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Battery Recomendations
Currently have a Optima Red Top which I have been running since 2000 and is still working great but am going to replace anyway.
Would like to know what type of batteries you might recommend. For the Optima would be the best for Marine use Red, Yellow or Blue Top ? Thinking about getting this one. http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/st...-1?N=581132546 Thanks |
Hi Mariah212Z, I'm glad to hear your RedTop is performing so well for you. I would encourage you to have it load-tested, as that will give you a good idea of the battery's health and whether you should replace it or not. The battery you are looking at is the marine equivalent of our YellowTop automotive battery, as noted by it's light-gray case. These batteries are designed for both starting and deep-cycle applications, whereas the RedTops are not designed or warrantied for deep-cycle applications. I don't know what size RedTop you currently have, but a Group 34 RedTop will typically offer slightly more cranking amps than a Group D34M BlueTop, at the expense of some reserve capacity and the ability to be deep-cycled. Whatever battery you choose should have cranking amps that meet or exceed the needs of your engine, but you don't need to pay extra for a battery with more cranking amps, as long as the engine's requirements are met.
Based on the age of your battery, it sounds like your boat doesn't have any parasitic draws in the electrical system and you do a good job of maintaining your battery when not in use. Fully-charged, RedTops will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts and BlueTops with light gray cases will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts. If you have any questions about our batteries, please don't hesitate to ask. Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries |
Wouldnt waste money on optimas. Got Engergizers at Sam club for 68 bucks. Running strong after two years.
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Optima Jim,
I have four blue top 34m's. Two were brand new last summer, and one this year. One is old that survived from my last boat, but still works fine after 7 years. I have kept them on chargers periodically, but have not finished my project yet. Anyway, the battery that was set up as primary for my stbd motor has OK voltages, but has real trouble cranking my engine. I have a crossover relay to tie it together with the port battery, and even then, I had trouble starting. It was new motor, and I thought that was just how it was going to be. Then I got thinking, and wondering why I couldn't hold voltage and maintain fuel pressure under cranking, and switched out the battery for another, and that one will crank the engine like crazy, even without help from the other side. So, it appears that I have a bum battery with zero run hours on it. If I try to charge it separately, the voltage spikes up quickly to like 15+ volts. Can I recondition this by continuing to charge it, or is it just done with some internal resistance problem? Is there any way Optima will trade it for another? Thanks |
Originally Posted by soldier4402
(Post 3560007)
Wouldnt waste money on optimas. Got Engergizers at Sam club for 68 bucks. Running strong after two years.
I would go else where there are better batteries out there. Check out the sears diehard platinum marine batteries. They are made by Odyssey and about $100 or so less cheaper per battery. |
Originally Posted by drivrswntd
(Post 3560577)
Agree 100%. I've got 3 Optima Red tops. 2 are completly dead one the post dont even show a charge, I contacted Optima about it and they confirmed that all my batteries were less than 2 years old and they do carry a 3 year warranty. They told me since I cant find the receipt though that they wont do anything and I can go pound sand even though the batteries are still within warranty period.
I would go else where there are better batteries out there. Check out the sears diehard platinum marine batteries. They are made by Odyssey and about $100 or so less cheaper per battery. |
tcelano, any batteries run in series or parallel applications need to be identical in age, size and type. Mixing and matching batteries will lead to shortened lifespans and decreased performance. Which of the four BlueTops was set up on your starboard engine and what is the voltage of the battery with the engine off? What amperage rate are you using to charge the batteries?
drivrswntd, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you had with your batteries. Unfortunately, some dishonest people attempt to manipulate the warranty process, which forces us to put in some basic safeguards to prevent against fraud. Even if you don't have your original receipt, other forms of proof of purchase, like a cancelled check or credit card statement for the approximate amount can also be used. Some retailers may also have a record of your purchase in their system. Where did you purchase the batteries and what kind of problems are you experiencing with them? Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries |
DIEHARD AGM PLATINUM BATT.27 or 29 series.
