Quote:
Originally Posted by nusslejj
We don't do dry camping, so I don't need massive reserve, but do need to replace the batteries that came with our 2015 SOlera, as they are shot. The first owner was not aware of the problem boiling them off and letting them run dry down to the plates. With the AGM's I don't need to worry about that, and I also upgraded the Power Converter by adding the 'Wizard' - which makes it a bit smarter when charging.
I found the 34MAGM's at Sams Club for $119. They are lighter and smaller, save me $120, and fit in the stair well nicely. I am aware they don't have the reserve capacity that I had, but I don't use them that way
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I don't know if the yellow-top deep cycle Optima battery is the same type of battery, but I had one on a Sears 60A Fully Automatic battery charger. It was an older model from 1997, so I don't think it supported AGM batteries, but I figured it would be OK. But this was in the late 90's so I don't know if there were any chargers that specifically supported AGM at the time.
I left it charging for about an hour and came back to check on it. The battery was literally boiling and you could see it venting acid straight up from the battery! I shut it off right away and the battery was very hot to the touch! The acid ended up all over the bottom of my car hood and, even doing a thorough job cleaning up the acid with baking soda, it still managed to eventually rust a little bit.
So, thinking a Optima was safe to charge, it still managed to overheat and boil. I'd recommend being careful to make sure that doesn't happen to you.