Battery question

[TRUE BLUE]

I have two optimax spiral wound batteries and was wondering how I can determine their condition. They're about three years old and are completely sealed. I don't want to find out the hard way

 

[Bryan 2530]

They should be fine, what do they say for voltage?

You could load test them.

 

[BAILOUT]

You should have them tested! I have a 2008 i bought new in january 2009 and just had it serviced, come to find out one of the batteries were dead.

 

[Brent]

m2cw
Check the voltage and keep fully charged and add water if needed.
Invest in a hydrometer and battery tester. Harbor Freight has inexpensive units
When charging avoid overcharging and ove rheating

I have a portable battery booster kept in car and transferred to the boat.
or buy a garden tractor battery with a high amp rating as a backup or for peace of mind, buy a new boat battery when you feel the need b/c flooded marine deep cycle/starter combo batteries are inexpensive at Walmart and your operating conditions may be different from others.

You have many options

On flip side:

David Pascoe
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boat_battery_basics.htm

Gel Cells

The primary difference between gel cells and flooded acid batteries is that the electrolyte in gel cells has been gelled by the addition of silica gel, turning the liquid into a thickened mush the same way napalm is gelled gasoline. Once hailed as the messiah of marine batteries, gel cells have since revealed their weakness to being damaged by heat and overcharging as these batteries cannot be fast charged by ordinary fast chargers and require much slower charging rates. Gel batteries sustain a far lower number of charging cycles than wet cell batteries, 2,000 versus 500 cycles for gel cells. This makes them less than ideal for marine applications. Additionally, they do not hold up well in hot engine rooms. The added cost has not proved worth the meager benefit of not spilling acid. Despite the common misperception, the gel cell electrolyte does evaporate over time.

AGM Batteries

AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat which contains the electrolyte absorbed in a mesh of Boron-Silicate glass fibers. Thus there is no fluid electrolyte to leak or spill nor will they suffer from freeze damage. There are two big advantages of this type. First, it can be charged with conventional chargers without fear of damage from modest overcharging. Second, water loss is reportedly reduced by 99% because hydrogen and oxygen are recombined within the battery. Further, this type has a modestly lower self discharge rate of 1-3% versus up to 15% with standard lead-acid batteries. The AGM is a true no maintenance battery. It otherwise has similar characteristics as the standard lead-acid battery. They have yet to see much use in boats, probably due to the higher cost. Widely used in battery back up power systems and solar systems.

The down side is the cost of around 2-3 times comparable standard batteries. Thus their greatest benefit is for installations where it is hard or impossible to ventilate charging fumes such as the interiors of sail boats.

 

[Bryan 2530]

You should have them tested! I have a 2008 i bought new in january 2009 and just had it serviced, come to find out one of the batteries were dead.

Were they AGM? Optimas should go longer than a standard battery.

 

[TRUE BLUE]

These are Optimax 12v batteries. Completely sealed, so no hrygrometer test. They are considered spiral wound? which is a little different than AGM, but along the same idea, I guess. The only reasonable answer I got so far is take them out and have them load tested.

 

[Bryan 2530]

I have one of these, cheap and you can test them right in the boat.

I have Optimas, yours should be fine if they are not giving you problems and/or they take a charge.

 

[Megabyte]

I have two optimax spiral wound batteries and was wondering how I can determine their condition. They're about three years old and are completely sealed. I don't want to find out the hard way

I have a pair of Optima blue-tops in my boat that have been in there since 2003.
They show no sign of giving up on me, though I did install a Guest charger back in 2008 to keep them healthy.
My batteries never come out of the boat, even in winter.

Search the 'Projects' area for the particulars on the charger install.

 

[Megabyte]

These are Optimax 12v batteries. Completely sealed, so no hrygrometer test. They are considered spiral wound? which is a little different than AGM, but along the same idea, I guess. The only reasonable answer I got so far is take them out and have them load tested.

The batteries are Optima's, not Optimax (that is a Mercury outboard).
Those batteries are indeed AGM batteries (as opposed to gel or flooded cell).
You can expect to get years of service out of them with a little care.