Jim |
Originally Posted by OptimaJim
(Post 3560770)
tcelano, any batteries run in series or parallel applications need to be identical in age, size and type. Mixing and matching batteries will lead to shortened lifespans and decreased performance. Which of the four BlueTops was set up on your starboard engine and what is the voltage of the battery with the engine off? What amperage rate are you using to charge the batteries?
drivrswntd, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you had with your batteries. Unfortunately, some dishonest people attempt to manipulate the warranty process, which forces us to put in some basic safeguards to prevent against fraud. Even if you don't have your original receipt, other forms of proof of purchase, like a cancelled check or credit card statement for the approximate amount can also be used. Some retailers may also have a record of your purchase in their system. Where did you purchase the batteries and what kind of problems are you experiencing with them? Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries Thanks for being on the website to give good info! Most folks ignore the 4402 guy.....it's odd how everything he has, has ever seen (or is his neighbor's) is the best there is in the world. LOL :drink::drink::drink: |
iv got 4 kinetik 2000's in my boat, 5 year warranty 8 -10 hours of play time with 6 sets of speakers 4 amps and 6 woofers. I love my kinetic's but maybe im just biased bc i sell them :party-smiley-004:
btw iv broken 2 yellow tops off-roading from the spiral cores breaking never done that with my kinetics. |
phantom mind your business. Just stated optimas are a waste of money and offered three differnt subsitutes. Get a life.
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I've ran Optima's for about 12 years now. Never had a problem. They are the best I've tried. All of my boats have had 3 plus batteries. If something did go wrong I have my receipts and know the interstate batteries store here would honor the replacement. I also don't expect that batteries will last long in the marine world. I would say three years is a stretch. The Eddie Marine battery boxes look awesome with them too.
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Ran two blue top 34M Optimas in my old CL. After 6 yrs of use, and sitting in storage for 2yrs they cranked my 496 right up without a charge. They went with the boat when I sold it and they are still cranking right along. Loved them!
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I was running blue tops and they worked about as good as any other battery, however there customer service is horrible and I would never buy one again.
The Interstate battery store in Dallas Texas sold me four new blue top batteries that were stamped a year old when I bought them. Long story short, I was in Oklahoma for a poker run and had trouble with one of the batteries. I pulled the batteries and had them tested at the Interstate in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My receipt for the batteries were only a couple months old when I had one go bad, the "date code" that was burned into the battery was out dated and over a year old. (although I bought the batteries new three months before) I could not get Optima or Interstate Batteries to do anything for me. The $10 idiot at the counter didnt care a lick and the Optima customer service was even worse. I ended up at walmart buying a couple of cheap batteries to get me through the poker run. I think the Optima batteries are good but way over priced. ($200 each x 4 batteries = $800 plus some tax) And still missed half of the poker run. So...if you buy new batteries make sure the "code" that is burned into the casing is current and you are not buying a battery that has been sitting on the shelf for ages. Sorry for the rant but the hole Optima deal was a rip-off and border line scam. |
Found this today to show who makes a lot of batteries and there are really only three major manufactures. People who make optima make duralast even. Found it interesting
Delphi: --AC-Delco --some EverStart (WalMart) Excide: --Champion --Excide --Napa --some EverStart (WalMart) Johnson Controls: --DieHard (Sears) --Duralast (AutoZone) --Interstate --Kirkland (CostCo) --Motorcraft (Ford) --some EverStart (Walmart) --Optima --EverStart --Duralast --Energizer --Alliance --Autocraft --Acura --DieHard --Mitsubishi --TrueStart --Mazda --Kirkland Signature --Honda |
interesting....
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East Penn makes Vita-Plate and Deca which I have had excellent luck with...
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I've been staying out of this, but......
Cheap batteries work just fine if they are maintained properly. By that, I mean that they need to be kept from going below 11 volts, they need to be recharged to the correct float voltage ACCORDING TO THE CELL TEMPERATURE, and they need to be protected from vibration. They also need to be kept out of freezing weather. If you do that, then cheap batteries will last forever. If you use a cheap charger, don't bother calibrating your voltage regulators, and don't pay any attention to the lower float voltage needs of hot battery cells, vibrate the heck out of them, let them go dead as a rock, or leave them out in freezing weather, then the most expensive batteries made will die. I have a diesel powered cruiser. It came with a nice beefy Pro Mariner ferroresonant 3-bank charger. Had to add almost a gallon of water a month to the 6 batteries. Summer, winter, didn't matter. Batteries lasted 2 years, they were brand name marine batteries. Replaced batteries with Die Hard Marines. Batteries lasted 2 years. Replaced the batteries with Autozone gold (regular old normal car batteries). Spent $700 on a Newmar electronic charger with separate temp probes for each bank of batts. This was in 2000. This is 2011. Same batteries. Have added maybe a pint of water to each battery in that entire 11 years. Batteries still going strong with no signs of weakness. Engine compartment of the boat stays above 50 degrees in the winter. Charger stays connected and turned on 24/7/365. It's all in how they are treated... Now, if you are confident that you will regularly run your batteries down to the point that the stereo cuts out, then just plan on buying batteries often. I would advise using a low voltage cutout breaker. When the batt voltage drops below a preset, the breaker opens the circuit. You can then manually close the breaker if needed for restarting, etc (although you should keep a starting battery on a separate circuit if it's your plan to run the house batts down). MC |
Originally Posted by pqjack
(Post 3561752)
interesting....
