didn't TD in the 40's use car batteries why not now??

[asianflava]

I got a blue top Optima at Sam's Club, it was only $140.32 but after you added tax, disposal, etc., etc. it was $162.47. It may be a regional thing because I was in a Sam's club in FL and they didn't have them. This Sam's (in St. Pete) had the Exide version called the Orbital.

[cracker39]

OK. You guys convinced me...especially if I can put it inside without worrying about gas off when charging. Even the smaller Optima has more output and lifespan than the larger flooded types. Like buying tools, it pays to get the best, or at least, not the cheapest. You do usually get what you pay for.

[angib]

Like buying tools, it pays to get the best, or at least, not the cheapest. You do usually get what you pay for.

I think we should say that this is only true if you look after the battery carefully. Anyone whose plan is to 'fit and forget' would be better off with the cheapest lead acid battery as then they'll do less (dollar) damage when they flatten it and forget to recharge it till next year, or put it on a rough battery charger overnight and then forget about it till the following week. You know - the sort of things ordinary people do!

As for outgassing, is it really a problem? If you wear a respirator to weld, wear rubber gloves to change engine oil and never stand on a chair to change a light bulb, then preventing battery outgassing may be an equivalent risk-avoidance. But I doubt it. I think it's up there with McDonald's hot coffee warnings.

Andrew

[GeorgeTelford]

Optima's are good batteries without a doubt, BUT they do not offer any really useful advantage.

All companies have withdrawn this "use it upside down" rubbish. Check out Optima's latest blurb. http://www.optimabatteries.com/publish/optima/americas0/en/config/product_info/marine.html

Gassing both gas, gassing is a natural part of charging, the gasses should be vented away via a tube.

Optima's will last longer than lead acid if both are charged or treated poorly, dont abuse them and I cant see a Optima lasting longer.

[TomS]

Got my Optima D34/78 yellow-top battery for $158 + 5% Mass. Tax at a local auto parts store.

I installed the battery inside my lower galley cabinet to reduce my tounge weight. I wanted a sealed non-spillable battery to prevent the possiblity of spilling acid inside the cabinet.

If I was installing the battery in a tounge mounted battery box, I would've used cheaper non-sealed battery deep cycle battery.

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Tom

A normal Lead acid Leisure battery is sealed against spills under any normal circumstance, the gasses would be vented via a tube. How as the Optima given you anything that a normal battery doesnt provide?

[TomS]

Hi Tom

A normal Lead acid Leisure battery is sealed against spills under any normal circumstance, the gasses would be vented via a tube. How as the Optima given you anything that a normal battery doesnt provide?

Hi George,

I wasn't sure what you meant. So I Googled "Leisure battery". I came up with several sites in the UK. I'm not sure if Leisure battery is a generic term used in the U.K. (like how the Brits call trucks "lorries" and the trunk of a car the "boot"). Perhaps it is a brand of batteries sold in the U.K.

As I said before, I chose the Optima because it is non-spillable. All the other locally available deep cycle batteries I looked at had removable caps for checking the electrolyte levels. Even the remote possiblity of spilling battery acid inside my tear drop was unacceptable. Maybe I got ripped off. Maybe not. Who knows? You pays your money and takes your chances.

[asianflava]

How as the Optima given you anything that a normal battery doesnt provide?

It gave me a cool option for a mounting bracket.

[TomS]

I used a battery strap-down kit from a local RV parts store. It's just a nylon strap and a couple of brackets. It's not as pretty as those machined aluminum battery holders. But, it gets the job done.

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Tom

Leisure battery is a generic term that covers any kind of battery designed for the living area of a motorhome/campervan/teardrop/caravan/5th wheeler

The usual things that make up a leisure battery are that its;

1. For deep cycling

2. Vented properly to take away any gasses caused by charging/overcharging /or accidental boiling of the battery, this is achieved by having a tube from the top of the battery that is routed to outside of the leisure vehicle (see the battery shown below, I could nt find a picture with the tube in place, look at the left hand Orange battery, the tube fits on in place of the little white bung near the carrying handle)

3. The cell caps are not vented, they are pure screw in stoppers which if you turned the battery upside down would not allow electroyte/acid out.





Surely they have the same in USA? cost in dollar terms $50 ish?


We have discussed this in UK many times and unless you have very specific needs a standard lead acid always beats these fancy batteries, all these fancy battery types usually end up with lower real world performance than a normal lead acid will give.

eg Gel batteries have to be charged at lower voltages, resulting in slower recharge times, AGM and sealed batteries suffer from same constraints ie the reccomended max recharging voltage is 14.4v

The onloy regular advantage is that AGM types will accept more abuse (undercharging, left uncharged etc) but thats like breading an expensive dog that you can kick, without incurring a vet's bill IMHO Stop kicking the dog lol

[asianflava]

I have never seen those batteries. I like the integrated terminal cover that they use.

[angib]

I used to work in a place building yachts to an American design and we had quite a problem with the differences between US and UK batteries (since the US and UK yachts had to weigh the same), so it's quite possible that there is no US equivalent to the UK 'leisure' battery. It seems unlikely though.

The 'leisure' battery is not a pure deep cycle as it is also intended for marine use and so has an engine starting capability. It's not a sophisticated battery, but it does the job - an excellent 'cheap and cheerful' product, not at all 'cheap and nasty'!

For the yachts, the leisure battery had the advantage that they often come with cheesy illustrations on the case of trailers and speedboats - I used to get a kick out of the full-on racing types who owned our boats having such tacky batteries hidden away in their engine compartment!

Andrew