17 Jan 11, 04:58 pm
that's kinda bogus about the yellow tops I think.
I have winched with no tires touching ground (high centered) for an hour once. also my yellow top sat in storage for 3 years, took a charge and has worked well up here without batting an eye.
guess we'll now have a testimony on ABS batteries! =)[COLOR="Silver"]
---------- Post added at 03:58 pm ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 pm ----------
[/COLOR]I snagged this off AK 4x4 network from "Optima Jim"
..."checking your key-off load and considering a quick disconnect for your batteries. If you are leaving your BlueTop sit at 12.3 volts, you are allowing your sulfation to diminish both the capacity and lifespan of your batteries. Fully-charged, 34M BlueTops should measure approximately 12.6-12.8 volts. All other BlueTops should measure approximately 13.0-13.2 volts.
Fully charged, a RedTop battery (or 34M BlueTop with a dark gray case) is protected from freezing down to -50F, a YellowTop battery to -30F (or BlueTops with light gray cases). If the temperature gets colder than that, you should consider getting a battery warmer. If a battery has frozen in warmer temperatures, it is because the battery was not fully-charged. Frozen batteries should not be charged until they have been thawed and the case has been checked for cracks.
A 50 milliamp draw means a vehicle is discharging a battery at a rate of 1.2 amps (.050 x 24 hours) per day. If the Capacity rating is 68 amps. This means the battery will be dead (0% state of charge), if it sits for 56.6 days (68/1.2) without any charge going to the battery. These calculations assume the battery is fully-charged when it is parked (most are not) and does not take into consideration climate, which can shorten (heat) or lengthen (moderate temps) these timeframes.
It should be noted that different vehicles will require a different minimum voltage to start, which probably is something above 0% state of charge. Using these numbers, if this vehicle only drew 25 milliamps, it could sit for about four months before the battery died. If it was drawing 100 milliamps, like the Jeep you mentioned, the battery could be dead in under a month.
It's also worth mentioning that even if a vehicle does not sit long enough to completely discharge the battery (for example, 1 month in the above 50 milliamp calculation), this repeated partial discharge, and the sulfation that will be caused by the battery resting in a discharged state, will cause long term reductions in performance and life. This is why we emphasize the importance of maintaining at least 12.4 volts and recommend a maintenance charger for any vehicle that is not used regularly. "
I have winched with no tires touching ground (high centered) for an hour once. also my yellow top sat in storage for 3 years, took a charge and has worked well up here without batting an eye.
guess we'll now have a testimony on ABS batteries! =)[COLOR="Silver"]
---------- Post added at 03:58 pm ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 pm ----------
[/COLOR]I snagged this off AK 4x4 network from "Optima Jim"
..."checking your key-off load and considering a quick disconnect for your batteries. If you are leaving your BlueTop sit at 12.3 volts, you are allowing your sulfation to diminish both the capacity and lifespan of your batteries. Fully-charged, 34M BlueTops should measure approximately 12.6-12.8 volts. All other BlueTops should measure approximately 13.0-13.2 volts.
Fully charged, a RedTop battery (or 34M BlueTop with a dark gray case) is protected from freezing down to -50F, a YellowTop battery to -30F (or BlueTops with light gray cases). If the temperature gets colder than that, you should consider getting a battery warmer. If a battery has frozen in warmer temperatures, it is because the battery was not fully-charged. Frozen batteries should not be charged until they have been thawed and the case has been checked for cracks.
A 50 milliamp draw means a vehicle is discharging a battery at a rate of 1.2 amps (.050 x 24 hours) per day. If the Capacity rating is 68 amps. This means the battery will be dead (0% state of charge), if it sits for 56.6 days (68/1.2) without any charge going to the battery. These calculations assume the battery is fully-charged when it is parked (most are not) and does not take into consideration climate, which can shorten (heat) or lengthen (moderate temps) these timeframes.
It should be noted that different vehicles will require a different minimum voltage to start, which probably is something above 0% state of charge. Using these numbers, if this vehicle only drew 25 milliamps, it could sit for about four months before the battery died. If it was drawing 100 milliamps, like the Jeep you mentioned, the battery could be dead in under a month.
It's also worth mentioning that even if a vehicle does not sit long enough to completely discharge the battery (for example, 1 month in the above 50 milliamp calculation), this repeated partial discharge, and the sulfation that will be caused by the battery resting in a discharged state, will cause long term reductions in performance and life. This is why we emphasize the importance of maintaining at least 12.4 volts and recommend a maintenance charger for any vehicle that is not used regularly. "
![[-]](http://www.arcticoffroad.com/images/collapse.png)