Orbital spiral battery problems
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Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 36
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Orbital spiral battery problems
I went through my first Orbital spiral battery in two months and it was replaced by the store that I purchased it from. I am on my second one and if I don't drive the car within two weeks the battery goes dead. The battery that came with the car would never do that. Anyone with simular experiences or is this normal? Any coments would be apreciated.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,949
Likes: 10
From: Monticello MN
Originally Posted by VALL
I went through my first Orbital spiral battery in two months and it was replaced by the store that I purchased it from. I am on my second one and if I don't drive the car within two weeks the battery goes dead. The battery that came with the car would never do that. Anyone with simular experiences or is this normal? Any coments would be apreciated.
I've had my Orbital for 4 1/2 years and it's never missed a beat. The car has sat for fairly long periods of time and the battery has never died. However, I've heard of dead batteries after sitting for prolonged periods with several different brands.
Ed
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,482
Likes: 0
From: Worden Illinois
Originally Posted by VALL
I went through my first Orbital spiral battery in two months and it was replaced by the store that I purchased it from. I am on my second one and if I don't drive the car within two weeks the battery goes dead. The battery that came with the car would never do that. Anyone with simular experiences or is this normal? Any coments would be apreciated.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Ohio
I've had my orbital for about 14 months --no problems and the car may sit for 2 weeks or more at times. You may want to make sure you don't have a higher than normal draw when car is off and that your charging system is OK.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
this would be the first reported forum problems with the Exide. That doesn't mean you don't have a bad one... but since these have (up to this point) been perfect, you might look at something in the car that's drawing current with the key off (that shouldn't be).
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To learn more about the nature of AGM batteries you might want to go here... http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Bat...at%20Batteries
Here is just a little of what is there...
AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries
A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. One make of AGM is the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. Most AGM batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the standard flooded deep cycle battery. AGM's will cost 2 to 3 times as much as flooded batteries of the same capacity. In many installations, where the batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. AGM batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes, Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive most freezes. Not everyone needs these features.
Some AGM's currently available are the Optima, Orbital and Concorde. However as the last sentence says above, Not everyone needs these features...
Good luck... GUSTO
Here is just a little of what is there...
AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries
A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. One make of AGM is the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. Most AGM batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
Even with all the advantages listed above, there is still a place for the standard flooded deep cycle battery. AGM's will cost 2 to 3 times as much as flooded batteries of the same capacity. In many installations, where the batteries are set in an area where you don't have to worry about fumes or leakage, a standard or industrial deep cycle is a better economic choice. AGM batteries main advantages are no maintenance, completely sealed against fumes, Hydrogen, or leakage, non-spilling even if they are broken, and can survive most freezes. Not everyone needs these features.
Some AGM's currently available are the Optima, Orbital and Concorde. However as the last sentence says above, Not everyone needs these features...
Good luck... GUSTO