New Battery Dying - Need help!

[JWAT]

I put a new Optima Blue Top battery in my Super Sport this winter. This winter I also added a heater and another amp for my stereo. So far, the first three times I have had the boat out this spring, the battery has been dead. The amps turn on via a remote wire, so they shouldn't be drawing any power until they are turned on. The heater is on a breaker switch that has to be turned on in order to draw power. I can't figure out why the battery is dying unless I just have a bad battery. Any suggestions on what to check?

Could the amps somehow still be drawing power even when they are off? Could the battery just have been that dead that I have only charged it up enough each time to get the boat started and that's it? The longest I have had the boat running is about 30 minutes and then it sat for a week until I started it today and the boat barely tried to turn over, but wouldn't start. I don't know what to do next???

[AuMDLST]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

The amps will not draw power if they are in fact off - the 12v+ remote turn on should be a switched 12v source - when you turn the radio on they should come on and possibly have some sort of indicator light - check the remote power source with a multimeter and see if in fact it is switching - use the meter to verify that the heater is not getting any power as well

[richard]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

suppose not the battery problem,a leaking circuit will dry the battery and die soon,suggest you connect an amp meter between the battery connector ann battery,to see have leaking current or not when you turn off your boat's switch and all accerssories off,(should no current),secondly,have a check charging current of the alternator to battery, you may read the voltmeter while engine is running,it should over 13V ,all accessory not in use.

[Andrew]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

how many amps did you charge the optima with after it died initially?

[JWAT]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

10 amps, but only for like 15 minutes or so. I then ran it for about 30 minutes and then it sat for a week and then wouldn't start this morning.

I charged it for about 45 minutes this morning at 10 amps and then I ran it today for about an hour or so. It then say for an hour or so again and then it started right back up. It will sit this week again, so we will see what happens next weekend.

[Kozmo]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

i suggest you put a full charge on this battery as that sounds like your problem.

[Andrew]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

more than likely your optima is destroyed. they are only supposed to be charged at 2amps max. anything greater is severly detrimental. this goes for any gel cell battery. hopefully it is still under warranty and you can return it for a free exchange. the charges will last for a little while, but eventually it will get to where you have to jump the battery everytime you attempt to crank. it may be salvageable if you only charged it once, but anymore than a couple of times and you might as well write this one off.....

[Laptom]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

Andrew, how can they only be charged at 2 amps max? When they are connected to the engine they can be charged with 100amps from the alternator. I didn't know you can't charge the gel cell batteries with more then 2amps... Good to know!

[Andrew]

RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

i wish i had a definitive answer for that, but i don't......
i've just learned the hard way several times

[MHayes]

Re: RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

more than likely your optima is destroyed. they are only supposed to be charged at 2amps max. anything greater is severly detrimental. this goes for any gel cell battery

Not sure where you got your information, but we've charged our blue tops at greater than 2 amps with no problems.

Here's the information directly from Optima's website:

BlueTop Type: D34M / D31M
These batteries are dual purpose. They are designed for engine starting and deep cycling applications and for use in boats with large accessory loads.

Recommended charging information:
Alternator: 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger: 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, 6-12 hours approximate.

Cyclic Applications: 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below 1 amp, finish with 2 amp constant current for 1 hour for D34M and 3 amp constant current for 1 hour for D31M.

Rapid Recharge: Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge: 13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).

[Andrew]

RE: Re: RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

how many batteries are you charging at a time mhayes?
like i said, i'm speaking from experience. i've gone through 3 red tops myself in my truck and several friends of mine have ruined their yellow tops as well. to be honest, the only reason i'm still using optimas is because i keep getting them replaced for free...... i'll do some research and report back

[MHayes]

RE: Re: RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

Andrew, we have 2 D34Ms in our boat, but since I do not have a charger that does multiple batteries at once, we do one battery at a time.

I'm not sure why you are having so many problems with charging them.....maybe something is wrong with your charger, you're not sure of the amperage, etc.? At least Optima is replacing them.

BTW, the charging guidelines for the red and yellow top are very similar to the blue tops.

[Andrew]

RE: Re: RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

i've had the same results with multiple chargers.... i'm not the only one, just do a search on optima charging and u will find pages upon pages of similar cases

[MHayes]

Re: RE: Re: RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

i've had the same results with multiple chargers.... i'm not the only one, just do a search on optima charging and u will find pages upon pages of similar cases

Sorry, but I can't seem to find your "pages and pages" of people having problems with charging Optima batteries.

Regardless, if you're that dissatisfied with them, then just get something else. Even if they are replacing them for free, I think I'd just move on and save a headache.

[verbier123]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: New Battery Dying - Need help!

I can say from experience that the quickest way to wreck ANY battery is to drain it completely and then put in on a 10 amp charge. As a rule, if the battery is dead, I never charge at more than 2 amps. Even then, I only give the battery a 50% chance. I recomend Fleet Farm (or Farm and Fleet) Their batteries are as cheap as anyone and come with a 2 year warrenty.