Re: Yes - it is the best buy, by far

Posted by jdemaris on October 22, 2006 at 11:47:33 from (69.67.235.67):

In Reply to: Re: Yes - it is the best buy, by far posted by Jon Hagen on October 21, 2006 at 17:28:09:

The high failure rate of AGM batteries in deep-cycle battery banks has been attributed to #1 - their inability to sustain deep discharges on a daily basis, and #2 - thier inability to handle the equalization mode used my most charging systems for large battery banks. Equalization is necessary when you have many batteries strapped together in series/parallel connections. Many newer inverter/chargers now have a special mode just for AGMs along with a battery-temp. sensor. Even so, there are still problems.
I can't comment much on the Optimas - mainly because - as of yet - they are not common for deep-cycle battery banks - at least not on a consumer level. I read about them years ago - when NASA was using them on the moon. Their purpose - at the time - was a lightweight battery that was spill-proof. A Swedish company bought the production-rights - and they were used overseas since the 90s. I've been told that such batteries - when bought for cars - were considered long-term investments. Johnson Controls bought the Optima from the Swedes around 5-6 years ago. From what I've read - they outperform most conventional flooded-acid batterys for cranking - but underperform with amphour ratings.
A person - such as I - only has certain things to go by. What I see, what I hear, and what I read. I've seen many AGMs fail. I've heard the Optimas are great for certain applications. I've also heard a lot of wrong information given by sale's reps. Many AGMs have been sold for applications where they do not belong.
The guy that started this post - seemed to asking a fairly simple question. I had assumed he already had a battery and was wondering if it was suitable for cranking purposes - since I was wondering the same thing a while back. If - he does not have one - and wants to buy -well? I guess it depends how much he wants to spend.
In regard to your comment, though - i.e. " they cost twice as much as a cheap flooded cell battery, but they will outlast it 4-10 times." I doubt it. Maybe in some types of applications. But . . . I know of several people with flooded-lead-acid battery banks that are over 12 years old - with Rolls/Surette batteries. I know of banks with the cheaper Trojans that are 7-8 years old, and I've got some el-cheapo Walmart (Johnson Controls) marine-deep-cycle that have lasted 5 years. Going by your claim - if my Walmart battery lasts 5 years and cost $50 and provides 115 amphours - that's $10 per year cost for 110 amphours. Take a roughly equivalent Optima - at $200 -it would need to last at least twenty years to be of equal value - by one way of figuring. But - if using only for deep-cycle use - the Optima costs even more. The Walmart $50 battery is rated at 110 amphours. The $200 Optima D34/78 deep-cycle is rated at 55 amphours - going by the ratings they publish. That seems to be half of the Walmart battery - unless I'm misreading something. If correct - the 11O amphours from Walmart cost $10 a year - and the Optima 110 amphours (two batteries needed) cost $20 per year IF they lasts at least 20 years, or cost $10 per year if they lasts forty years.
All I can say to that is - it's likely I'll be dead in 20 years - so there's no sense in running a test here at home.

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