Thread: Optima D34 Yellow top or SSB DryCell HVT-50D AGM

Originally Posted by Milton477

I have got a dead 2 year old SSB battery. It's mate in parallel is an Optima & while tired, has outlasted the SSB by 2 years. Maybe they didn't like each other.

Hi Milton, can you tell us how you have been using and maintaining your setup prior to the failure?

Originally Posted by Milton477

I have got a dead 2 year old SSB battery. It's mate in parallel is an Optima & while tired, has outlasted the SSB by 2 years. Maybe they didn't like each other.

Yep, although the current Optimas aren’t what the early ones were, I still get 5 years from them. I use the D31M Bluetop as a starter though. I’ll replace it with another D31M Bluetop. I run that parallel with an isolated Lifeline 150AH Deepcycle.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi Milton, can you tell us how you have been using and maintaining your setup prior to the failure?

Your SC80 DBS Drivesafe.
I have a Victron Smart Shunt monitoring comings & goings into the dual battery system.

Mainly long trips with a 40l Engel set to freeze in the D4. Overnight stops with fridge still on freeze.
When stopped for any length of time & on power, D4 with fridge in is plugged into caravan via the Anderson on the towbar & D4 batteries are kept at 13.2V courtesy of LifePo4 system in van.

Occasionally use a 200W solar panel & Victron Controller to maintain D4 batteries & run Engel if no mains power is available. When at home & no fridge in D4, maintained using solar panel & Victron.

I am fitting 2 new SSB's tomorrow. Maybe I'll have better luck with a matched pair of SSB's. I tried a pair of Optimas & that failed.

Hi again Milton and all sounds fine and it is strange that only one battery fails, regardless of type.

Is it the auxiliary battery in each case the battery that failed and if so, how low do you discharge the auxiliary battery when running the fridge?

I don't generally get lower than 12V Drivesafe.
The first Optima that failed, had a severely buckled yellow top so I changed it for the SSB as a precaution although it still seemed ok.
The SSB however has failed catastrophically. It takes whatever charge you give it & then gives nothing back. Overnight it was flattening it's mate the Optima & the cranking battery to the point where I got the low battery message on the dash.
I have changed the cranking battery too (for the 2nd time since new) as a precaution so will have 3 new batteries.

Hi Milton and sounds like the SSB dropped a cell.

While not that unusual years ago, it is somewhat unusual these days.

I take it it was out of warranty?

Well after 5 months away working in SA and the D4 left in the shed and not used during that time, the cranking battery was down to about 5 volts (not even enough to unlock the car doors - had to use the manual key in the passenger's door so I could get at the bonnet release). The Full River aux battery was fully charged though, so I tried clicking the little switch on the Traxide box that I always thought allowed me to "jump" using both batteries. No such luck. So I disconnected the cranking battery and put a CTek charger on it overnight - back to full charge and started without problem the next morning. Then just had to remember how to set the "auto-up" on the windows, re-set the clock and all back to normal. Bloody miserable and wet in Kalgoorlie at the moment though.

So now I'm left wondering - what does the little toggle switch that comes as part of the Traxide set-up actually do. I believe some people run the wire through and mount this switch inside the car - mine is in a plastic bag up inside the other plastic box on the right side of the firewall under the bonnet.

Was nice to be back behind the wheel of a decent vehicle again though after 5 months of driving mostly Toyotas.

IMG_2046.jpg

Originally Posted by BMKal

Well after 5 months away working in SA and the D4 left in the shed and not used during that time, the cranking battery was down to about 5 volts (not even enough to unlock the car doors - had to use the manual key in the passenger's door so I could get at the bonnet release). The Full River aux battery was fully charged though, so I tried clicking the little switch on the Traxide box that I always thought allowed me to "jump" using both batteries. No such luck. So I disconnected the cranking battery and put a CTek charger on it overnight - back to full charge and started without problem the next morning. Then just had to remember how to set the "auto-up" on the windows, re-set the clock and all back to normal. Bloody miserable and wet in Kalgoorlie at the moment though.

So now I'm left wondering - what does the little toggle switch that comes as part of the Traxide set-up actually do. I believe some people run the wire through and mount this switch inside the car - mine is in a plastic bag up inside the other plastic box on the right side of the firewall under the bonnet.

Was nice to be back behind the wheel of a decent vehicle again though after 5 months of driving mostly Toyotas.

IMG_2046.jpg

Hi and the Jump Start feature will NOT work if the cranking battery is below 10v.

This is a safety parameter to protect against accidentally linking the auxiliary battery to a dead short somewhere on the cranking battery side of the USI-160 isolator.