Battery talk

monstaru · Dec 28, 2013

I have gel cell battery that has been sitting around for a while now. It stays at a consistent 11ish volts sitting on the shelf.
I have charged it with a very proficient charger and gotten it up to proper voltage for use.
I could not tell you how fast it dropped down to 11v , as I forgot to check it on schedule.DOH!
I am not very knowledgeable about batteries. lol
What do you guys think about it's usability?
cheers

CHOP SHOP · Dec 28, 2013

Put it on CL and go buy a nice newer lead acid plate battery for $20 at the local wrecking yard.

Just google "optimas suck" that should bring up TONS of truth and TONS of gelcel nut swingers that can explain how to perform CPR on that crappy battery you have if you insist on keeping it.

If you manage to "revive" it, put in a DD, not a rig that sits around.

WHITE TRASH1 · Dec 28, 2013

Optima batteries are complete **** these days. I like the newer batteries out there that won't spill acid all over the fawking place if you flop or roll the silly thing. The lack of corrosion on the posts is a plus too.

If you connect a charger to the gel cell and run jumpers to a plate/acid battery is should make the gel cell come back to par.

Skid Mark · Dec 28, 2013

Threw the adventures of trying to squease every living drop of life out of a battery either bought new or used in a vehicle Ive purchesed. The best thing Ive found is what a few people said Jump it in paralell to a solid plate lead acid battery and then I hook up a slow solid state charger and let it sit for a day or two.

I have found optima gel sprial.. to be easly over charged shorting battery life if not used much then charged for a long time on a high volt/amp charge.

Ive brought batterys with no voltage back and used them for years By a 24v series high volt shock start and having a second battery used like a capactor for amperage with a charger on 12.6 volts I got the Idea from reading how to shock start power tool batterys.

Donkeylips · Dec 28, 2013

Bought an yellow top a few months ago. Still works great. Crash mentioned a while ago that Optima was out sourcing internal parts and that was the cause for the shitty stretch they had. Can't say I'm not nervous about it though.

pokey · Dec 29, 2013

Donkeylips said:
Bought an yellow top a few months ago. Still works great. Crash mentioned a while ago that Optima was out sourcing internal parts and that was the cause for the shitty stretch they had. Can't say I'm not nervous about it though.

same here. never really had any problems with them but I don't get the ones from shucks or Costco either. I get mine from a battery dealer.

Donkeylips · Dec 29, 2013

pokey said:
same here. never really had any problems with them but I don't get the ones from shucks or Costco either. I get mine from a battery dealer.

Got mine from Oak Harbor Auto Parts. I am boycotting Autozone and Sucks Auto Parts.

monstaru · Dec 29, 2013

I have had great luck with the Yellow top in my Dodge diesel. Have Had it in there for about 4 years. Use to use it in conjunction with my Camper battery system as well.

This post was WAY more about actual thought on the voltage drop. Instead it turned out to be about how this battery sucks.
None of the online bullshit convinces me that these batteries just pure suck. Trust me , I am rough on my stuff. And My Yellow top has been through hell.

So, once again, anyone have an opinion on the VOLTAGE drop of this battery.
I have had it on my Pulse charger ( set to gel cell) for about 2 days now. It is at a trickle right now.

I will see what the voltage maintains over the next couple days after I take it off the charger this afternoon. Then try the "in series" with a normal lead acid battery if I find the voltage dropping off again.

Provided one of these processes works, I will be getting a battery tender just for shits and giggles.
If not i'll go get another gold series Deka battery like I have in my car.
cheers

Skid Mark · Dec 29, 2013

monstaru said:
So, once again, anyone have an opinion on the VOLTAGE drop of this battery.
I have had it on my Pulse charger ( set to gel cell) for about 2 days now. It is at a trickle right now.

I will see what the voltage maintains over the next couple days after I take it off the charger this afternoon. Then try the "in series" with a normal lead acid battery if I find the voltage dropping off again.

My opinion of said voltage problem was to charge it cuz it be week my friend. Also being that it sounds a little like you dont understant the electric side of things extreamly well please check up on understanding series and paralell batterys will EXPLODE.

A battery should have 6 cells producing 2.1 volts ea. for a total of 12.6 volts if you have less then that you have a cell dieing or there all weak. If you crank your battery starting your vehicle and the voltage drops below 10 volts with a full charge your battery is garbage.

Hope that helps more:beer:

Donkeylips · Dec 29, 2013

If it's hitting 11V in a couple days with no draw then the battery is on it's way out. It's not likely to hold 12.6V for 6 months but it should be holding more than 11V for a couple days if it has no draw on it. Charging the battery in parallel is for batteries that appear to be dead and/or below 10.5V and is meant to bring the battery back up over 10.5V and charge normally from there. It sounds like the battery is not holding a charge which is different from a low charge.

monstaru · Dec 29, 2013

Fair enough.
I did see the 10.5 value. just did not read further.

