[greengoddess]

hELLO, IVE read stuff re heating greenhouse with lorry batteries, does any1 no where i can buy 2nd hand 1 in london or kent?  thankks

[joyfull]

You could try a local scrap metal merchants, although if it has been weighed in there then the chances are that it would not be any good. To be sure of a good one you will need to buy new and a visit to a motor factors would be the best bet (cheaper than places like Half**ds).  Lorry batteries are on average 650 cold cranking amps but can go up to 1200 and a good one should cost in the region of £75 to £120 from a motor factors. Joyfullxx

[tode]

How are you planning on recharging them? If you have to transport them, thyre pretty b****y heavy!

[joyfull]

Agree tode they are very very heavy 

[digalotty]

you could try a leisure battery from a camping shop these are more acceptable to slow charging and release

[Bigbadfrankie]

I have 3 x 200amp hour batteries and i can bearly lift them(one at a time ). I would be carefull buying any second hand battery. Its a mine field of problems if they have not been kept fully charged.
How are you going to heat the green house if you are going to use an inverter one battery will not be enough

[greengoddess]

I WILL BE USING A SOLAR PANEL FOR CHARGING AND FOR LIGHT RATHER THAN ACTUAL HEAT. AS THE WETHER IS UNRELIABLE THE THE NEED IS FOR A BATTERY OF GREATER STORAGE CAPACITY WHICH A LORRY 1 WILL HAVE RATHER THAN VAN OR CAR. BEEN TO SCRAP YARD ANDTHE NOW SELL THEM BACK TO MANUFATURE. BUT SOME1 MUST SELL THEM 2ND HAND...LEISURE 1'S FROM HALFORD THAT R DEEP CELL R £75-£90 AND ONLY VAN BATTERIES WHICH HAVE LESS THAN THIRD STORAGE CAPACITY OF LORRY 1'S..

[joyfull]

Looks like your only option is to buy new I'm afraid, as we only scrap our lorry batteries when they are no good (otherwise we would keep them on our lorries). As I said before find a good motor factors that sells to the trade and don't go to places like Hal**ds. Go for as high a cold cranking amperage as you can.
Do you think you could not type in capitals as this is considered to be shouting and there really is no need to shout.

[tode]

Hi Greengodess, why are you thinking of heating using a lorry battery ?
Have you no mains power there?

[Rangerkris]

Hi Greengodess, why are you thinking of heating using a lorry battery ?
Have you no mains power there?

Would be interested in what you have read about this, sounds like an idea dont fancy your chances to much tho on getting a battery as its people lively hood in there lorry and only get rid of things if there no good.  Good luck in your search.

[Bigbadfrankie]

A solar panel of an use is another arm and leg.
A lot more than the batteries.
Get a small battery and charge it at home, and spend the money on LED lighting.
I got the batteries for a prodject to light the house. After doing all the sums (watts and amps and so on ) it became clear it was only viable after installing low wattage bulbs. The lighting circuit now uses so little energy its not worth changing. I have thought about putting the system on the water heater.

[siandc]

If you continually charge and completely discharge the batteries they will not last long!
Also, with the size of lorry batteries you may find it hard to charge them with the cheapo trickle charge solar things, I have one on my camper's leisure battery and it's more or less a waste of time! In full sun it will charge at a very low current at 14 volts but in less than full sun this drops to about 10 volts and does nothing!

[tode]

If you still want a big battery, your best bet is to go and see your nearest earth-moving company:  the batteries get shaken about more on the diggers, and have to be changed more often. Usually, only one gets damaged, but theyre always changed in pairs. So you may get one in reasonable condition.
Truck batteries, in general, last quite a long time.
But be prepared -- they must weigh 30 -40 kgs each 

[Faz]

There's some previous discussion about this on this thread :

Battery stuff

[emjay]

A lorry , van or car battery is designed to handle one specific task above all others - to deliver a massive current to spin up a great big engine. A camper leisure battery or other lightweight battery is much more suitable - even a laptop battery would be better if the price is right.