Charger/battery Problem?

[james 14]

What you're calling "reserve capacity" for the Everstart is actually the "amp hour" rating. If you check the "amp hour" rating on the Optima it's anywhere from 55-75 depending on which size you get. I don't know how the amp hour is measured on the Optima but the Everstart is measured at 1 amp. The amp hour rating for the Everstart is pretty standard for most lead-acid batteries in the group size 29.

 

I don't want to come across as steering you away from Optimas. The price was the factor for me and my experience with Everstarts led me back there. Optima_Jim could give you the full story on why you'd want to go with Optima and the choice would be yours after you weighed the supposed benefits with the cost. Most lead-acid batteries should give you 2-3 years if you treat them right. I also didn't notice any difference in power at full charge between the Optimas and Everstarts.

 

If you get an Optima Blue Top make sure you get the one with the D in the name as those are the deep cycle versions. D34M, D27M or D31M from smallest to largest.

[jessejames556]

Well if you owned Optimas before and are happy with everstarts now, I definitely take your opinion into consideration...I really don't want to pay for two Optimas right now..BPS deep cycles are only $30-40 cheaper than the Optimas so I am leaning towards the everstarts cheap at Walmart right now. Even if I have to replace them in two years, it beats $500+ on two batteries for maybe four years. Also, I'm still concerned I may have a ghost draw and don't want to kill two brand new Optimas over that. I'll try to find it before I put in any new batteries, but just in case...

[jessejames556]

What you're calling "reserve capacity" for the Everstart is actually the "amp hour" rating. If you check the "amp hour" rating on the Optima it's anywhere from 55-75 depending on which size you get. I don't know how the amp hour is measured on the Optima but the Everstart is measured at 1 amp. The amp hour rating for the Everstart is pretty standard for most lead-acid batteries in the group size 29.

 

 

By the way, amp hour on the Optima I am looking at (D34M) is "55 Ah (C/20)".

[Optima_Jim]

There's been a lot of great advice already offered up in this thread, so I only want to provide some clarity and simplicity to what has already been posted.  Our three BlueTop battery sizes are 34, 27 & 31 (smallest to largest). As Short Fish indicated, the "D" stands for deep-cycle and would be the only ones I would recommend for trolling motors or other accessory use.  The shallower the discharge cycle on a battery, the longer the lifespan.  That means in a given application, a pair of Group 27 trolling batteries may only be discharged 15% during a day on the water, while a smaller pair of Group 34 batteries may be discharged 20-25%. The larger batteries will likely last longer in this scenario, as they aren't being worked as hard as the smaller batteries.

It makes a lot of sense to sort our your electrical issues with your current batteries, before adding new batteries to the mix. Fully-charged, our BlueTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts.  If you can't get them load-tested (make sure they are fully-charged if you do), you can simply fully-charge and disconnect them from your boat for 12-24 hours. If they hold close to their maximum voltage when disconnected, but lose voltage when connected, you have a parasitic (ghost) draw that is slowly discharging your batteries.  If they drop significant voltage even when they are disconnected, they need to be replaced.

 

While a correctly-installed cutoff switch can handle a parasitic draw issue in storage, if wiring isn't someone's strong suit, I would suggest something like battery knobs that allow someone to easily and obviously disconnect their batteries when not in use.  It is a good idea to always make sure your batteries are fully-charged when they do go into storage and again, when they come out.

 

We are owned by Johnson Controls and have access to a lot of different testing data on many different batteries.  While cold cranking amps & reserve capacity ratings on labels are a good apples to apples comparison, they are just a starting point.  AGM batteries and those specifically built with pure lead will perform better and last longer than those that use recycled lead, which is found in the vast majority of batteries on the market.  AGM batteries can also operate well beyond their specified ratings.  The high internal resistance of flooded batteries may prevent them from delivering power to trolling motors, once they are discharged down to about 10.5 volts, while our batteries can continue delivering current well beyond that point.

 

Jim McIlvaine

eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

[jessejames556]

Thank you, optima_Jim. I will try those aforementioned tests this week and will hurry up and order new batteries before my next trip out..i found some optimas on amazon new for a decent price so I may just stay faithful to optima.

[Optima_Jim]

Jesse, if an online retail offers you the opportunity to review feedback before making a purchase, I would strongly encourage you to do that. Not everyone who sells our batteries online is authorized to do so, including some very big names. Unauthorized retailers have been known to ship our products in unapproved packaging and not offer warranty service.  Online retailers may also require you to ship batteries back to them to get warranty service.  

 

Jim McIlvaine

eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

[jessejames556]

I made sure to buy from a certified optima dealer, so hopefully that means something.

[jessejames556]

Another set of questions: my trolling motor is an old 50lb motorguide..it has a 12v/24v switch..I assume that running two 12 volt batteries in series will have a 24 v output, while running them in parallel has a 12v output
1. Am I assuming correct?
2. Would that switch correlate with the aforementioned setups and their outputs?
3. What is the benefit of running them in parallel? In a series?