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Originally Posted by soldier4402
(Post 3561427)
phantom mind your business. Just stated optimas are a waste of money and offered three differnt subsitutes. Get a life.
|
Originally Posted by mcollinstn
(Post 3561801)
I've been staying out of this, but......
Cheap batteries work just fine if they are maintained properly. By that, I mean that they need to be kept from going below 11 volts, they need to be recharged to the correct float voltage ACCORDING TO THE CELL TEMPERATURE, and they need to be protected from vibration. They also need to be kept out of freezing weather. If you do that, then cheap batteries will last forever. If you use a cheap charger, don't bother calibrating your voltage regulators, and don't pay any attention to the lower float voltage needs of hot battery cells, vibrate the heck out of them, let them go dead as a rock, or leave them out in freezing weather, then the most expensive batteries made will die. I have a diesel powered cruiser. It came with a nice beefy Pro Mariner ferroresonant 3-bank charger. Had to add almost a gallon of water a month to the 6 batteries. Summer, winter, didn't matter. Batteries lasted 2 years, they were brand name marine batteries. Replaced batteries with Die Hard Marines. Batteries lasted 2 years. Replaced the batteries with Autozone gold (regular old normal car batteries). Spent $700 on a Newmar electronic charger with separate temp probes for each bank of batts. This was in 2000. This is 2011. Same batteries. Have added maybe a pint of water to each battery in that entire 11 years. Batteries still going strong with no signs of weakness. Engine compartment of the boat stays above 50 degrees in the winter. Charger stays connected and turned on 24/7/365. It's all in how they are treated... Now, if you are confident that you will regularly run your batteries down to the point that the stereo cuts out, then just plan on buying batteries often. I would advise using a low voltage cutout breaker. When the batt voltage drops below a preset, the breaker opens the circuit. You can then manually close the breaker if needed for restarting, etc (although you should keep a starting battery on a separate circuit if it's your plan to run the house batts down). MC |
baja brian, I'm sorry to hear about the bad experience you had and I will certainly forward your story to our customer service folks. I don't know how long ago you bought your BlueTops, but if you still have them and they are still in their warranty period, please send me a PM. Soldier4402, the information you posted regarding battery manufacturers is inaccurate, dated and subject to change from month to month. All Optima batteries are manufactured in our own facility to our own specifications and we never re-brand or re-spec any of our batteries for any of our retail partners.
MC, you give very good advice about properly maintaining batteries and using a quality charger to keep them maintained. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left to sit in that state, suflation begins to diminish both capacity and lifespan. Fully-charged, our BlueTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts, except for the 34M BlueTop, which will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts. Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries |
Jim,
Got a chance to get some actual numbers from the bum battery discussed earlier. If I take it off the charger, the open circuit voltage drops to about 11.6 within a minute or so. If I charge at 2 amps, it comes up to almost 14v, and at 10 amps it will head up to over 15v. Battery was purchased through 1st-optimabatteries.com in 2010. I can probably dig up an e-mail receipt. The other battery that I bought at the same time works like a champ. Your other question, this battery (stbd side) was actually kept separate from the rest of the system and charged separately. The only times it was paralled was to start the engine. As soon as I figured out what was going on, I took it out of the system. The port side starting battery is connected to the house batteries via a bluesea charging relay that shuts only above 13.2 v Thanks for your help |
Absolutely correct - I had cheap autozone batteries in my last boat for 12 years, still going strong when I sold it. Treat them right (including a good flaot maintenance voltage), and they will last quite a while.
