6 volt optima battery

[31 LaSalle]

I have just purchased a optima battery to keep as a spare backup for my cars

my question is can I keep it on the shelf in my workshop without periodical charging it

how long does the battery shop keep them on the shelf and do they have to charge them

 

[BearsFan315]

i keep mine on a tender when not in use. have left it off for over a month no issues, but they do drain slowly. nothing like going to grab that spare/backup and it is dead or not enough juice to do its job.

 

just bought a new one other one is 8 years old and still working at 75%

Edited July 7, 2022 by BearsFan315 (see edit history)

[Curti]

I was told years ago to charge an optima (red top) thru another battery.

[West Peterson]

43 minutes ago, Curti said:

I was told years ago to charge an optima (red top) thru another battery.

You indeed need to be careful about charging, but modern chargers/tenders have the proper mode to charge Optimas.

Here is the Optima website which gives instructions: https://www.optimabatteries.com/charging

 

[BearsFan315]

YES i contacted OPTIMA about hte 6v Battery Tender Plus i have for my 1929 and they said excellent choice. as it have 4 step charging for AGM batteries  

as you need to KNOW the TYPE of battery to get the correct CHARGER  the red top is NOT a GEL it is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat)

[34CR12]

As far as I know a modern automatic computerized automotive battery charger (& some cost less than $50) will automatically sense if the battery is STD, AGM, other, etc, and then start charging it properly, for exactly what it needs.  When it's fully charged the charger will then go into maintenance mode (trickle charger mode).  

     The AGM batteries are supposed to hold a charge, for a good while.  So If it was on my shelf, I'd just try charging it every 6 months.

[MarkV]

I didn’t realize they started making these again. It was the only battery that could start my 21 Chevy well 

[Bloo]

13 hours ago, 31 LaSalle said:

I have just purchased a optima battery to keep as a spare backup for my cars

my question is can I keep it on the shelf in my workshop without periodical charging it

how long does the battery shop keep them on the shelf and do they have to charge them

 

Shops do let them just sit around. One of these days I will rant about battery warranties. They are not what you think. They are not necessarily bad, and can be good, but people misunderstand them terribly.

 

You can just let it sit, but it is not ideal. All lead-acid batteries self discharge, and if they get run down a little and sit that way it is bad for them. Fortunately for you, Optimas of the spiral type discharge slower than other batteries. A tender would be a better idea. Get a really small one. There is no point in paying more money for more amps in a tender. You should be starting with a fully charged battery, and if not, charge it first with a battery charger. Better yet, get the tender and put it on a timer. Let it come on for a half hour a day. Thanks to edinmass for that idea.

 

[JRA]

What is the difference between a charger and a tender? I use Optima batteries in my cars, and maybe I am not using the right device to recharge.

Any recommendation of charging devices?

[Bloo]

Maybe no difference these days as some, maybe most "smart chargers" have a tender function.

 

A tender is a tiny low-current charger with a microcontroller of some sort in it that you leave hooked up to the battery all winter. It comes on now and then and charges a little bit, so the battery is always ready to go, but does not get overcharged. This has only recently become common.

 

I probably wouldn't want to tie up a regular charger like that, even if it had the function, but some people might not mind.

 

Tenders contrast with "trickle chargers" of the old days that had about 1 or 2 amps (maybe even less) and were meant to charge a low battery very very slowly to give it a deep high quality charge. While those could be hooked up for fairly long periods of time, they had no control circuitry and were not meant to be left hooked up indefinitely. They are hardly ever seen today.