Just got my new optima battery and MAN does that think crank over an engine, however, the engines charging system is not hooked up right now. How should I charge it without damaging it? I have a 6 volt battery charger, but I have damaged batteries in the past by overcharging them. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
You have to hook a battery between the optima and charger for it to charge it wont charge straight off the charger. There is info on the net on how to do this
From their web site http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/support/faqs/ Most high-quality, modern battery chargers now have built-in features to charge AGM batteries like OPTIMA batteries. Some have specific AGM settings which should be used to charge an OPTIMA battery. Do not use gel or gel/AGM settings, as they will not fully charge an OPTIMA battery and could damage it over time. However, even some AGM-compatible chargers will not recharge deeply discharged (less than 10.5 volts) OPTIMA batteries. It may be necessary to follow the instructions provided in Section #3.
I,ve read all kinds of ways you can't charge one but I have a red top about 5 years old I use around the shop everyday and use it it to winch cars on my trailer. Used it today to try and start a car that won't start most of the day today. I charge it just like any other battery on a battery charger. They say not to??? But how can it be any different if a car alt. can charge it why can't a regular charger charge it.....
my car is 100% stock-generator and all-will treating this battery like a typical lead-acid battery damage it?
i have been using optima red top batteries for years with great success. my car sits for 4-5 months during the winter and sometimes 3-4 weeks at a time during the summer. i charge the battery periodicaly using a standard battery charger i bought from kmart. i can select the amps 2-10-40. i usually set it at 2 amps and set the timer for an hour and let it go. i have been doing this for years and have never had an optima battery fail prematurely.
I've charged red, yellow and blue tops for many years with different brand chargers. They all charged just fine. If you have a choice, select the slow charge setting on the charger.
i have a red top one for 10 years and i charge it with a charger with out any problems i have had it in a lot of cars with out any problems but i charge it at 6 am only for awily then 2 amps
i had my hot one time from chargeing it on to hight but it still good now i pay more clouse to it when im chargeing it
snap-on EEBC500 battery charger. I've seen it bring back many "dead" Optima's. Optima also makes their own "smart charger" but the snap-on has some other cool features. It will be the last charger you ever buy, unless you lend it to your buddy and he wont return it that is.
The guys are right, just treat it like a regular battery. That is all we do and we have two of them. Don
Except when it is fully discharged. Had one in mine- out in the middle of nowhere (out of state motel)- 2 month old Optima was dead as shit the next morning (wife left the key on & radio turned down low.) Car won't charge it- standard battery charger won't charge a dead one. Had to buy a cheapy to get home. They have a specific way to charge a dead one. Fuck that. Who's at home with a dead battery? I'm on the road! Lots of people love them though.
I keep my red-top Optima on a Battery Tender all the time when I'm not driving it. It seems to work fine as the Battery Tender "float" charges it, gets it up to optimal charge and maintains it without overcharging it.
I've always used a trickle charger and never an issue when I need to go anywhere after sitting for a period of time
Was a thread on here not long ago posted by someone who sold the optima battery. Gave good info from manufactur said to slow,charge the battery. Imthink the alternator maintains the charge in the battery but does not charge the battery. Something like that. Memory is not so good anymore. Iuse a trickle charger to maintain when not in use. Bought it after reading the thread and gave my big bad a charger to a volunteer fire dept.
<!-- -->From the horse's mouth: The OPTIMA<SUP>®</SUP> Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer enhances the performance of OPTIMA and other AGM batteries, recovers deeply discharged batteries and extends battery life. However, under normal vehicle starting applications, most regular automatic lead-acid battery chargers will properly charge an OPTIMA battery. However, since OPTIMA batteries are frequently used in high-performance applications or nonstandard vehicle starting applications, there are certain instances that must be given special considerations. An OPTIMA battery is an AGM battery, not a gel battery or regular flooded battery. A deeply discharged OPTIMA battery (less than 10.5 volts) will not test or recharge properly if treated as a gel battery or regular flooded battery. A handheld electronic battery tester will most likely provide inaccurate test results. An OPTIMA battery has the benefit of very low internal resistance, which allows high-amperage output as well as efficient charge acceptance. This benefit also allows an OPTIMA battery to run longer than its specified ratings and run to a lower voltage than typical flooded batteries. All of this can lead to confusion when it comes to recharging a deeply discharged OPTIMA. Most basic battery chargers have a built-in function to prevent charging a battery with less than 10.5 volts. If your OPTIMA battery is discharged below that, the battery charger may not start up. Most high-quality, modern battery chargers now have built-in features to charge AGM batteries like OPTIMA batteries. Some have specific AGM settings which should be used to charge an OPTIMA battery. Do not use gel or gel/AGM settings, as they will not fully charge an OPTIMA battery and could damage it over time. However, even some AGM-compatible chargers will not recharge deeply discharged (less than 10.5 volts) OPTIMA batteries. It may be necessary to follow the instructions provided in Section #3. For regular charging we recommend a maximum of 10-amps, 13.8-15.0 volts. For float charging, we recommend 1 amp maximum, 13.2-13.8 volts. Under normal (engine-starting) conditions, an OPTIMA battery should never experience “at-rest” voltages below 10.5 volts. In these applications, most 12 volt chargers (old or new) or alternators will sufficiently recharge an OPTIMA battery with at least 10.5 volts. Typically, we only see issues with charging when it relates to stand-alone deep-cycling applications or severely discharged OPTIMA batteries.
hell when i bought mine back in 07 i think, i didnt know it was suppose to be charged special. or with some high dollar charger. i just put that sucker on a car and away we went. its on a ot nova that gets started about every 4 -5 weeks if its lucky and been that way since it was put on. charge it with my roll around on 2 amps or jump it off with the booster.glad i didnt know all this then or it might not still work today..5 yrs now. not bad for treating it like a regular battery...
All fine & dandy at home in your garage. Now lets say you are out of town- alone w/ no other cars- & you get up in the morning to a dead battery. You could jump start the car calling a tow but their charger won't bring it back & your running car won't bring it back either. 6 or 7 years ago- Optimas were USA made- now made in Mexico. Just sayin'.
I've brought back a dead Optima by hooking up the charger to a good battery and connecting it to the Optima. Tried to charge the Optima direct and it wouldn't take a charge. So it does actually work. That was in the shop. As far as what you do out on the road, good luck.
My bad I was relying on info I got from HOT ROD magazine for a 12 volt optima battery discharged below 10.5 volts. I assumed if a 6 volt battery was discharged about 20% the same thing would be needed.
That's probably a good thing. Keeps the price down and quality up. Say what? Where is a low quality slacker more likely to get away with screwing up, Mexico where they'll fire the slacker in a heartbeat beacuse there's millions waiting to replace the slacker or a Union assembly line in Detroit? To continue this which is getting slightly off topic let's move it over to COMMUNITY/SOCIAL GROUPS/POLITICAL DISCUSSION
I trickle charge mine, battery is about 10 years old, car sits for months so I charge it every 6 months for one full day.
You can use a regular charger if it's not to low if to low or flat use a c-tec charger it uses a pulse to charge
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