WAS: the discussion on "BATTERIES FOR CAUNCKS"

Frank  Condelli .."...was not impressed."
and
Lorne Busch has.."... been hesitant to go with sealed or AGM."

With heavyweights like those two, one begins to doubt Optimas claims...
As do most other Optima owners.

I too got burnt when a pretty YellowTop Optima 
turned ugly simply through a lack of information.
        If you know it's limitations, and having 
done the math, you can decide whether it's worth 
the extra money.

Battery life is directly related to how deep the 
battery is cycled each time. If a battery is 
discharged to 50% of capacity every day, it will 
last about twice as long as if it is cycled to 
80% DOD. If cycled only 10% DOD, it will last 
about 5 times as long as one cycled to 50%
        Most warranties and claims are usually 
based on "Depth of Discharge" (D.O.D.) to levels 
of only12.5 volts for wet-cell batteries and 
only 12.0 volts for deep discharge batteries. In 
many cases those levels can be reached in as 
little as an hour, depending on load .

BATTERY VOLTS VERSUS CHARGE LEVEL.:

        100%    = 12.7   Volts
        90%     = 12.5   Volts
        75%     = 12.4   Volts
        50%     = 12.2   Volts
        25%     = 11.9   Volts
        10%     = 11.3   Volts
        0%      = 10.5   Volts

The above chart is pretty close; different 
companies give slightly different rates.

Battery mfrs. avoid data such as  "DISCHARGE and 
CHARGE RATES, DEPTH OF DISCHARGE". They know that 
if we believed batteries required far more care 
than their "MAINTENANCE FREE" promotion 
suggested. We would just buy the cheapest battery 
possible from Costco or Walmart and be money in 
over the long haul.
DUH! And that's what we are doing,

Below are a few links for study. If you are going 
to spend all that money, time and effort in 
buying the right battery for your RV then you 
SHOULD spend some time learning about them.
Don't complain if you are offered the information and fail to read it.
        Why I didn't see this information 
beforehand ticks me off; I guess I only have 
myself to blame. Who was it that said..."If you 
think education is expensive, you should consider 
the cost of ignorance"

GENERAL BATTERY INFORMATION:

http://www.phrannie.org/battery.html

http://www.wheelchairjunkie.com/batteryrules.html

http://www.vonwentzel.net/Battery/00.Glossary/

http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

SPECIFIC BATTERY INFORMATION:
        Is NOT readily available... unless you go 
digging for it or read the very fine print.

e.g.Optima: YELLOWTOP
Float Charge 13,2 to 13,8 volts,1 amp maximum current.
Battery Charger.10 amps maximum,8-10 hours approximate.
Deep Cycle refers to applications that typically 
discharge 60 -70% or more of the battery capacity.

PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION:
        Credibility gap here.

http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/1266741.html

"The OPTIMA� is like no other battery found in 
today's market. OPTIMA's unique Spiralcell design 
offers the greatest technology in providing a 
strong and clean power source that far surpasses 
any of today's filled lead/acid batteries. With 
OPTIMA under your hood, you can count on a longer 
lasting battery life under starting and deep 
cycle applications".

Conclusion:
        If you buy an AGM battery, you should 
also buy a proper 3 stage electronic battery 
charger and learn to live within it's limitations 
or else buy a "Low Voltage Cutoff" switch.

One last thing...it's a personal bitching point 
of mine.  I can't begin to count the number of 
times I have seen brand new cars in the showroom 
or car lot, being hooked up to a battery charger. 
Whether they left the dome light or parking 
lights on... the battery is DEAD,  (not pining 
for the fiords.) Sorry Monty Python.
        I would never accept a new car with it's 
installed battery, ask for a new one off the 
shelf and witness IN PERSON, the replacement .
The lifespan of the original battery can never be assured to be as advertised.

                David Etter. (Optima yellow Top Victim)