Red Top batteries - Warning

[Jim Cowden]

I have been following this with interest since it started.
I have been using calium batterys for some time from my supplier and they have been great.
I presume they are a gell style battery.
I understand that different companys rate in different ways but I have fitted a medium size Honda battery due to space and it is rated at 450cca for 80min.
The small jap style was rated at 360cca for 60min.
3 year warranty on private use, I would be interested to get feed back on how they rate this amperage,is it at 100amp ,50 amp ect, I have asked the battery man but he is not that product savy.
It was only $85 Aust.

 

[Jac Mac]

Jim, this is the first time I have seen the CCA mentioned on this thread. Seem to remember that the CCA rating of an Optima is taken at a much lower ( Colder ) temp than that of a conventional battery so when they are compared at the same temps the conventional looks like a pup in comparison.

 

[Cliff Beer]

One factor that doesn't seem to have received a lot of air time in this thread, but which I think is pretty critical to battery life, is temperature of the working environment. Electrics is not something I know much about but my experience has been that a battery which lives a nice life in southern California is going to perform much better over the long haul than a battery in cold Alaska or damp England.

I've always stored batteries (when out of the car) on a wooden bench in a heated part of the garage/house rather than sitting on a cold cement floor in an unheated and damp garage. The couple times I've done the latter it seems like the battery is a goner after just four or five months - won't take a charge or retain a charge. My guess is that cold and damp climates cause the surface of the lead plates to corrode or perhaps even change the composition of the lead - in either case, inhibiting the full working cycle of the battery.

Just my $.02.

 

[Mike]

JM- I don't know what the standard for testing is, but I know there is one. In talking with Optima (the old company) engineers, they said that the blue top and the red top were the exact same battery. The difference is that the blue top comes with stainless external hardware and a lower CCA rating because marine batteries must be tested at lower temperatures given the fact that engine rooms in boats are usually pretty cold.

CB- Storing a battery on wood is advisable. This is due to power "leakage" through the battery case. If you take a meter, put the negative on the bat terminal and put the positive on the side of the battery case, you should see a small voltage. When a battery is left on the ground, this voltage will "leak" into the ground. Leave a battery on the ground long enough and it WILL be toast. As far as temperature goes, Heat is OK to a point. Those high quality chargers I mentioned will be programable for voltage as well as temperature high points. They have a temp sensor that sits on one of the battery terminals and monitors the batteries temp. Too high a temp and excessive out gassing can occur. Since there is no way to refill gels or AGMs, this is critical in those batteries.

 

[Mike]

While I don't know what the CCA tests consist of, I can tell you that most battery manufacturers rate batteries in amp hours. This basically means that if the draw on the battery is 1 amp, how many hours will it last. This is great and very meaningful for slow draw applications, but not so good for an engine starting battery that needs to dump massive amps quickly. Hence the CCA rating. I believe the red tops are rated very high. The "full size" being something like 700CCA.

 

[Mike]

Oh, BTW- One should only plan on using 50% of a batteries rated amp hour rating, as any further draw down can limit the batteries ability to hold a charge.

If one is really into battery state conditions, a shunt and meter such as a Trimetric should be used. This will tell you precisely how much energy has flowed out of your battery, and when it is fully charged. It can also be set to show % power remaining and days since last equalization.

In general, don't store a battery on the ground, make sure the alternator is adequately sized and at the right voltage, and check the battery after six months or so of storage to see if it needs charging.:thumbsup: