Re: Batteries
Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 5:37 pm
JohnBill:
Interesting suggestions: I can't quite see how I would have installed the batteries incorrectly, since the system worked fine for a whole season. When I recharged them in the spring, I installed them exactly in the same way. The Xantrex combiner worked just fine at first; if I had installed them incorrectly, the combiner should have shown that. There was no short on the circuit; naturally, that's what I suspected first. The short was in the battery itself--the dealer tested it when I took it back. Mixing AGM and wet cell? I dunno. I bought two optimas, as stated in the message: one was a deep cycle marine, the other one was a regular optima. I can't quite see how I could have mixed a wet-cell and AGM. I was under the impression that Optimas are not wet cell batteries, but I might be wrong. I don't have the specs here, but you are right--I got some of the money back: 60 dollars for the 150 dollars I invested. That's what "pro-rated" probably means. 18 months is still below the typical three-year warranty for a regular workhorse battery, but, like you said, some people are perfectly happy with that warranty. If it works for you, cool.
The dealer admitted that it must have been a lemon, which makes sense, since these were yellow Optimas
Interesting suggestions: I can't quite see how I would have installed the batteries incorrectly, since the system worked fine for a whole season. When I recharged them in the spring, I installed them exactly in the same way. The Xantrex combiner worked just fine at first; if I had installed them incorrectly, the combiner should have shown that. There was no short on the circuit; naturally, that's what I suspected first. The short was in the battery itself--the dealer tested it when I took it back. Mixing AGM and wet cell? I dunno. I bought two optimas, as stated in the message: one was a deep cycle marine, the other one was a regular optima. I can't quite see how I could have mixed a wet-cell and AGM. I was under the impression that Optimas are not wet cell batteries, but I might be wrong. I don't have the specs here, but you are right--I got some of the money back: 60 dollars for the 150 dollars I invested. That's what "pro-rated" probably means. 18 months is still below the typical three-year warranty for a regular workhorse battery, but, like you said, some people are perfectly happy with that warranty. If it works for you, cool.
The dealer admitted that it must have been a lemon, which makes sense, since these were yellow Optimas
Great Link for Battery Care, and General understading of " Gel vs AGM " Designs , and many downloadable pdf files of interest to all.