Community Forums

POPPASMURF · 04-04-2011, 12:26 AM

We just moved in January and I moved the MH a week ahead of the household. It turned -35C the day we moved. I had very nicely backed the DP up against the fence in the driveway-out smarted myself-couldn't plug in. We just got a break in weather and I decided it was time to fire it up. When genset wouldn't start-I found the coach batteries were dead. I tried to charge them with my so called smart charger-no go-it just kept cutting out. 3 two year blue tops gone. I checked on line and found a blurb about CTEK 3300 pulse battery charger. That forum was expounding on how it recovered the batteries with this pulse technology. I picked one up yesterday, and I guess today I'm a believer. I took the batteries out and put one on the charger-this morning it was up to 12.5V and on a finish charge. I'll see if it finishes and holds a charge. Along with batteries some how the isolator relay dropped dead too. Lesson learned-I should have fought harder to get a battery charger on the mess through all the cold weather. I might recover the blue tops and save about $800. Then I can get the MH in to have the fridge update done so I don't burn the mess down this summer. Ever get the impression if the RV manufacturers built a rocket ship it wouldn't get outa sight?

Mike Canter · 04-04-2011, 07:46 AM

It is common with any battery charger on a totally dead battery to go on and off. If you have a multi amperage selector switch then putting it on a low and slow charge is the best thing until it builds back up. I have never had to use a special battery charge to revive a good but dead battery. There is no doubt that you now have the best battery charger and will love it. The big problem is that totally dead batteries will have the water freeze in real cold weather which you were in. It is very possible that your batteries froze in -35C weather and maybe now bad. After you get them charged back up you should get them tested under load so you don't have a problem on the road this summer. Are your batteries still under warrantee?

wa8yxm · 04-04-2011, 09:35 AM

Blue tops.. OPTIMA.. Just so you know for any given size OPTIMAs are 3/4 the battery of other types. Check the amp hours and you will see what I mean.

Your Optimas will have about 73 percent, as I recall, of the amp hours as the same size say Lifeline AGM. and not a single advantage over the Lifeline for an RV.

Yes, they are better in ATV's and Wave runners and thigns like that, but not for RVs

POPPASMURF · 04-04-2011, 10:21 AM

I bought the MH with them in it. Checking on warranty-it is near non-existent with Optima. The warranty reads something like- when put in series string with battery management system12 months warranty- 1 month without battery management system. If they are gone they are gone and I'll move on to a better battery. I just hate it when I don't get to consume a product-especially from my own stupidity. I really liked how quickly these AGM's could be recharged. When dry camping we would still get 3 to 5 days between having to start genset.

777Rich · 04-05-2011, 09:04 AM

While we are discussing Batteries are the Interstate brand worth the extra price?They do not seem to be any better than walmart are some lower prices ones, we do not ofter dry camp.

bluepill · 04-05-2011, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 777Rich

While we are discussing Batteries are the Interstate brand worth the extra price?They do not seem to be any better than walmart are some lower prices ones, we do not ofter dry camp.

Interstate and most of WalMart's "Everstart" are made by Johnson Controls. I would bet that the group 27 deep cycles are about the same except for price.