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06-11-2019, 03:34 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Albany New York
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Charging a 6V Optima battery
Does anyone know the correct way to charge a 6 volt Optima battery ?
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06-11-2019, 04:06 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: May 2015
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Optima website > https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-u.../charging-tips
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The only thing nice about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.... "Silver rings, your butt! Them's washers!" "We shot our way out of that town for a dollar's worth of steel holes!" - from 'The Wild Bunch' - 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NReUd2_0u0 |
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06-11-2019, 04:10 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: May 2010
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Wal Mart has a good charger and battery maintainer for 15 dollars. Is now a Wal Mart branded item but used to be Schaurer (sp?)
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06-11-2019, 05:27 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
A week ago, I left the door open on my '51 for several days, and the pillar lights ran my Optima down. I put a regular charger on it overnight, and the next morning it was fine. I have had Optima's (2) in the car for over 20 years and always treated them like regular lead/acid batteries (which they are).
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06-11-2019, 06:26 PM | #5 |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
They are AGM not lead/acid. AGMs like a little higher charge voltage than lead acid batteries but a standard charger is fine. Many of these chargers have an AGM selection on them for this reason.
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06-11-2019, 06:55 PM | #6 |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
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06-11-2019, 08:05 PM | #7 | |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Quote:
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06-11-2019, 08:11 PM | #8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
I have also had a battery tender go bad. It happened on a boat battery several years ago and did the same thing. I believe it was a "Schauer". I contacted the manufacturer and they sent me a new one and told me just to throw the old one away. Ever since then, I have been wary of battery tenders, as you have know way to tell if they're bad or not. What I do these days when I want to leave batteries on tenders all winter is to plug them into a cheap timer, available at K-Mart, Wal Mart, etc. I set the timers to go on 15 minutes a day. That way, the batteries get charged without the chance of boiling one because of a bad maintainer.
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06-11-2019, 08:15 PM | #9 |
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Delanco, New Jersey
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Use Battery Tender Plus (1.25ma) same battery over 10 years. Over winter I pull the clock fuse when charging.
Tom |
06-11-2019, 10:33 PM | #10 | |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Quote:
Last edited by philipswanson; 06-11-2019 at 10:49 PM. |
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06-11-2019, 11:09 PM | #11 |
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
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06-11-2019, 11:34 PM | #12 |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
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06-12-2019, 08:46 AM | #13 |
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Join Date: Feb 2011
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Fellas, it's just not worth getting into an argument over. Our batteries are AGM (absorbed glass mat) lead-acid batteries. They can be treated and charged just like a regular flooded lead-acid battery in most situations. Where we see most folks run into issues is when they either confuse them with gel batteries or use "gel" or "Gel/AGM" charger settings, which may not fully-charge non-gel batteries and could damage them over time. It is frustrating to see so many chargers with gel or the confusing "gel/AGM" settings, when it seems like the vast majority of chargers are being used in automotive applications and I have yet to see a gel battery in any car.
Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries |
06-12-2019, 10:14 AM | #14 |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Amen!
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06-12-2019, 10:42 AM | #15 |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
To the last two posters. While I am all for "peace and harmony" on the board, I don't believe it is more important than posting correct information. When "phillipswanson" posted "They are AGM not lead/acid." he posted incorrect information. I felt that it should be pointed out as incorrect so as not to mislead the O/P. In the future, if I see incorrect information being posted, I will continue to call it out. If that bothers some of you, so be it.
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06-12-2019, 11:42 AM | #16 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: on the Littlefield
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
I have revived dead optima batteries with old stupid charger after modern charger with special settings failed---- the old chargers don't think about it, or what kind of battery, they just charge
I have also charged a totally dead optima by driving--- the A just has a cutout, only max amps are regulated---volts will adjust to the needs -had to hand crank to get it started, half hour drive and the battery was up enough to start the car Many of the methods are work around for tricking modern "smart" battery chargers into doing what they should know how to do |
06-12-2019, 03:18 PM | #17 | |
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Quote:
If that bothers you, so be it. Last edited by philipswanson; 06-13-2019 at 11:00 AM. |
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06-16-2019, 10:00 PM | #18 |
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 60
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
Tubman you are right ... the Optima is a lead acide battery. However Optima modifies the chemistry to allow for the reduced liquid mobility in the mat construction. And that chemistry modification requires a higher cell voltage. The normal 2.1v/cell of a conventional lead acid does NOT 100% charge in an Optima. Read the fine print on the Optima technical site.
But yes you were right. Sorta - maybe 80% |
06-22-2019, 06:08 PM | #19 |
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Gaylord, Michigan
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
The battery tender is Schumacher and I have several on my cars. They work perfect for years on all mine including the Optima i bought a year ago
Mike |
06-22-2019, 06:27 PM | #20 |
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Bonita, CA
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Re: Charging a 6V Optima battery
But yes you were right. Sorta - maybe 80%[/QUOTE]
No, he was dead wrong. Optima batteries are AGM and not flooded lead acid batteries. Two wrongs don't make a right. 100% |
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