PETEPONTIAC-1 Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Is it okay to keep my Optima 6 volt BATTERY on a battery tender until spring ? I also have my other batteries from my lawn tractor , ATV on a battery tender. Is this okay to maintain my battery life ? Thank you PP-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHWINCVAP Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 (edited) yes, in fact they recommend it. https://www.optimabatteries.com/support/-in-category/categories/support/maintenance-storage Edited November 27, 2021 by BHWINCVAP (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Put it on a timer for one hour a day with the trickle charger.......... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Str8-8-Dave Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 This is one place where new technology is vastly superior to the old way. For years I religiously stored batteries disconnected and trickle charged with a conventional charger. Batteries lasted for a few years that way. The Optima battery is an Absorbed Glass Matt sealed battery that is much more durable than a conventional lead acid, for one thing the electrolyte doesn't boil off into the atmosphere. The lead acid non-sealed battery that came with my 12 year old Kubota side by side ATV is original and was used to start the beast a half dozen times over the summer when we were at the cottage, then left unattended on the battery tender for 7 months over winter. That battery still starts the diesel Kubota beast with a vengeance. I have added a few ounces of distilled water to it exactly once. The battery in my 31 Buick is a NAPA commercial truck battery that is conventional wet acid and it is now 4 years old and the only time it isn't on the battery tender is when the car is run for a half hour or so several times in the summer when weather is warm enough to circulate the 15W40 oil in it's belly. I keep checking and so far have never topped it up. Battery Tenders are far superior to conventional chargers because the Battery Tender constantly cycles the battery besides charging it and only charges when it detects the battery has fallen below ideal float voltage. It is a "smart charger". Conventional trickle chargers do not measure battery voltage at all and if forgotten can overcharge a battery and eventually destroy it. For the most part they are also cheaper than a good trickle charger. I have bought several Deltran Battery Tenders on E-bay, 12 volt versions for around $35-40, I bought one 6 volt battery tender for the Buick and it was around $25. The 12 volt versions come with a hardshell connecter with connectible alligator clips and a pigtail harness that can be permanently installed on a battery. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 I like maintainers. I also used to use a trickle charger with a timer, although probably with less "on" time than Ed. That works fine, particularly if you have a trickle charger laying around. It's getting near Christmas and this is a good time of year to find timers on sale. I don't believe true "maintainers" run at float voltage. Float charging is a whole different idea, used in battery backup systems where 100% of the battery's capacity must be available at all times. The voltage is fairly high and it is hard on batteries, although Optima's specs suggest they may be a little more tolerant of float charging than a conventional battery. A true maintainer should let the battery discharge a little, then come on to bring it back up. They are usually little teeny things. They don't really need any charge current to speak of because you are starting with a fully charged battery normally. I have one from Amazon that does 6 and 12 volt. It works great. I leave it on a 6 volt conventional battery all winter. I'll replace that battery with an Optima when it dies, but it's about 6 years old and showing no signs of weakness. I think the maintainer treats it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 (edited) I like the timer because it causes the trickle charger to test the battery every day and decide to charge or not, only for an hour. Works fine for the 18 cars I have in my care, of which 15 are Optima and three are lead acid. I got 12 years out of my last Napa lead acid battery on my Pierce 12. Optima products have gone down hill since they started making them in Mexico, and l have had failures in two to six years on 20 percent of the units. Edited November 29, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 (edited) 10 minutes ago, edinmass said: I like the timer because it causes the trickle charger to test the battery every day and decide to charge or not, only for an hour. Oh so you must be using a maintainer on the timer? I like that idea. When I was doing that I was literally using a "dumb" trickle charger. It would charge no matter what. I think I had it set for two or three hours once a week. Edited November 29, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 20 minutes ago, Bloo said: Oh so you must be using a maintainer on the timer? I like that idea. When I was doing that I was literally using a "dumb" trickle charger. It would charge no matter what. I think I had it set for two or three hours once a week. Yes...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin25 Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 I had been using a CTEK UC800 6 volts which is no longer made (called today to Ctek) What are you using to maintain your 6 volts Optima RedTop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 I use one similar to this on my six volt Optima. Smart chargers these days will figure out what the voltage is. After a full charge I limit my tenders etc. to one hour a day via timers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 On 6/24/2022 at 4:25 AM, Franklin25 said: What are you using to maintain your 6 volts Optima RedTop? I use a noco charger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin25 Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Which one of the Noco are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 1 hour ago, Franklin25 said: Which one of the Noco are you using? Genius10au NOCO GENIUS10AU, 10-Amp... https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08D6W3K1L?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin25 Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 Thank you!Which one of the Noco are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert G. Smits Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 The 6v in my 32 Cadillac was purchased in 2012 and has been on a Battery Tender since new. Still works fine but I am not holding my breath. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 6 hours ago, Robert G. Smits said: The 6v in my 32 Cadillac was purchased in 2012 and has been on a Battery Tender since new. Still works fine but I am not holding my breath. I have a pair of Optima 6-Volt in parallel - so still 6 Volt, but increased amperage in our 1941 Cadillac- probably 10 - 12 years now, and doing just fine. My unit of choice was the Tender, but now use the little Schumacher 6/12 volt automatic for many of our cars while stored (bought a bunch of them on special), and agree with my friend, Mr. Smits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin25 Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Do you no how many amps your Schumacher 6/12 volt automatic is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 (edited) delete duplicate entry Edited July 10, 2022 by Marty Roth delete duplicate entry (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 15 hours ago, Franklin25 said: Do you no how many amps your Schumacher 6/12 volt automatic is? My 6/12 volt automatic Schumacher battery maintainers are a 1 Amp model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin25 Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Thank you for this Marty André Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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