San Diego Battery Distributers/Optima Batteries.

[Basement Yeti]

Hi guys, can anyone tell me of somewhere in or around San Diego where an Optima Battery distributor is located? I know O'Reilly and a few other places sell em, but I want a fresh one that hasn't been sitting on the shelves for weeks, a tip told to me by Mr. Beast. Unfortunately I don't know the area too well, and not anywhere to get a battery.

Thanks!

 

[CA-RJ]

Are you set on an Optima? Sears has a really nice sealed battery as well and you can find Sears in almost everywhere!

 

[trump]

And the Sears in La Jolla had them on sale when I bought about 3 months ago (Platinum P-5's for $189 per battery.)

 

[Basement Yeti]

I guess I'm not set on an Optima, I just want a good durable and strong battery. Although I was under the presumption that Optima are the most rugged and durable batteries, I am learning that might just be hype.

I am just aiming for what I was told, and have had.

Sears has Die Hards, right?

 

[Michael]

I've bought Optima batteries online at 1st Optima Battery Sales before with good results (fresh battery, full warranty, etc). Surprisingly, the shipping was free and the batteries arrive in 2-3 days via UPS.

1st Optima has some good info on their site about capacities, applications, and charging for Optima battteries. Look for the "more info" links and FAQ at the bottom of the page.

You didn't say what type of Optima you're looking for, but the La Mesa COSTCO has a few types of Optima and I'm sure the other COSTCOs have them as well. Off Road Warehouse and 4WDParts in El Cajon also carry them IIRC. Those places sell enough batteries to most likely have fresh ones in stock.

The question of whether Optima/Odyssey/Sears/etc sells the best battery is a hot topic and there are many forum threads that talk about the pros/cons of each. Personally, I've gotten good performance from the Optima yellow-top deep cycle batteries. It's not so much the battery, but how you use it and charge it that makes a difference in performance and service life.

 

[Basement Yeti]

I have a red top under the hood of my van right now, so was aiming for one of those. I need one with top posts for my dual battery system.

Charging and maintenance is what I am worried about, I realize the battery won't last if I don't take care of it. The one I have now was given to me in good condition, then just went kaput and died, maybe because my van had been sitting and wasn't being run for a few days, maybe not. I wonder what kind of damage that did to my blue top secondary battery.

I will run my van for a few hours driving, camp, and stay for a few days, then move, and camp for a few days. So the battery will be sitting a lot and won't be charged but for more than a few hours while driving.

 

[Ronct110]

The one I have now was given to me in good condition, then just went kaput and died, maybe because my van had been sitting and wasn't being run for a few days, maybe not. I wonder what kind of damage that did to my blue top secondary battery.

If your van has been sitting or sit around, may take longer than couple of hours driving to charge the batteries. Before you throw away a potentially still good battery(ies); why don't you get both your red and blue top fully charged/then tested; it will take over night; see if it can still hold charge or determine if has a leak.

Those small home version charger doesn't cut it when trying to revive a dead marine battery; I'd take it Sears and have them test it/charge overnight.

I have Sears Platinum battery on my Range Rover Classic; 3-4 years warranty; I've drained it completely by letting the truck sit for while (alarm system draws a bit of power); Sears has been good w/charging it over night for me (free).

Got smarter; and now use a battery disconnect; if I am not using the truck/parked, I simply disconnect the battery. When I am camping, I run the fridge, know how long I have (usually overnight is fine) before needing to shut the fridge or start the engine. There's a lot of helpful post out here on dual battery setup, figuring out your power comsumption needs, battery capacity, and dual battery setup - even info on running solar.

 

[Hilldweller]

I order my Optimas straight from the factory.
Why not ping Optima Jim and solicit his advice? He really knows the batteries.

 

[OptimaJim]

Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries (thanks Bill) and wanted to offer some assistance. Basement Yeti, we have dozens of retailers in the San Diego area and the vast majority of our retail partners turn their inventory over relatively-quickly. I check our retailers all the time and it is rare to see a battery older than six months sitting on a shelf and our batteries can sit far longer than that. If you are concerned about the age of the battery you are purchasing, you can check the exact day our batteries were manufactured, by looking at the white, 1”x3” label on the side of the case. The first digit indicates the year of production, while the next three digits indicate the day of the year. For example, all batteries built today will start with “1196.”

