LSUMatt1514

My stock battery is still ticking along just fine, but I'm looking for something with a little more power. I've got an 800W inverter in my truck that I use during football season. I usually only run a 20" TV off of the inverter, but do so with the truck off. I can only get about 30 minutes out of it before the low voltage alarm in the inverter and in my digital voltmeter in my dash start beeping. It's then a mad dash to the driver's seat to get it cranked so that it can charge back up. At that point, I usually just let the thing idle for a long while, sometimes for the rest of the time we're watching TV. I stopped by a local car stereo shop this weekend and he told me about a new technology that they are using called "Batt Caps." Basically it's short for battery capacitor. You daisy chain three of them in series in the same spot that your battery sits, and they hold a charge much longer and then recharge very, very quickly even when the voltage gets really low. Problem is they are $175 a piece and like I said, I'd need three of them. Not gonna happen. What battery would ya'll recommend? I know there's a lot of Optima fans on here, but is an Optima ideal for running the accessory lighting and stereo equipment that I've got while driving and then powering the inverter when the truck is off? Thanks guys. Later.

Matt

Beartracker

Why not hook up two batteries? Mike

Localmotion

ditto...dual optimas...lol

LSUMatt1514

Well, I skimmed through Optimas website for a couple of minutes and I did not realize that the Blue Top was a marine battery. I found this thread on Yotatech that I'm going to read through it a little more in depth tomorrow....

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...ghlight=Optima

My question is are there any issues in using a marine battery in a truck? Do the Optimas recharge as quickly as a normal wet cell battery and will they run accessories (ie a TV) a lot longer than the stockie that's in there now?

Matt

LSUMatt1514

I definitely don't have the cash (or the time to install) two of them but I do remember seeing a guy on here with a sweet two battery setup.

Matt

Localmotion

yea i know what you mean. I believe waskilly has them on his 1st gen.

ldivinag

yes, you have to keep your vehicle in the water more...


quicker? hmmmm... dont know.

your issue that you use the batt when the engine aint running.

that is the reason to go dual batts. make the second batt a yellow or even the blue topper. your primary batt should not be touched when then engine is running and powering your aux equipment.

but doing all this brings in all sorts of newer "problems"...

may i suggest a gas powered generator?

DavidA

Batt Caps are just capacitors I believe....they store voltage for a short time. I suspect that they are standard stiffening capacitors used similary in audio applications. I know that all capacitors that I know about are used to store voltage for very short periods. I don't know how they would store voltage for more than a few mins. If you have more info it would be appreciated.

Dual battery with isolator would seem to be the ideal solution to me. Or get a smaller TV. Actually an LCD TV would pull 1/3 the wattage. Good excuse to get one.


Just my 2 cents.

LSUMatt1514

I can get the yellow top from Batteries Plus here in Birmingham for $100 plus tax after my Southern Company employee discount. I think if I swap it out, I'm gonna go with the yellow instead of the blue. Thoughts?

Matt

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

To run dual batteries ain't cheap, but I got triple batteries, so it is $$$.

http://www.drawhorn.org/dual_batteries.htm

You can just use the kit I got and run duals easy. Anybody who can tie their shoes can do it...easy installation. I wouldn't get a blue for cranking as that is a deep cycle marine battery and you might regret that this winter. Get a Red/Yellow Optima for your cranker and then a Yellow/Blue for your drainer. The system in the right mode won't let your dual drain your main battery. A well done dual batt system is well worth the extra money. You wouldn't want to miss those tailgate ballgames because you were a cheap now would you?

I'll be glad to answer any particulars, but the Painless kit and the Optimas are the way to do it and do it right IMO.