Camping Interior Leisure batteries that fit

California Dreamin

Under seat VW T25 battery box dimensions: 310 wide x 175 deep (front to back) x 185 high.
Battery box with lid (to enable lid to close) These are absolute maximum dimensions, a shade less would be better - I have measured to the bottom of a swivel seat on a camper. Just be aware that VW battery box lids won't shut properly with the common 190mm battery height..You must buy a slightly lower profile 175mm battery. THIS POINT IS VERY IMPORTANT* (Common standard car battery height is 190mm but you will need one that is 175mm high often refered to as 'low prophile')

Original VW fitment was a Type 075 for petrol engined vehicles (battery under the O/S/F seat and around 60AH) and Type 096 for Diesel engines (battery in the engine bay, these are around the 70-74AH region) However, the more open battery tray area on Diesel engines allows for a much wider choice and it is the restricted size of the VW battery boxes under the front seats that limit choice for petrol van owners.

Therefore, if petrol van owners are looking for a little more..umph! a UK Type 100 is a sensible upgrade without breaking the bank, these are (usually low profile at 175mm high) at the same time have increased capacity (typically 68 - 74ah with 'cold cranking capacity' in the region of 630 - 700 CCA) whilst still retaining the correct terminal orientation. These have greater cranking capacity over the standard size and will easily power all engine derivatives..Diesel & petrol, with lots in reserve. This size leaves about 15mm space either size so is pretty close to filling the box entirely. Word of caution at this point* some manufactures use battery lables that put Type 096 & 100 together i.e. 096/100 .. Just be absolutely sure in these circumstances that you are buying a low profile battery that is 175mm tall*

As a footnote* If you want the ABSOLUTE highest capacity starter battery 'that fits' lid shut! then you can use a Type 110. These are rated around the 80ah with a CCA upwards of 700 'very powerful' and literally 'squeeze' into a VW battery box...squeeze in not an understatement! but several of us have fitted a Type 110 with success. I used an EXIDE brand Type 110 that measured W315 X H175 X D175 but I know others also fit..JUST! I actually measured mine at 310mm across the top but 315mm at the base where the retaining ridges stick out for the fasten down bracket. Note* the recommendations above are mainly starter battery specific. Starter batteries can give good service used as a leisure, as long as they are not too heavily discharged and are recharged straight away. However, a true deep cycle leisure battery has increased resilience and more likely to recover from a regular discharged state. However, this does not make them immune as they can and will be damaged by this kind of abuse, so heavily discharging leisure batteries of any type should be avoided if possible. Personally, I have had good service from starter batteries used as a leisure, however, I am quite particular about keeping them charged and have a 100watt Solar panel for this purpose. The choice of course is yours.

Note* As these batteries are effectively 'inside' the cab area you might occasionally catch a wiff of hydrogen gas when being charged (usually on hookup with a spit charge setup). To elliminate this you can vent the gas through the base of the battery box using a battery vent kit (basically some washer pipe and a small plastic elbow that fits in one end of the battery vent rail and routes down and out through a grommet in the tray base)

Here comes the disclaimer....ALWAYS CHECK AND MEASURE THE SPACE YOU HAVE AND COMPARE THIS TO THE ACTUAL ADVERTISED BATTERY SIZE although battery companies use universal sizes, they will vary slightly between brands.

Leisure batteries and suppliers

http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/skins/common/images/button_bold.png This guy deals in all sorts of batteries and is well aware of the T25 height restriction. I had my doubts whether it was a 'real' leisure battery as the one I got had no stickers or marking identifying it as such, however it has been in the van a few years and has been fine. The guy has sold quite a few to T25 owners and is well aware of the dimension restrictions.

The battery mans shop

Note this is the same as Alpha batteries listed below, this is the ebay outlet

These are slightly high but you may get away with it depending on your set up. It would be a good idea to cover the positive with a rubber boot protective cover to prevent a short and potential fire risk.

12V 90AH LOW HEIGHT LEISURE BATTERY. CARAVAN/MOTORHOME

317mm x 175mm x 190mm

Weight: 20kg

ALPHA BATTERIES do advertise a 100ah Leisure battery specifically for the VW T25 battery box (low profile 175mm tall). Just type into a 'Google search' 'T25 low profile leisure battery' and you will either be directed to an ebay link or their online store. NOTE* just be aware that although advertised as a 100ah it is actually rated at 90ah due to how they measure the discharge rate (on a 100 hour cycle and not 20 hours as with most) So bare in mind that its a 90AH... so still pretty damn good, cost was around £85 april 2015 on ebay, £90 on their site.

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Leisure battery to fit under the seat in a T25? Haven't got the whole post, but these looked like the best candidates:

available from Furneaux Riddall

VA/W096 - Solent
£32.24 63Ah 2year 280 175 175

065TE - Exide Ultra
£43.79 60Ah 4year 242 175 175

096TE - Exide Ultra
£57.84 70Ah 4year 280 175 175

097TE - Exide Ultra
£43.79 60Ah 4year 242 175 175

090VSE - Exide classic
£47.79 60Ah 3year 242 175 175

095SE - Exide classic
£46.64 63Ah 3year 278 175 175

096SE - Exide classic
£42.77 63Ah 3year 280 175 175

100VSE - Exide classic
£59.20 70Ah 3year 280 175 175

N.B. They are not strictly leisure batteries, but high capacity batteries that should hopefully be able to stand a bit of deep cycling. PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE VAT

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I have found several Numax 60Ah batteries that fit priced £38.60 plus vat (£45.59 delivered)

Numax from Tayna Electrical Supplies (6 batteries on page 6)

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Save on silly postage costs by using your local Manbat branch. They stock all the Numax batteries listed on Tayna and are most likely cheaper. (Although they recently told me on enquiry that they now only stock sealed maintenance free Numax- I'd much prefer open cells)

Find your local Manbat distributer

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Actual Leisure Batteries

Some Varta and Delphi batteries are the right size. Though they range from around £60 - £90

barden uk marine leisure batteries

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elecsol 100Amp hour look like it may fit seen on this Ebay shop [1] or [2]

An Elecsol 100 amp hour battery will fit in the box under your seat but a westy battery flap will not close and a seat without a swivel mech will foul the battery when slid back.

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Alpha batteries (12v ultra plus 80 Amp)

12V Ultra Plus 80Amp Cheap Leisure Battery Product Code: 12V25 (no longer applies as of 2012) phone them with the vehicle type they are well aeware of the space restriction. Hacksawbob Just on a side note I have been running a battery off these guys in my van as a leisure for about 8 years now without issues.

Offering both quality and value for money the Ultra Plus Leisure Battery is built for year round performance.
Maintenance free and with a three year warranty.
Great for Caravans, Motorhomes, Camping, Electric fences and back up power

Specifications:
12 V; 80AH; 600cca; Deep Cycle Technology

Dimensions:
285mm Long; 175mm Wide; 175mm Height

Price (as of May 2010) £59.99 (includes free next-day delivery & 3-year warranty from Rochdale supplier)

Note this is the same supplier as "the battery man" on ebay and mentioned above.

From ghost123uk = Protect your new leisure battery from deep discharge

To prevent permanent damage, the minimum voltage you should ever let your battery fall to is 11.5 Volts. It is all too easy to fall asleep leaving a bit of equipment on (TV, Laptop, Propex etc) and if this flattens the battery you have done it serious harm and it will never hold as good a charge again. Do it a couple of times and you're then looking at buying a new battery. You can buy a thing called an "LVD" (Low Voltage Disconnect) that automatically disconnects your leisure battery should the voltage fall too low. They can usually be bought from Ebay for not much money, like these in this link