AGM Batteries and Desulphators
I have been using Optima Red Top size 34/78 starting batteries in my coach and after 57 months they were getting weak. Initial CCA for this battery is 800. Load test for one was 278 CCA and 128 for the other after 6 weeks of being on a float charger and a Whizbang Plus attached to each battery and batteries wired in parallel. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong so I emailed Whizbang and here is my email and the answer.
I have 3 Whizbang plus desulfators. I have two sets of batteries in my motorhome and both are two batteries wired in parallel. One set is Optima redtop size 34/78. Does each battery need its own desulfator or is one enough? I had 2 desulfators on the Optimas (one per battery) for 6 weeks and they have not improved much. Load test is about 25% of rated cranking amps for both.
Same question for the house batteries which are MK 8G8D, a much larger gell battery. I have not used a desulfator on the house batteries yet as they seem to be very good for 5.5 years of age, and I am waiting to see if there is any improvement with the start batteries.
The Optima's are typically not very good candidates for recovery due to the method they are constructed with. When lead sulfate is formed between the layers of the glass mat material it will cause cracking/tearing within the mat material. The lead sulfate has very likely been removed from your batteries after 6 weeks of application, however the internally short glass mat material is not repairable. I would also search the web for "Optima Red leakage" as so many of these batteries are catching fire and leaking around the terminals that so many people have posted pictures of the damaged caused by these batteries. (some are rather expensive cars as well)
The 8D's are a very robust battery and they recover very well with the use of a desulfator. As long as your batteries are wired in parallel and are next to each other one desulfator will work up to about 1000 amp hours of battery storage. You can attach more than one desulfator to a large bank of batteries with[out] risking damage to either the desulfator or the batteries. Our product is designed to automatically adjust to the demand of lead sulfate within your battery and provide the best pulse needed to remove the lead sulfate.
The gel or flooded batteries will work the best at recovery, with the glass mat design results are rather hit or miss with the very common type of damage that occurs within. I hope this information has helped.
Since I sent the email, I have also discovered that my MK house batteries are not 8G8D gell, but 8A8D AGM. They have no label with a model number, but the AGM has a black top and the Gel a grey top. Discovering this is a bit of a bummer, but they seem to be okay after 5.5 years.
I now have to buy 2 new starting batteries. I think I should stick with a Gel or AGM battery so that the charging is similar to the house batteries I have. I'm leaning toward Optima Yellow Top. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Topic: AGM Batteries and Desulphators