I just got off the phone with the Wheel Chair battery engineers. I asked a lot of dumb questions but got some good answers. They are not in the Deep cycle battery business. They only make small gel and sla batteries.

I asked about the Optima battery. He said they have cut them apart and there is nothing special inside these batteries. He said it was typical construction for AGM type batteries. He also said it was overpriced for what you get.

He stated that their companies GEL battery sales was down (and never really took off). He stated that it was a real maintenance hog. He said you have to really stay on top of the gels so as not to damage them.

I asked him about Wal Mart batteries. He said it all depends on who gets the bid and contract to make the batteries. He said that is why sometimes you get good ones and sometimes not so good ones from Wal Wart.

I told him I had presently had Delcos and was thinking about getting Optimas. He said stick with the Delcos. He said the Optima would only outlast the Delcos 10 to 20 %. I asked him how he new all this. He said that that is his job to know these things. Good answer.

He told me that the charging amperage of a sla of gel battery is between 10 to 20 percent of the Ampere hour rating, preferably 10 %. He said you should never exceed the 20 % margin on any sealed battery. Boom!!! He emphasized that they are sealed. He said different type design batteries require different voltage charging levels over different times. He said if you got a gel, you should use a gel charger.

We talked about cranking batteries and why I am adding a battery for my electronic stuff. I want get into it as this is getting long winded. I will add the info if some is interested.

Just to share.

Tom