A RedTop sounds like it will work just fine for your application, provided it is used as a starting battery and is properly-isolated from your BlueTop. Ronct110 also offers good advice about having your current RedTop charged and checked, before buying a new one. It is possible your battery is only deeply-discharged and may still be usable. Most battery professionals can run a load test on that battery for you and some will do it for free. They will need to attempt to fully-charge the battery first, before performing the test though.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Fully-charged our RedTops will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts and our YellowTops (and deep-cycle BlueTops) will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state, sulfation will begin to diminish both capacity and lifespan. Keep a battery fully-charged and/or recharge it as soon as possible and it will provide better service for you. If you have any questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them. I appreciate your interest in Optima batteries.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

[Basement Yeti]

So I should take my blue and red top battery somewhere and have them fully charged and tested? Can I take em to Sears even though Sears does not sell Optimas?

Then, because I am hardly ever around shore power, I should look at setting up a solar charger option? dwh said in the other forum I might look at a panel about 50w for battery maintenance.

Even if one battery is bad after I replace I am going to invest in a solar charger.

 

[Basement Yeti]

I called Sears, they want to charge me $20.00 to charge each battery. For that cost I might as well buy a good CTEK battery charger listed on Optima 1. Unless Sears uses some kind of magical battery charger, I am not going for that.

There are 3 models listed, the only difference is the charging/maintenance amperage, going from lower to higher with cost. Which one should I get?

This is only 100 bucks, I could totally justify that.
http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-Multi-7002-Battery-Charger/dp/B000FRLO9Y

Keep in mind I have two batteries wired together through a solenoid isolator.

This one is cheaper, but it's 4 stage.
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende..._1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1310750729&sr=1-1

I bet either of these will work just fine for charging batteries, no?

 

[Michael]

So I should take my blue and red top battery somewhere and have them fully charged and tested? Can I take em to Sears even though Sears does not sell Optimas?

Then, because I am hardly ever around shore power, I should look at setting up a solar charger option? dwh said in the other forum I might look at a panel about 50w for battery maintenance.

Even if one battery is bad after I replace I am going to invest in a solar charger.

I have a dual battery system and do a lot of backcountry camping. I use my battery overnight to run my Engel 35 and some other equipment loads that usually draw my D-31T Optima Yellow Top battery down pretty far (~11.5v). I typically let the alternator charge the battery back up the next day while driving and that usually works for 4-5 day trips as along as I travel each day. When I get home however, I make sure to give the aux battery a full charge overnight, using a 'smart charger', starting from a discharged state (I discharge it about 50% at home if needed). Your alternator voltage output isn't usually sufficient to fully charge the Optima, so the supplemental charging is needed to keep it in good health. Using this maintenance charge method, I get good service out of my aux batteries.

I have a solar panel installed in my Tacoma that I use to bring the battery back up on days where I stay in the same camp and don't travel. My 85W panel is enough to charge the battery and carry the daytime loads around camp (ham radio, fans, nav computer, etc).

DWH has posted some great technical info about battery systems and battery chargers. My amateur advice is to get a charger that has three phases of charging and senses battery conditions. I use a 15A smart charger from West Marine which sells for $110. It has worked well for me over the last 4 years, but marine stores tend to be a bit pricey so shopping around may pay off. Good luck!

 

[Basement Yeti]

That charger looks just like what I am looking for. How does your solar battery charging system work?

Thanks!

 

[Michael]

That charger looks just like what I am looking for. How does your solar battery charging system work?

Thanks!

As you can see from the photo, the 85W panel mounts to a telescoping pole that I use for other purposes as well (solar shower bag, camp lighting, radio antenna mount). I chose this method instead of hard-mounting the panel so that I could park in the shade and put the panel out in the sun. In that situation, I just prop the panel up in full sunlight and connect it using an extension cable I made up. In good sunlight with a clean, unshaded panel, I get ~5A output.

There are pos/neg connections (MC4 plugs) in the front bumper to connect the panel power output with the charge controller and my aux power system. The solar charge controller is mounted in the shell near my aux battery. The output of the solar charge controller is hooked directly to the positive and negative sides of the aux battery. The solar charge controller I use has circuitry in it to monitor the battery and control the solar panel voltage to prevent overcharging the battery. I use a battery isolator system and the solar panel integrates well into that system. Here is similar hardware available on Amazon.com

 

[Basement Yeti]

Very good information. For now I will buy a 120V battery charger and stop off places to charge my battery, but I will totally be investing in a solar panel soon. Thanks!