charging a Optima battery

[Brendan]

do I charge my Optima battery the same way I charge my lead acid batterys? I heard that they don't take a charge very good

[Merc Cruzer]

I use Battery Tenders 24/7. I have both a 12 volt in my wifes 70 Cougar XR-7 (8 years now) and a 6 volt in my 53 Merc (4 years now ) no issues ever.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

There is a special battery charger that is used on AGM battery. Before I had one, I used a regular charger and fooled the Optima by using jumper cable on it to a regular lead acid battery and connected the battery charger leads to the jumper cable clamps. It worked well and satisfies Optima's engineers.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Brendan

do I charge my Optima battery the same way I charge my lead acid batterys? I heard that they don't take a charge very good

NO

This is from their web site,

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. In those instances, it may be necessary to follow the parallel charging instructions described elsewhere in this FAQ.


Here is the complete site,

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/support/faqs

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

I got this method off the internet: And i has worked very well even on old dead ones etc...


Hook a regular lead acid battery to the optima battery with jumper cables and use a quality car battery charger ( not the small box low amp units) and charge at max charging rates for some time.
The lead acid battery seems to take some of the load off the optima. I have even done this to a so called defective optima unit and it revived it from the dead....

[Joe K]

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Having just placed my order for an Optima to go in the wife's Prius last night this has become of concern...

This from the website above:

Do I need a special charger for my OPTIMA® battery?
Both the OPTIMA® Chargers Digital 400 & Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer enhance the performance of OPTIMA and other AGM batteries, recover deeply discharged batteries and extend 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. In those instances, it may be necessary to follow the parallel charging instructions described elsewhere in this FAQ.

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.

My old school Sears 6 amp battery charger (no AGM ability or protection to the battery OR charger beyond low ampacity) seems to not be disqualified by this descriptor. I can see that the "self-protecting" chargers now mostly available MIGHT have an issue at low voltages for the Optima.

We went through this "parallel" method once with a highly depleted AGM battery and a "new world" battery charger at the Farm. One of the reasons I'm not a fan of AGM normally. And there is something very FUNDAMENTAL about being able to use a hydrometer to see battery condition - I'm fundamental too I guess.

My wife calls it simple. It is what it is.

Joe K

[peewee2you]

Really, buy a battery and got go thru all this fuss to charge it? Vintage/Classic cars ol Henry didn't have all this trouble, should have stayed on the road. Don't go chang'n....

[jkeesey]

Unless the Optima is COMPLETELY dead the normal chargers seem to work fine. I have 2 "bad" ones I use a shop batteries.

[JEC]

Probably wrong; but I think that the Optima has a fuse built in to it that can go if it is charged at a to high of a rate.
I bought one for an old Porsche 356 and when I got it home it had a open circuit Probably a return that someone had overcharged. I went back and they ordered a new one that was still working 12 years later when I sold the car. I used a battery tender on it all of those years so it was never subjected to a high charge rate charger.
I used the Optima because of the lack of corrosion and its low internal resistance which increases starting current. In the 356 the battery sits on sheet metal in the nose of the car and will rust thru in a heart beat. The engine is at the other end and any reduction of resistance in the circuit is a plus.

[antiquepa]

I Was told by an optima rep. that an optima battery should be charged off another 6 volt battery if the voltage on the battery is too low, it will not charge from a regular charger..this came from an authorized optima representive....!! Just my 2 cents!!

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by JEC

Probably wrong; but I think that the Optima has a fuse built in to it that can go if it is charged at a to high of a rate. . .

No fuse. Fuses are not one-way devices like diodes, capable of working on charge but not discharge. If there were an internal fuse it would need a rating at least equal to the CCA rating of the battery, likely several hundred amps. I suppose if you had a charger capable of delivering 500+ amps you could melt off (fuse) the internal cell connectors on a small battery like the optima. When I say small battery I mean compared to, say, a fork lift battery.

You can melt (fuse) internal cell connections resulting in an open circuit failure on many fully charged auto batteries by directly shorting across the posts with a very heavy shunt for an extended time, usually more than 30 seconds.