From: Battery, Odyssey [mailto
dysseybatteries@enersys.com]
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:44 AM
To: Thomas Phipps
Subject: ODYSSEY Inquiry
Good morning Thomas,
Let me tell you a little about the product and the maintenance requirements so that you can
share this information with other if we do have something that will work. I would need to know which OPTIMA model battery you or your group has been using to cross reference it to a similar sized ODYSSEY battery. Note: The original Optima wound thin plate technology originated with Gates manufacturing in 1973 and was transferred to and developed further in our Warrensburg manufacturing facility (now EnerSys) in 1983. That original wound technology was sold when the flat thin plate pure lead technology was developed in the early 90s. That original Optima technology was sold multiple times before finally being purchased by Johnson Controls and they have since moved Optima manufacturing to Mexico. The original Optima’s were a great product and did very well however we are getting more and more frequent calls from dissatisfied Optima customers that used to be diehard fans.
ODYSSEY batteries are AGM Lead Acid batteries however the TPPL (Thin Plate Pure Lead) technology requires that the batteries be maintained at a slightly higher voltage than other standard lead acid batteries on the market. Proper charge maintenance is critical to maximizing the life and performance of the ODYSSEY battery. ODYSSEY Battery 101…
Most conventional batteries are considered fully charged at 12.6-12.7V. The ODYSSEY TPPL AGM battery is not considered fully charged unless it has a resting voltage of at least 12.84V. The usable energy of the ODYSSEY battery is from 11.2V (0% state of charge) OCV to 12.84V OCV (Open Circuit Voltage should be checked after a minimum of 6-8 hours rest period with no loads). When the battery goes below 10.0V OCV it is over discharged and the battery voltage is are getting into the chemical part of the battery and can cause permanent damage. At less than 8.0V (less than 10.0V OCV as of the April 2014 warranty update) OCV the ODYSSEY limited warranty deems the battery over-discharged due to abuse or neglect (usually unintentional). The ODYSSEY charger/maintainer or any approved maintainer can maintain the ODYSSEY battery indefinitely in or out of the application provided it has enough charging current to counteract the parasitic loads of the application. If the battery becomes over-discharged (below 11.0V OCV) then the sooner the battery can be fully charged the better. If the battery remains connected to the application during storage or extended periods of non-use, to prevent over-discharge and maintain the battery at a full state of charge, an ODYSSEY program approved maintainer would be required and/or disconnecting the battery prevent over discharge. There is a link to a list of ODYSSEY approved 12V chargers located on the ODYSSEY website Product Support page for your reference.
http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/ODYSSEYapproved12VchargersOct2013.pdf.
The list of approved 12V chargers is provided due to the many chargers that are programmed for the vast majority of batteries on the market that prefer low amp charging and lower float voltages that do not fully charge or maintain the ODYSSEY battery properly. The minimum recommended charging current for an ODYSSEY battery is 40% of the 10 hour amp hour rating of the battery for cyclic or deep discharge applications (about 25A for a single 65Ah rated PC1500), a constant float voltage of 13.5-13.8V and no constant voltages exceeding 15.0V in any kind of de-sulfation/reconditioning/equalize mode. At greater than 15.0V the battery can overcharge, overheat, and/or go into thermal runaway. Maintaining any ODYSSEY battery at less than 13.5V will bring the battery down and maintain it in an undercharged condition causing sulfation and premature failure. This would not be considered a manufacturing defect failure.
For seasonal applications (non-daily use applications that set for more than 3 days in a row frequently) regular use of an approved maintainer that meets the charge voltage requirements noted in the previous paragraph is highly recommended during the season and/or a disconnect switch. The preferred storage method is to fully charge the battery before storing and disconnect the battery from the application (shelf storage mode). Stored in or out of the application with no loads, the battery would not require charging for up to 2 years at 77°F or until it reaches 12.0V, whichever comes first. The self discharge rate increases significantly for temperatures above 25°C (77°F) and for every 10°C (18°F) temperature increase the storage time to recharge is decreased by half. Charge maintenance is critical to maximizing the life and performance of the battery. Freezing will not harm the battery and self discharge rates reduce significantly at colder temperatures.
It is recommended that the ODYSSEY battery be charged if it is less than 12.65V (about 80% state of charge) when put into use per the ODYSSEY Owner’s Manual (link provided on website Literature page for your reference). Automotive alternators are meant to top off a slightly discharged battery and maintain a fully charged battery. Most standard alternators/stators are not meant to be deep discharge recovery chargers and can become damaged if consistently used like one as well as not fully charging the battery with limited use. A battery discharged to below 80% capacity may not reach a full state of charge, regardless of how long you drive the vehicle using a standard alternator. Typical alternators only run at full amp output for a very short period of time before reaching its charging voltage and dropping into a very low amp trickle charge.
Low amp trickle charging a discharged ODYSSEY battery is very inefficient and can contribute to the premature sulfation of the battery. Constant duty alternators have constant charging current that is high enough for a long enough period of time (when driven/ridden) to get the battery to a full state of charge efficiently. Once the battery is at a high state of charge (at least 85% SOC), an approved low amp trickle maintenance charging is able to complete charging process without prematurely sulfating the battery. The Cyclic Charge Voltage range printed on the top label of the battery is the recommended voltage at the battery from the applications charging system (alternator or stator). At less than 14.1V the battery may not be getting fully charged for infrequently used applications. You can verify the battery voltage by checking the voltage at the battery at least 8 hours after application use (or off charge) and if the battery voltage is not at least 12.84V then the battery is not considered fully charged. Voltage readings taken right off charge or after use (alternator/stator charging) will be inflated and inaccurate so for a true OCV reading, you should wait at least 8 hours before checking the voltage (OCV) with 24 hours being preferred.
Any lower amp (less the 25A for PC1500) charger that floats between 13.5-13.8V constant voltage at the battery and never exceeds a constant voltage of 15.0V in any kind of automatic reconditioning, equalize, de-sulfation mode can be used as a maintainer for the PC1500 series battery models provided the charging current is high enough to counteract the parasitic loads of the application and maintain the acceptable voltage in float mode at the battery. With proper charge maintenance, the battery should have a service life of 2-3 times that of the same sized (Ah rated) battery in the same application with the same usage.
The battery has an 8-12 design life and have been known to function successfully well past the design life of 12 years.
Thank you for contacting EnerSys/ODYSSEY. Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or need further assistance. Sincerely,
Kathy Mitchell
ODYSSEY Sales/Support Representative