Originally Posted by mcollinstn
(Post 3561801)
I've been staying out of this, but......
Cheap batteries work just fine if they are maintained properly. By that, I mean that they need to be kept from going below 11 volts, they need to be recharged to the correct float voltage ACCORDING TO THE CELL TEMPERATURE, and they need to be protected from vibration. They also need to be kept out of freezing weather. If you do that, then cheap batteries will last forever. If you use a cheap charger, don't bother calibrating your voltage regulators, and don't pay any attention to the lower float voltage needs of hot battery cells, vibrate the heck out of them, let them go dead as a rock, or leave them out in freezing weather, then the most expensive batteries made will die. I have a diesel powered cruiser. It came with a nice beefy Pro Mariner ferroresonant 3-bank charger. Had to add almost a gallon of water a month to the 6 batteries. Summer, winter, didn't matter. Batteries lasted 2 years, they were brand name marine batteries. Replaced batteries with Die Hard Marines. Batteries lasted 2 years. Replaced the batteries with Autozone gold (regular old normal car batteries). Spent $700 on a Newmar electronic charger with separate temp probes for each bank of batts. This was in 2000. This is 2011. Same batteries. Have added maybe a pint of water to each battery in that entire 11 years. Batteries still going strong with no signs of weakness. Engine compartment of the boat stays above 50 degrees in the winter. Charger stays connected and turned on 24/7/365. It's all in how they are treated... Now, if you are confident that you will regularly run your batteries down to the point that the stereo cuts out, then just plan on buying batteries often. I would advise using a low voltage cutout breaker. When the batt voltage drops below a preset, the breaker opens the circuit. You can then manually close the breaker if needed for restarting, etc (although you should keep a starting battery on a separate circuit if it's your plan to run the house batts down). MC |
Originally Posted by OptimaJim
(Post 3562121)
baja brian, I'm sorry to hear about the bad experience you had and I will certainly forward your story to our customer service folks. I don't know how long ago you bought your BlueTops, but if you still have them and they are still in their warranty period, please send me a PM. Soldier4402, the information you posted regarding battery manufacturers is inaccurate, dated and subject to change from month to month. All Optima batteries are manufactured in our own facility to our own specifications and we never re-brand or re-spec any of our batteries for any of our retail partners.
MC, you give very good advice about properly maintaining batteries and using a quality charger to keep them maintained. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left to sit in that state, suflation begins to diminish both capacity and lifespan. Fully-charged, our BlueTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts, except for the 34M BlueTop, which will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts. Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries |
Originally Posted by soldier4402
(Post 3561730)
Found this today to show who makes a lot of batteries and there are really only three major manufactures. People who make optima make duralast even. Found it interesting
Delphi: --AC-Delco --some EverStart (WalMart) Excide: --Champion --Excide --Napa --some EverStart (WalMart) Johnson Controls: --DieHard (Sears) --Duralast (AutoZone) --Interstate --Kirkland (CostCo) --Motorcraft (Ford) --some EverStart (Walmart) --Optima --EverStart --Duralast --Energizer --Alliance --Autocraft --Acura --DieHard --Mitsubishi --TrueStart --Mazda --Kirkland Signature --Honda Avalanche Aveo Camaro Cobalt Colorado Corvette Cruze Eqiunox Express Van HHR Impala Malibu Silverado Sonic Suburban Tahoe Traverse Volt Just because Chevrolet makes them does not make them all the same quality. They are designed for certain markets and price points. |
tcelano, if you can charge your battery to almost 14 volts, but it drops down to 11.6 volts almost immediately after removing it from your charger, there is likely an issue with the battery. If you purchased it in 2010, it should still be covered under warranty and your original retailer can handle your warranty claim for you.
Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries |
Originally Posted by Griff
(Post 3562547)
........and Chevrolet makes
Avalanche Aveo Camaro Cobalt Colorado Corvette Cruze Eqiunox Express Van HHR Impala Malibu Silverado Sonic Suburban Tahoe Traverse Volt Just because Chevrolet makes them does not make them all the same quality. They are designed for certain markets and price points. |
CARQUEST AGM http://www.carquest.com/batteries/pdf/CQ_NGT.pdf made by East Penn (in the USA not Mexico like Optima)...IMO one of the best around.
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