The 11v have been consistent, For months.
I just went and checked it .Was 12.9 .
Looks like fawk it.
Ima run it.
cheers

ChopTop84 · Dec 30, 2013

Your standard, 12v lead acid car battery should have a resting voltage of 12.6 or higher to be considered fully charged and ready to go.

For every .2 volts below that, kiss about 25% of your charge goodbye. So 12.4 would be 75%, down to 11.8 being 0% charged.

Those are readings pulled from a "resting" battery. A resting battery is one that has been charged and then left to sit for 24 hours, or had a significant load put on them to suck off the surface charge. (high beams for 1 minute usually take care of the surface charge).

Stand alone load testers work also, as they basically put a heavy load on the battery and see how it recovers.

If your battery is 10.5 or less at rest, I would be concerned that you have a dead/shorted or sulfated cell, and your not likely to get any good life out of it.

Sealed batteries dont like big chargers! If you overheat them while charging, you will boil off your electrolyte. If your lucky, the battery will just vent acid all over the place. if your not lucky, it will blow up.

Had a guy at the boat yard put our big jump box on a gel cell optima type and walked away. There wasnt much left of it half an hour later. It vented and melted down.

Personally? I would donate yours to some kid with a dead power wheels, otherwise, scrap it.

Glenn · Dec 30, 2013

ChopTop84 said:
Your standard, 12v lead acid car battery should have a resting voltage of 12.6 or higher to be considered fully charged and ready to go.

For every .2 volts below that, kiss about 25% of your charge goodbye. So 12.4 would be 75%, down to 11.8 being 0% charged.

Those are readings pulled from a "resting" battery. A resting battery is one that has been charged and then left to sit for 24 hours, or had a significant load put on them to suck off the surface charge. (high beams for 1 minute usually take care of the surface charge).

Stand alone load testers work also, as they basically put a heavy load on the battery and see how it recovers.

If your battery is 10.5 or less at rest, I would be concerned that you have a dead/shorted or sulfated cell, and your not likely to get any good life out of it.

Sealed batteries dont like big chargers! If you overheat them while charging, you will boil off your electrolyte. If your lucky, the battery will just vent acid all over the place. if your not lucky, it will blow up.

Had a guy at the boat yard put our big jump box on a gel cell optima type and walked away. There wasnt much left of it half an hour later. It vented and melted down.

Personally? I would donate yours to some kid with a dead power wheels, otherwise, scrap it.

Doesn't the temperature the battery is at have something to do with voltage readings?

ChopTop84 · Dec 30, 2013

Glenn said:
Doesn't the temperature the battery is at have something to do with voltage readings?

Battery temp is more of a charge thing. A cold battery can take a bigger charge, and as it heats up, the charger rolls back and tries to maintain a balance between charge and temp.

This is especially true on large battery banks such as solar installations and marine battery banks. You want to hit the batteries with as much charge as they can take, as fast as they can take it, without overheating them.

Takes a special (and spendy) charger with a temp probe that attaches to the battery.

monstaru · Dec 31, 2013

EDIT to the top post.
drunk.

I will be picking up a new battery. Most likely something not so Expensive.. LOL
Thanks for the low down Chop Top and others.
Cheers

CHOP SHOP · Jan 1, 2014

So the conclusion was ANOTHER gelcel bit the dust?

Whoduthunkit? :eeek:

monstaru · Jan 1, 2014

You just gotta have the last word dontcha? Lol
You can't just believe everything you read on the inter webs.:fawkdancesmiley:

CHOP SHOP · Jan 1, 2014

monstaru said:
You just gotta have the last word dontcha? Lol
You can't just believe everything you read on the inter webs.:fawkdancesmiley:

I dont. I have tossed tons of optimas in the scrap. I tried over and over. After eating crow for $130 multiple times, never again.

I was even on a mission when younger to prove my pops wrong. He owns a hotrod shop. He HATED gelcel batteries. EVERY car that came had one and after getting a couple weeks worth of work done, NO START. So I put them in everything I drove. Ever try to find the battery in a custom rod that you dint build? Then after finding it, some may take a half hour or better to get to it. Hot rods arent exactly convenient to work on.

Pretty soon I sided with my pops. Old simple batteries with lead and acid sit forever and still WORK!!

They dont like to sit, it kills them. So in your wifes car they will last ten years.

But they continue to market them to people with specialty cars and boats that SIT.

If they so baddass, why do they need a tender plugged in making my power company money?

monstaru · Jan 1, 2014

Fair enough.My luck has been ok with the 1 that I have had.
I have been looking and the battery in the budget is a gold top Duralast.It is made by Deka batteries.

AndI was talking about ME believing everything on the interwebs. I like real life opinions of people I kknow exist. lol
Thanks for all the help again.
cheers

ChopTop84 · Jan 2, 2014

I know a lot of people that have had good luck with Costco batteries. Especially the diesel guys.

That said, I run optimas in my diesel, and got 5 years out of my first set of reds (and probably could have gotten more). Im on 2 years now with a set of yellows.

I dont run them for cool factor tho, I NEED their small size, as I run them both in one battery tray, so I have room on the other side for my compressor.