 

[Bryan 2530]

The batteries are Optima's, not Optimax (that is a Mercury outboard).
Those batteries are indeed AGM batteries (as opposed to gel or flooded cell).
You can expect to get years of service out of them with a little care.

I didn't want to say anything.

Mega - Do you leave the boat plugged in over the winter?

I don't but I put the charger on it once a month or so.

 

[Megabyte]

Mega - Do you leave the boat plugged in over the winter?

Nope, she is unplugged and in hibernation all winter.

I make sure the batteries have a full charge before I put her away, but she doesn't get plugged in until the spring for her top-off.

AGM's loose very little charge over time.
Flooded cell batteries would be close to dead by spring, but not these.

 

[CCparker]

Flooded cell batteries would be close to dead by spring, but not these.

I kind of have to disagree with you on that. My flooded cell batteries are fine in the spring. 10 years of batteries (not all the same ones obviously), but really never any problems in the spring. (Im in New jersey, so yes, it does get cold up here.) Sure AGMs are great and they will be my next purchase probably, although I am not convinced its totally worth the money.

 

[JamesTX]

While we are taking Optima batteries another benefit is you can use a deep-cycle version for your starting battery. With standard wet cells this is normally a no no and will eventually damage them.

FWIW I put a single red top in my chevy diesel, replacing two heavy-duty starting batteries. At first it was just an experiment to see how she would do in the winter. I knew I could just buy a second one if I needed it. Well north Texas isn't exactly super cold but two years later, with some single digit mornings and she cranks just fine on only one. I like em!

 

[Devilfish]

I have 2 optima blue tops and I haven't had any problems with one, but the other extremely weak- and only 1 year old. There's a lot of info out there about these. Interesting fact- though it's a 12v, rested charge should be 13.1v registered on a voltmeter. 12.8v is weak and much less than that needs some serious recharging. These batteries also require high-amp charging for recovery, so a wimpy charger that only delivers 2 amps or so won't cut it.

As I said, one of my batteries is in good shape and it hold 13+v without any trouble. The other settles around 12.8v a day after coming off the charger, then self-discharges .05v or so a day. Definitely not a battery I trust.

None of these measurements are under load, btw, my batteries come out of the boat for winter maintenance charging.

 

[Megabyte]

I just replaced a red-top Optima that was in my Jeep.
It was 11 years old.

The blue-tops that are in the boat were installed in the winter of 2003.
They have never come out of the boat during winter lay-up, and only got to be charged (other than off the motor) in 2008 when I installed the Guest charger.

I've had great luck with Optimas, but when these blue-tops do get replaced... I'm putting in a big a$$ pair of Lifelines.
I figure those batteries will outlast me and the boat.

 

[Brent]

Mega - Do you leave the boat plugged in over the winter?

Nope, she is unplugged and in hibernation all winter.

I make sure the batteries have a full charge before I put her away, but she doesn't get plugged in until the spring for her top-off.

AGM's loose very little charge over time.
Flooded cell batteries would be close to dead by spring, but not these.

Megabyte
DoO you disconnect the battery terminals during winter storage?

 

[Megabyte]

DoO you disconnect the battery terminals during winter storage?

Nope. I clean the terminals every spring, but I don't disconnect anything during the winter layup.

 

[Brent]

that is great

 

[Porkchunker]

DoO you disconnect the battery terminals during winter storage?

Nope. I clean the terminals every spring, but I don't disconnect anything during the winter layup.

I just fish all year round and clean the battery terminals twice a year.

Move all those little wires attached to the battery to a big lug on the transom...then use a 4 ga jumper from the transom lug to the battery terminal. By moving all those little wires to the transom, you keep them away from the noxious environment in the immediate vicinity of the battery, and they last forever. Before I moved them, I had to clean them several times a year, and then they ate themselves to pieces after about three years. After the move, I've saved a lot of headaches. I have a post in the projects forum (about three years ago), showing how I installed the big lugs on the transom and hooked up the large jumpers. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[Porkchunker]

Here it is: http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB2/vie ... ht=battery

Back then I rated it as one of my top three mods. After all these years, I'd rate it as #1.

Factory needs to make this a permanent part of the design!!!!

Dave

aka