteries or electrical goods. The XV range starts with the smaller 85 AH to 135 AH batteries. These products were heavily marketed at many caravan and leisure shows.
In my opinion, they became the mainstay of the leisure battery business and are sold under the names “Numax” and “Lucas.” These batteries were a sort of “hybrid” between a starter battery and a storage battery. They were and continue to be very popular batteries that work well for many of our customers. I can’t help but recall that caravanning was a great way for the vast majority of people to travel around with their families on vacation on a budget.
This is why it became so popular and turned into the billion-pound business of today. As cars got bigger and had more electrical parts, batteries got better. The travel revolution was happening in the USA as well as the UK and Europe. People were enjoying more freedom, and caravan parks were opening up all over the world. Of course, motorhomes, or RVs, as they are known in the States, became more popular. Some are as big as a single-decker bus.
As a result other types of battery technology came along.
Deep-cycle and Semi Traction Batteries. Provide cold-cranking amps in the same way that a starter battery does. Consequently, these are specifically intended to have a high storage capacity that is used more slowly. A perfect example of this is the very common use of Trojan and U.S. batteries in golf buggies.
The batteries spend the night being charged and the day transporting a golfer around a golf course. Of course, without the “benefit” or noise of an internal combustion engine, this kind of deep discharge would kill a conventional starter battery in no time at all. It’s good to remember that a deep-cycle battery will start an engine and survive. Subsequently, a car starter battery used for domestic purposes will meet a very premature death. Indeed, this is what happens when people use a car battery for this purpose.
For this reason, “starter batteries” are still sold as leisure batteries. Here in the UK, there is a certain type of person who only wants the cheapest battery. Consequently, if it is a car battery with a leisure sticker on the front, then that will do. as long as the price is right. One guy explained that he did not want to buy an expensive battery because it did not last very long. Unfortunately, some people have this mindset, and it is difficult to change it.
For some reason, they seem to make the correct choices when it comes to buying leisure batteries.
Although I own the company, we are still in the early stages of development. This often means that I have to do some weekend delivery. mostly to mariners in the United Kingdom. The XV31MF 110-AH leisure batteries are the bare minimum that boat owners purchase.
However, they will order Trojan batteries or U.S. batteries. This is great because we know that they are using the correct batteries for the job. Although they are paying more at the outset, they also know that they will get many hours and years of excellent service from these Kings of Batteries. In fact, many canal boats are fitted with two banks of batteries. Of course, one is used as a starter bank, and the other is used as the leisure bank to run all the boat’s internal electrics.
The two banks are usually controlled by a control panel.
This enables the two to be kept separate. So when the boat is moored up for a stopover, the starter batteries are kept apart from the leisure bank. Of course, this keeps the banks apart. so that the starter batteries don’t run down when the leisure batteries are being used a lot.
The starter batteries will still be in good shape to start the engines, and the leisure bank will then recharge when the boat departs for its next destination.
Just to reiterate… There are hundreds of brands, shapes, and sizes of leisure batteries. You “make your choice and pay your money” if you are a small-time weekender sort of leisure user, then go for the best deal in the cheaper battery range. They are all pretty much the same. The larger, up to 110 A, the better. On the other hand, if you are a serious leisure battery user, look at the Trojan and U.S. battery ranges. These are the real tough guys in the battery world.
6 reasons to buy the best-quality battery
- Improved performance: A high-quality battery will typically have a higher capacity and be able to deliver more power, which can improve the performance of your device.
- Longer lifespan: A high-quality battery is more likely to last longer than a lower-quality battery, which means you’ll have to replace it less frequently.
- Better value: Although high-quality batteries may have a higher upfront cost, they may save you money in the long run because you won’t have to replace them as often.
- Increased safety: High-quality batteries are more likely to be made with the highest safety standards in mind, which can reduce the risk of accidents or malfunctions.
- Enhanced reliability: A high-quality battery is less likely to fail or experience performance issues, which can be especially important in critical applications such as medical devices or safety equipment.
- Environmental benefits: High-quality batteries are often more efficient and have a lower impact on the environment. They may also be easier to recycle, which can help reduce waste and protect the environment.
Like most things in life, you pay for what you get. Truth About Leisure Batteries
Another “truth about leisure batteries” is that AGM batteries of all types are reasonably priced. These batteries have a deep cycle and are also a great choice after the semi-traction batteries. Deep-cycle batteries are sealed and maintenance-free. More importantly, the AGM battery is a deep-cycle battery.
Although I try to keep these leisure battery articles as simple as possible, it is a minefield out there. If you are happy with the batteries that you have, then stick with them. Don’t complicate things unless you have good advice from another user whose word you can trust. motorhome leisure batteries, charge a leisure battery, lithium leisure battery, is a leisure battery.
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