Hi guys, I saw some confusion about our batteries in this thread, so I thought I’d stop by and try to help clarify some things. Our RedTop batteries are starting batteries and are not designed for deep-cycle applications, like winching. Our YellowTop batteries are true dual-purpose batteries and work well in deep-cycle applications, in addition to having great starting capabilities. We actually have two different types of BlueTop batteries, which are designed for marine use. BlueTop batteries with a dark gray case are marine versions of our RedTop starting battery, while BlueTop batteries with a light gray case are the marine version of our YellowTop dual-purpose deep-cycle/starting battery.
While our RedTop starting batteries can recover from a deep discharge better than a traditional wet, lead acid battery, our YellowTop dual-purpose batteries are specifically designed to recover from numerous deep discharge situations and will hold up to this type of application much better over time. Whether it’s a Yellow, Red or BlueTop, as long as the battery specifications meet your application, they can all be used effectively as starting batteries.
As for warranties, all new Optima YellowTop & RedTop batteries come with three-year warranties and all BlueTop batteries come with two-year warranties for consumer applications.
Handdodge, overcharging will damage any battery. For an Optima we recommend 13.7 to 14.7 volts output from the alternator.
Pokey71, I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with one of our batteries. It sounds very unusual that one of our customer service reps would hang up on a customer. Do you have any information remaining from that battery, whether it’s a serial number or sales receipt? If so, I’d like to look into your situation a little further.
Dirtdonk, I'm sorry for the confusion about the battery types. Yours is probably our most frequestly asked question and is something we’re trying hard to clarify. Internally, BlueTop batteries are the same as their similar YellowTop (D34m, D27m, D31m) or RedTop (34m) counterparts. The difference is that BlueTops have both automotive and male-threaded studs, for easy connections to your trolling motor, etc.
The charging technique DirtDonk is referring to is as follows:
To charge your Optima battery with a regular charger, you can wire a second fully-charged automotive battery (12V+) to the discharged Optima in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to the discharged battery, setting the charger at 10 amps for 2 hours and monitoring it frequently. When the discharged battery reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the second battery and continue charging the Optima until fully charged.
Typically, we recommend charging at a relatively low current, such as 2 amps, but when the battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. If you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up this sulfation.
If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, estimate charging time by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2 for a rough estimate of charging time in hours.
In most cases, these steps will recover an Optima battery. It’s ok for the Optima battery to get slightly warm during the charging process, but hot to the touch means there’s a short and the process should be discontinued. If you’d rather not deal with that, you can always take your battery to a professional battery specialist, like Interstate, who knows AGM technology. Most of them are willing to provide “charge and check” procedures for a small fee and many will provide the service for free.
JW0707, if you are only jumping your vehicle, and not using a battery charger to bring the battery back up, this could be the source of your problems. If you need to jump your battery to start your vehicle, you should fully-charge your battery with a battery charger as soon as possible. If not, your vehicle’s alternator may not fully-charge your battery and you could find yourself frequently jump-starting your vehicle, while shortening the life of both your alternator and your battery.
Optima was acquired by Johnson Controls in 2000. During their ownership of Optima, Johnson Controls has constantly sought out ways to make better batteries in the most efficient process possible. The batteries we are manufacturing today are the best we have ever made and many of the batteries returned to us now as being “bad” are simply deeply-discharged. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. We appreciate your interest in Optima Batteries!
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, Optima Batteries
While our RedTop starting batteries can recover from a deep discharge better than a traditional wet, lead acid battery, our YellowTop dual-purpose batteries are specifically designed to recover from numerous deep discharge situations and will hold up to this type of application much better over time. Whether it’s a Yellow, Red or BlueTop, as long as the battery specifications meet your application, they can all be used effectively as starting batteries.
As for warranties, all new Optima YellowTop & RedTop batteries come with three-year warranties and all BlueTop batteries come with two-year warranties for consumer applications.
Handdodge, overcharging will damage any battery. For an Optima we recommend 13.7 to 14.7 volts output from the alternator.
Pokey71, I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with one of our batteries. It sounds very unusual that one of our customer service reps would hang up on a customer. Do you have any information remaining from that battery, whether it’s a serial number or sales receipt? If so, I’d like to look into your situation a little further.
Dirtdonk, I'm sorry for the confusion about the battery types. Yours is probably our most frequestly asked question and is something we’re trying hard to clarify. Internally, BlueTop batteries are the same as their similar YellowTop (D34m, D27m, D31m) or RedTop (34m) counterparts. The difference is that BlueTops have both automotive and male-threaded studs, for easy connections to your trolling motor, etc.
The charging technique DirtDonk is referring to is as follows:
To charge your Optima battery with a regular charger, you can wire a second fully-charged automotive battery (12V+) to the discharged Optima in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to the discharged battery, setting the charger at 10 amps for 2 hours and monitoring it frequently. When the discharged battery reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the second battery and continue charging the Optima until fully charged.
Typically, we recommend charging at a relatively low current, such as 2 amps, but when the battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. If you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up this sulfation.
If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, estimate charging time by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2 for a rough estimate of charging time in hours.
In most cases, these steps will recover an Optima battery. It’s ok for the Optima battery to get slightly warm during the charging process, but hot to the touch means there’s a short and the process should be discontinued. If you’d rather not deal with that, you can always take your battery to a professional battery specialist, like Interstate, who knows AGM technology. Most of them are willing to provide “charge and check” procedures for a small fee and many will provide the service for free.
JW0707, if you are only jumping your vehicle, and not using a battery charger to bring the battery back up, this could be the source of your problems. If you need to jump your battery to start your vehicle, you should fully-charge your battery with a battery charger as soon as possible. If not, your vehicle’s alternator may not fully-charge your battery and you could find yourself frequently jump-starting your vehicle, while shortening the life of both your alternator and your battery.
Optima was acquired by Johnson Controls in 2000. During their ownership of Optima, Johnson Controls has constantly sought out ways to make better batteries in the most efficient process possible. The batteries we are manufacturing today are the best we have ever made and many of the batteries returned to us now as being “bad” are simply deeply-discharged. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. We appreciate your interest in Optima Batteries!
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, Optima Batteries
