bob91yj, what is the typical voltage of your BlueTop and what size are you using?
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Jim, I've extended an offer to you to validate the truth in what I have posted, including the credentials of our engineer. The fact that you have ignored that offer indicates to me your intent in posting in this thread is not to solve the issues with your vehicle, but to bash Optima and our products. If that is your choice, I am fine with that and I certainly won't ask anyone to lock this thread or make it go away. I've never done that in any conversation I've participated in, as I would prefer these exchanges remain open for people to view and reach their own conclusions.
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J.W., we manufacture all of our batteries in this facility. I am not involved in the corporate decisions JCI's Power Solutions Division makes, but if you would like to make an inquiry, you can send an e-mail to info@optimabatteries.com
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There are so many chargers on the market, it is quite possible that someone (or even multiple companies) have made AGM-specific chargers or chargers with an AGM specific mode. dwh is correct that there are chargers that offer “gel” specific settings, as well as chargers with AGM-specific settings and even “gel/AGM” settings, which should be avoided on non-gel batteries.
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The low voltage issue he referenced regarding Optima is not unique to our batteries at all. In fact, it is commonplace amongst AGM manufacturers. Some manufacturers have dealt with this issue by simply voiding the warranty on their batteries, if they are measured below a minimum voltage level, which is a legitimate concern for someone using batteries in a deep-cycle application. We didn't do that with our warranty and as a result, many of the “bad” batteries returned to us are just deeply-discharged. We did create the parallel charging video dwh referenced, in an effort to help folks recover their batteries and prevent unnecessary returns.
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Some newer chargers will recognize and charge a battery that has been deeply-discharged well below 10 volts, but many older chargers will not. The procedure explained in that video will allow those older chargers to recharge a deeply-discharged battery. Dave, our batteries can be treated and maintained just like any other lead-acid battery. However, when any AGM battery is deeply-discharged, some chargers may not recognize or charge the battery. If someone is able to maintain proper voltage battery (and the vast majority of our customers do), they will never need to do anything out of the ordinary to maintain their batteries.
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The state of charge of a SLI battery (like our RedTop) differs slightly from a battery designed for deep-cycle use, like our YellowTop. While 12.5 volts in our RedTops would indicate about a 75% state of charge, 12.5 volts in a YellowTop indicates about a 65% state of charge. At 12.11 volts, a YellowTop is at about a 40% state of charge. Our YellowTops are considered to be at 0% state of charge at about 11.27 volts, but many batteries can be discharged well beyond that point. I may have mentioned it already in this thread, but it is not uncommon for our sponsored anglers to come off the water with batteries discharged well into the single digits.
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I cannot speak for other charger manufacturers, but anyone who cares to get a data logger can see the differences in charging profiles for our various charger settings, including our OPTIMA-specific settings and our general flooded/AGM settings. Michael, we do not sell CTEK chargers, but if you can post a link that would indicate otherwise, I'd appreciate it. Likewise, Optima does not officially endorse any specific chargers (other than our own).
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Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
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Jim, I've extended an offer to you to validate the truth in what I have posted, including the credentials of our engineer. The fact that you have ignored that offer indicates to me your intent in posting in this thread is not to solve the issues with your vehicle, but to bash Optima and our products. If that is your choice, I am fine with that and I certainly won't ask anyone to lock this thread or make it go away. I've never done that in any conversation I've participated in, as I would prefer these exchanges remain open for people to view and reach their own conclusions.
.
J.W., we manufacture all of our batteries in this facility. I am not involved in the corporate decisions JCI's Power Solutions Division makes, but if you would like to make an inquiry, you can send an e-mail to info@optimabatteries.com
.
There are so many chargers on the market, it is quite possible that someone (or even multiple companies) have made AGM-specific chargers or chargers with an AGM specific mode. dwh is correct that there are chargers that offer “gel” specific settings, as well as chargers with AGM-specific settings and even “gel/AGM” settings, which should be avoided on non-gel batteries.
.
The low voltage issue he referenced regarding Optima is not unique to our batteries at all. In fact, it is commonplace amongst AGM manufacturers. Some manufacturers have dealt with this issue by simply voiding the warranty on their batteries, if they are measured below a minimum voltage level, which is a legitimate concern for someone using batteries in a deep-cycle application. We didn't do that with our warranty and as a result, many of the “bad” batteries returned to us are just deeply-discharged. We did create the parallel charging video dwh referenced, in an effort to help folks recover their batteries and prevent unnecessary returns.
.
Some newer chargers will recognize and charge a battery that has been deeply-discharged well below 10 volts, but many older chargers will not. The procedure explained in that video will allow those older chargers to recharge a deeply-discharged battery. Dave, our batteries can be treated and maintained just like any other lead-acid battery. However, when any AGM battery is deeply-discharged, some chargers may not recognize or charge the battery. If someone is able to maintain proper voltage battery (and the vast majority of our customers do), they will never need to do anything out of the ordinary to maintain their batteries.
.
The state of charge of a SLI battery (like our RedTop) differs slightly from a battery designed for deep-cycle use, like our YellowTop. While 12.5 volts in our RedTops would indicate about a 75% state of charge, 12.5 volts in a YellowTop indicates about a 65% state of charge. At 12.11 volts, a YellowTop is at about a 40% state of charge. Our YellowTops are considered to be at 0% state of charge at about 11.27 volts, but many batteries can be discharged well beyond that point. I may have mentioned it already in this thread, but it is not uncommon for our sponsored anglers to come off the water with batteries discharged well into the single digits.
.
I cannot speak for other charger manufacturers, but anyone who cares to get a data logger can see the differences in charging profiles for our various charger settings, including our OPTIMA-specific settings and our general flooded/AGM settings. Michael, we do not sell CTEK chargers, but if you can post a link that would indicate otherwise, I'd appreciate it. Likewise, Optima does not officially endorse any specific chargers (other than our own).
.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries