Friday, June 21, 2013

OUCH! I Killed My Optima Deep Cycle Battery

OOOPS!

Well, it's 7 years old, and I got a LOT of use out of it. I'd been charging it every few months to keep it from getting sulfated, and I just realized I hadn't had it out to use, or charge, in about a year.

It *might* come back if I get a different charger that will whack it with high-current pulses, but in my experience, while it might come back, you'll never get anywhere near full capacity out of it.

Lesson learned (actually, lesson remembered): CHARGE the damn thing on a regular basis!

I'll put it in the car, and exchange it for a new one on the way home from setting things up today.

8 comments:

  1. Better yet - get a Battery Tender (trademark) or some such - they are both charger and maintainer vice just a power charger. I managed to get over 4.5 years off an OEM battery installed by a certain German motorcycle maker that was notorious for encountering SBDS (sudden battery death syndrome) by going that route.

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  2. I've got one, I just have to use it!

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  3. D'OH!

    I hate that.
    Kicking yourself because you know you had the solution all along.

    I have been thinking about getting one of those Optima batteries for a while now.
    I'm thinking I need to get off my dead backside and go get one.Not a deep cycle though.

    Handy little buggers because they are so light and portable.

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  4. Optima has gotten a bad rep in the last few years because of a decline in quality after production was moved to a certain south of the border location. I've not gotten more than 3 years out of them for the last few I've had.

    G

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  5. At seven years, it's time for a new one... Just sayin...

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  6. And a new one followed me home Friday afternoon.

    I got a D34 size this time, as it's rated a few more Amp Hours than the D35 I had, and it was only a few $$ more.

    And I also got a "Battery Tender Plus" to take care of it in the 'off season'.

    Now I have NO excuse to not keep it charged!

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  7. Sounds like you got a pretty big battery there for D34. Heltau

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