12v Battery Question

[chris_exeter]

Hi guys, yet another question!!

I need to get a 12v battery for charging at meetings. The shop down the road has a 40amp one for £24.99.. the higher the amp the higher the price and size of the battery. My preference is the cheapest and smallest... but is 40amp sufficient?

Thanks in advance!

[DCM]

if you are charging five packs fully on it and probably a soldering iron, I doubt it very much.

[chris_exeter]

Thanks, well I only have two batteries at the moment so would charge both overnight at home on mains for the practise runs and then would need to be charging them again for 4 heats and a final so i guess I need bigger

What would you recommend?

[DCM]

you need a leisure battery, 60A/hr, not a car battery, a leisure battery will handle your use far better than a car battery.

[bretts]

Chris

I get my 12v batteries for nothing from my local tip.

They might not be good enough to start a car or truck, but I've got 2 at the moment. A big chuffer which is very heavy from a DAF truck and a big black one for starting a diesel car which I take to race meetings.

Both can handle two chargers, soldering iron, cooling fan all day long.

When they start to go off i'll just take them to the tip and swap em'.


Hope this helps

Brett

P.S. You can get a 240v power supplies which deliver 10amp/12v for around £35-£40 now. I'd get one if I didn't get my car batteries for free!

P.P.S. If you do want to get one from a tip. Make sure it is in good condition, no leaks, full of acid, terminals not corroded etc.. also I always ask before I take one.

[JCJC]

common leisure battery, ours is 85 Amp Hour, get from a caravan/camping or boat outlet, our 85 is the same size as a standard car battery, lasts well and is heavy enough.

[Col]

I'm with Brett on this one - I use a battery from a diesel car/van and it's awesome. Will quite happily charge 6 packs and an iron all day, as well as a motor cooling fan device thingy. Only about £40 18 months ago , but like brett says: new cars get written off all the time and they've all got new batteries on them...

[Oscar]

Regular car batteries are designed to give a high amp short burst output (to start the car) then be charged back up again. Leisure batteries are designed to give a lower output over a much longer time, often draining the battery down before it gets recharged.
Whilst a car battery will happily do the job we ask, it simply wont last very long (which matters not if you get them for free from the local tip). That is why I'd recommend a designated leisure battery.

[chris_exeter]

Thanks alot guys, really great advice there.

Cheers

[andy05]

If you can get to a costco and know someone with a card you can get a 115a leasure battery for about £45. I can do full national weekends on mine

[Rob]

I found ringing local caravan dealers the cheapest place for leisure batteries. For those in the north west I found Barrons near Warrington the cheapest. Can't remember the price but I got a 85amp battery and it was very cheap.