OK. New Optima Red Top. What will keep it alive?

I bought a Red Top in March of 2010, and it died 18 months later. I tried to recharge it by running it on my 130A alternator for a couple hours, and then keeping it alive with a 2A computerized trickle charger, then today after 3 months on a charger. DEAD.

I took it in, and O'Reilly declared it dead, and gave me a free replacement (can't complain about the warranty!).

So, did I do something wrong, or was this just a faulty battery?

Is there a special procedure I need to follow to keep it alive longer than 18 months?

 

Best thing to do.......... DRIVE IT.

Or if you dont drive it then disconnect it and leave it on a battery maintaining computerized charger.

 

optima now makes there own battery charger. a battery tender is supposed to work well also

 

I lost interest in the car for a while...bought a boat. But trying to regain my interest and spend more time behind the wheel, and under them...

 

I have read that the quality of the Optima has gone down hill since it has been out sourced. You could always put it in your boat but then that doesnt help you much getting back into your car

 

The Optima battery is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Matte) battery. They will not charge correctly on a normal battery charger. They need a pulse charger to charge them. They are getting less expensive to buy. Other than that, keeping them charged by driving them is the best way to keep them alive.

Here is what happens inside the battery. As the battery is used it will build up deposits on the lead plates. In a normal battery that has free flowing acid solution around the plates the buildup falls off to the bottom of the cell. In an AGM battery it cant go anywhere due to the fact that the acid is suspended in a matrix. The pulse charger actually disrupts the buildup so the battery lasts longer. I have personally taken a AGM battery (12V 1300A Military battery for a MRAP) that had .3 Volts and was discarded for bad and charged it for 24 hours using the proper charger. The end result was a battery that had 12.6 Volts and 1050A and was returned to service. I did this to show the unit that by purchasing the proper charger they could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run buy just having the correct charger.

Just a side note: Lots of people refer to them as "Gel Cell" Batteries. They are not. They have acid in them just like a normal lead acid battery but it is suspended in a matrix that resembles Fiberglas insulation. This makes them very desirable for military and rough service use.

 

I use "AGM" batteries in certain gate operators I install. They do require a specific type of charger. The Gel battery does also. The main reason I like the AGM battery is because it is non spillable. Otherwise to me a battery is a battery..

 

Where to buy a pulse charger?

 

Not sure about "pulse" charging.. The operators I get come with either the charger or a solar regulator.
Here's a charger I found doing a quick search..
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...442299?cm_mmc=Aggregates-_-BECOME-_-Batteries

 

I never had a problem charging a Red Top with a cheap battery charger. Put it on 2A for 18 hours and it's charged. My son killed my Yellow Top with his sound system...recharged it the same as I did the Red Top. Both batteries are about 5 years old.

 

A big advantage of the AGM batts is the storage ability Scoop. They dont lose the charge at the rate of standard lead acid batt. Just make sure your car doesnt have any ignition off draw if its sits for weeks. Disconnect your neg terminal and you shouldnt have any issues with the battery. You just got a bad one would be my guess. They just arent made as well as they used to be. I have commercial customers that have gotten away from Optimas after many years. They use the Carquest AGM batts now and so far they seem to have less failures. I have one in my car and its incredible. Just unhook my Neg terminal and it sits all Winter in the barn. Cranks over in Spring just like I parked it yesterday. No issues.

 

I have a kill switch that completely kills all electrical (until I put in a stereo, then I haven't decided how to keep the clock alive...).

I flip the kill switch every time i put the car up for the night.

I will do my best to just drive it more...

 

I had a similar situation with an Optima in the Mav. I left the lights on one day at work, tried to jump it and get it inside so I could charge the battery and it died only a week later after charging. I know now they require an AGM specific battery charger but I have had better luck driving the car at least once a week for more than 20 miles or just disconnecting the battery when it sits for longer, like Darren mentioned. Doing this, I've used the same one for 10 years.

 

My opinion only, but any battery brand can have failures. Any battery type can have failures. I'm not sure what is meant by a " pulse charger ", but since AC current changes phase and has 0 current at the median point, the end result in the rectified DC current, is that it is turned off and on 60 times a second. ( this is in the U.S., where we use 60 cycle AC ) To me, this is a " pulse ". I think the charging problem on AGM batteries is to high a current rate. I think if a trickle charger is used over a 24 -36 hr period, it would be fine. Someone who knows more about this is more than welcome to chime in! I'm interested too! By the way, I've heard good reports on these batteries.
http://www.odysseybattery.com/

 

http://www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/charging.php

The voltage is a biggie with these. They arent vented like a standard batt. A standard batt can vent off the gas when charging. An AGM cant do this. They are sealed but do have pressure reliefs built in. If an AGM vents due to over pressure you've damaged it. I've seen an Optima split the top and spew acid everywhere from the wrong charger.


http://www.midtronics.com/shop/prod...ronics-gr8-series-diagnostic-battery-chargers

We use this one at work. It monitors temps of battery also while charging.