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View Full Version : Question for battery guru's.



albersondh
12-10-2009, 10:41 AM
Simple question. What is the actual break point that seperates a deep cycle from a starting battery? I know deep cycles have much thicker plates and thats what allows them to go to 10.5 and come back multiple times. Starting batteries have thin plates that are conducive to fast, high current demand, over short duration, but not so good for coming back from the dead. Anyways, I see a lot of different specs on deep cycle batteries, but Im curious, when does it become a deep cycle? I have seen test data showing some high end deep cycles coming back from 10.5 to full charge only 20 times, while others will do it 70 times (real tests not manufacture BS).....

quadratokn
01-06-2010, 03:45 AM
good questions.

Ive wondered what the difference is between a yellow top and a red top.

slim616
01-06-2010, 10:01 AM
Simple question. What is the actual break point that seperates a deep cycle from a starting battery? I know deep cycles have much thicker plates and thats what allows them to go to 10.5 and come back multiple times. Starting batteries have thin plates that are conducive to fast, high current demand, over short duration, but not so good for coming back from the dead. Anyways, I see a lot of different specs on deep cycle batteries, but Im curious, when does it become a deep cycle? I have seen test data showing some high end deep cycles coming back from 10.5 to full charge only 20 times, while others will do it 70 times (real tests not manufacture BS).....

Damn I thought deep cycles were like rechargeable batteries, I didn't realize they go bad after so many times. I run my blue top dead, dead all the time on my dump trailer and noticed here lately that it wasn't taking as long to charge up and on average was getting a dump or so less. i just figured it was getting old from being used a lot.

paulkeith
01-06-2010, 11:07 AM
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=difference+between+deep+cycle+and+regular+batte ries

:flipoff2:

according to that first link:


The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are SOLID Lead plates - not sponge.

and, that's from the internet, so you know its right.

ATL ZJ
01-06-2010, 11:09 AM
From personal experience: completely drain a red top and it croaks. Drain a yellow top and it can be revived.

If a gel cell battery gets very drained, it needs to be charged in parallel with standard battery.

rstrucks
01-06-2010, 11:36 AM
If you are using an Optima or other AGM battery use a specialty chrager for it. A standard "Walmart" charger will kill a good battery. CTEK, and I'm sure others, have "smart" chargers with a setting for Optima's.

cLAYH
01-07-2010, 12:08 AM
I've got a Black and Decker battery charger/desulfater that has an AGM setting.

zj-monster
01-07-2010, 03:27 AM
Remember folks that "Optima Batteries are pure snake-oil"
:gayflag:









:best:

ATL ZJ
01-07-2010, 10:34 AM
Remember folks that "Optima Batteries are pure snake-oil"

Do you mean that sarcastically or seriously?

Optimas made after 2005 are nothing like the old ones were.

chadjans
01-08-2010, 02:52 AM
Don't bring a rig on one of my trail rides that does not have a sealed battery.

I like the Exide Orbitals even though I have a Yellow Top.

CrawlerReady
01-08-2010, 03:11 AM
I like the Exide Orbitals even though I have a Yellow Top.

Let's trade. That's what I run, and although the price is much nicer, I've still warrantied it 3 times. I'll be trading it in for a Yellow Top when the ZJ is driving again.

ATL ZJ
01-08-2010, 11:24 AM
Don't bring a rig on one of my trail rides that does not have a sealed battery.

x2... All of my normal wheeling group runs sealed batteries. Even the longtime holdouts have swapped over.


I like the Exide Orbitals even though I have a Yellow Top.

Yeah I've heard horror stories of them breaking apart internally due to vibration. These days I'm not sure if a battery even exists that will survive more than a couple years in our application.

KDUB
01-08-2010, 05:20 PM
Do you mean that sarcastically or seriously?

Optimas made after 2005 are nothing like the old ones were.

Cam, post 2005, are they better or worse than pre 2005? What are you basing your statement on? I'm curious because I own both a red top and a yellow top.

ATL ZJ
01-08-2010, 05:39 PM
Cam, post 2005, are they better or worse than pre 2005? What are you basing your statement on? I'm curious because I own both a red top and a yellow top.

This is based on personal experience (I think I'm on my 6th optima?) and the experiences of friends. '05 may not be the actual cutoff year between the "good" vs. "bad" batteries, but it was sometime around that time the ones on the shelves started to suck.

There's also the hearsay... Sometime around the 2004- 2005 I believe the company changed hands and shortly after, their quality declined. Supposedly the sale had something to do with Optima's technology being outdated due to limitations in their manufacturing process that made them inferior (on paper) to a certain competitor or competitors. You may want to research it a little if you are curious to get the specifics.

All I know is ever since my first red top, I have been through a pile of Optimas. Most of them have been warrantied, at least partially. I'm convinced I would still have my first red top if I hadn't zapped it by not paying attention when jumping it off and accidentally reversing the polarity. :o

KDUB
01-08-2010, 10:10 PM
OK, thanks. That ties right into my experience with optima. I have an old red top, and have recently exchanged two yellow tops due to dead cells.

zj-monster
01-10-2010, 05:08 PM
Do you mean that sarcastically or seriously?

Optimas made after 2005 are nothing like the old ones were.

It was bash on an older member who liked to bash on Optimas.

Jim311
01-11-2010, 11:36 AM
I had a red top for 7 years up until this last year. Unfortunately I'm skeptical to buy another now that they cost 150 bucks and I've heard they are of lesser quality than they used to be. I'm thinking that if we are going to be replacing a battery every 2-3 years, I might as well just buy a Walmart one and swap it out for free. I bought one at Walmart that I just warrantied out. I bought it on 7/08 and just swapped it yesterday for another.. they are obviously not great quality but whatever, there are Walmarts in virtually every town, so if it leaves me stranded it's never far from a new one.

ATL ZJ
01-11-2010, 11:41 AM
It was bash on an older member who liked to bash on Optimas.

ah yes, Henley. Haven't seen him post much recently. :smt037