[slonezp]

Another set of questions: my trolling motor is an old 50lb motorguide..it has a 12v/24v switch..I assume that running two 12 volt batteries in series will have a 24 v output, while running them in parallel has a 12v output

1. Am I assuming correct?

2. Would that switch correlate with the aforementioned setups and their outputs?

3. What is the benefit of running them in parallel? In a series?

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. Series gives you higher voltage, parallel gives you twice the power at the same voltage. 

[jessejames556]

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. Series gives you higher voltage, parallel gives you twice the power at the same voltage. 

 

EDIT: So if the previous owner had the batteries set up in parallel but had the TM switch at 24v instead of 12v, what would that do? Because I believe that is what happened.

[slonezp]

I'd think it would just cause the motor to run slower than normal. I had an issue where I lost a battery on a 24v system and it ran dreadfully slow 

[jessejames556]

Well hopefully I'll notice an increase in power when I get these new batteries in and get everything re-wired to the correct batteries. Slonezp, in your experience, does having all electronics/lights/etc. hooked up to the starting battery run the battery low? I know you guys are saying the only thing I should have hooked up to the TM batteries is the TM, but I'm a little nervous that I'll go out with the new set up and end up with a dead starting battery.

 

I should mention that I only have essential nav/anchor lighting, one lower end model graph, and the livewell pump/bilge pump/aerator. Not a heavy load compared to others, but it still makes me nervous 

[slonezp]

I run a 998, 858, radio, lights, bilge, and 2 livewells  w/ pump and recirc off the starting battery. I keep a jump box in the boat (TM batteries are in the bow and starting in the stern, jumper cables not long enough) but, knock on wood, have never had to use it. Make sure all your batteries are fully charged before each outing and keep a jump box or cables in the boat and you'll be fine.  

[S Hovanec]

Also, once the batteries are stone dead, most on-board chargers won't be able to charge them. there is a minimum voltage that they will work with. You may just need to disconnect them and charge with a conventional charger, but I suspect they are fried. If they have been that deeply discharged for an extended amount of time, I doubt they will recover.

Also in agreeance.....hook up the other electronics to the starting battery.

[jessejames556]

Ok I have everything hooked up now but I'm +1 on wires right now....I have a 24 volt series hooked up to my motorguide 12/24 volt TM..THERE IS a 12/24 volt switch on the pedal of the TM. I have the black and red hooked up right now but I still have an orange wire disconnected. My boat owner's manual seems to indicate that:

the red and black wires run to Battery #1 of the 24 volt series while the orange wire connects to the positive terminal of Battery two. A white jumper cable connects the positive terminal of battery #1 to the negative terminal of battery #2...

 

I'd just shut up and go with this but the owner's manual has some poorly worded sentences in that section that add to the confusion but what I wrote above is basically what it is saying......Is this the correct wiring setup for a 12/24 volt TM equipped with voltage switch while attached to 24 volt series? Thanks

 

EDIT: All three wires (Red Black Orange) are running from the trolling motor. The previous owner had the orange wire disconnected for some reason.

[jessejames556]

From what I'm reading on another forum, I can just use 2 wires from the batteries up to the TM, one red from the + on one battery and a black from the - on the other. Then run a jumper between the remaining - and +. This puts the batteries in series and creates a straight 24Vs at the other end. I don't see any benefit to using the 12 volt feature of the 12/24 switch, as it would just run one battery down unequal to the others.... Do you all concur or am I misunderstanding that? I ask so many questions because I am not about to ruin $400.00 in new batteries on a stupid mistake that could have been avoided.

[Kevin22]

6 of one, half doz of the other. 

 

Wiring 12v in parallel will draw from both batteries equally. Wiring 24v in series will draw from both batteries equally. 

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that those motors came with the 12/24 switch so you have the option of both. But they both do the same thing and will have the same effect regarding power... 50lbs thrust

 

I would rig it up for 24 and if you ever have a battery fail on the water you can switch it to 12V and just use the remaining battery... but it is totally up to you. If you do 24V make sure your onboard charger has a bank for each battery and is hooked up correctly. Otherwise do 12V in parallel and you can charge them both at once with one bank/charger if you only have one. 

[jessejames556]

Yeah I kinda figured.

 

I have a 3 bank and all are hooked up to each individual battery. Like you said, I'll just run a 24..I don't feel like buying a new fuse for the orange wire so I'll leave it disconnected and will just manually rewire for a 12 if it comes down to it. The switch is nice to have but I wont use it.

[jessejames556]

Went out last night, the trolling motor and new batteries are running good..Thanks for the responses guys. My anchor lights have a pretty heavy draw on the starting battery when on, but other than that everything seems to be running fine... Now I know how to check amp draw and know my way around a multimeter too, so I'm glad I did it.