OPTIMA YELLOWTOP® CHARGING INFORMATION

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

 

YELLOWTOP Type: D51 & D51R - D35 – DS46B24R - D75/25 - D34 – D34/78 - D27F - H6 - H7

These batteries are dual-purpose. They are designed for engine start and cyclic applications and for use in vehicles with large accessory loads.

 

Recommended charging information:

• Alternator:
• 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.
  
  
• Battery Charger:
• 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, for approximately six to twelve hours.
  
  
• Cyclic Applications:
• 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below one amp, finish with two-amp constant current for one hour.
  
  
• Rapid Recharge:
• Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below one amp.
  
  
• Float Charge:
• 13.2 to 13.8 volts, one amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
• Strictly adhere to all limits.

 

OPTIMA COMMERCIAL YELLOWTOP CHARGING INFORMATION

YELLOWTOP Type: D31A & D31T

These batteries are dual-purpose. They are designed for engine start and deep-cycle applications for use in vehicles with large accessory loads.

 

Recommended charging information:

 

• Alternator:
  
  
  • 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.
    
    
• Battery Charger:
  
  
  • 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, for approximately six to twelve hours.
    
    
• Cyclic Applications:
  
  
  • 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below one amp, finish with three-amp constant current for one hour.
    
    
• Rapid Recharge:
  
  
  • Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below one amp.
    
    
• Float Charge:
  
  
  • 13.2 to 13.8 volts, one amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  • Strictly adhere to all limits.

   

 

 

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OPTIMA BLUETOP® CHARGING INFORMATION

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

BLUETOP Type: 34M

These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep-cycle applications.

 

Recommended charging information:

 

• Alternator:
  
  
  • 13.3 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.
    
    
• Battery Charger:
  
  
  • 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, for approximately six to twelve hours.
    
    
• Rapid Recharge:
  
  
  • Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below one amp.
    
    
• Float Charge:
  
  
  • 13.2 to 13.8 volts, one amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  • Strictly adhere to all limits.
    
    

BLUETOP Type: D34M / D31M/ D27M

These batteries are dual-purpose. They are designed for engine starting and deep-cycling applications, as well as for use in boats with large accessory loads.

 

Recommended charging information:

 

• Alternator:
  
  
  • 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.
    
    
• Battery Charger:
  
  
  • 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, for approximately six to twelve hours.
    
    
• Cyclic Applications:
  
  
  • 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below one amp, finish with two-amp constant current for one hour for D34M, and three-amp constant current for one hour for D27M and D31M.
    
    
• Rapid Recharge:
  
  
  • Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below one amp.
    
    
• Float Charge:
  
  
  • 13.2 to 13.8 volts, one amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  • Strictly adhere to all limits.
    
    
    

 

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OPTIMA REDTOP® CHARGING INFORMATION

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

 

REDTOP Type: 34 & 34R - 34/78 - 78 - 25 & 35 - 75/25

These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep-cycle applications.

 

Recommended charging information:

 

• Alternator:
  
  
  • 13.3 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.
    
    
• Battery Charger:
  
  
  • 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, for approximately six to twelve hours.
    
    
• Rapid Recharge:
  
  
  • Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below one amp.
    
    
• Float Charge:
  
  
  • 13.2 to 13.8 volts, one amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  • Strictly adhere to all limits.
    
    

REDTOP Type: 6V

These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep-cycle applications.

 

Recommended charging information:

 

• Alternator:
  
  
  • 6.65 to 7.5 volts, no amperage limit.
    
    
• Battery Charger:
  
  
  • 6.9 to 7.5 volts, 10 amps maximum, for approximately six to twelve hours.
    
    
• Rapid Recharge:
  
  
  • Maximum 7.8 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below one amp.
    
    
• Float Charge:
  
  
  • 6.6 to 6.9 volts, one amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  • Strictly adhere to all limits.
    
    
• Safety Information:
  
  
  • Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
    
    
  • Always use a voltage-regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
    
    
  • Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.
    
    
  • These guidelines are intended for typical consumer applications. For military, commercial applications or new equipment design, please contact OPTIMA for additional technical information and assistance

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when maintaining your absorbent glass mat (AGM) battery, including an OPTIMA® battery.

 

Many newer battery chargers, like the OPTIMA Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer, have microprocessors that collect information from the battery and adjust the current and voltage accordingly. Some have different settings for charging flooded, gel and AGM batteries.

 

All lead-acid batteries can experience sulfation—the formation of lead sulfate crystals upon discharge. Look for a charger with a desulfation mode to help condition your battery and keep it performing at its best.

 

Low and slow is best. A low-amp charger (one to 12 amps) is generally the best choice for charging any lead-acid battery. It's quicker to charge at higher amperage, but it also can generate a lot of heat, which reduces the life of a battery, just like the heat of summer.

 

Alternators are NOT chargers. Don't rely on your alternator to do the work of a charger. If your battery is discharged to the point where it cannot start your vehicle, use a charger as soon as possible to make sure your battery gets fully charged.

 

An alternator is meant to maintain a battery, not charge it.

 

Batteries eventually die. Batteries are a consumable product. No battery will last forever. The goal is to consistently maintain your battery to get the most life out of it.

 

Different chargers. Different capabilities. Under normal conditions, most 12-volt automatic battery chargers will work on an AGM battery. Many newer battery chargers have settings specifically for AGM batteries; some even have separate settings for OPTIMA REDTOP and YELLOWTOP batteries, like the OPTIMA Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer.

 

AGM and gel technology differ. Remember that the technology of an AGM battery is not the same as a gel battery, which has its own charging requirements. If your charger offers different modes, select the correct one for your battery. If you use the gel setting to charge an AGM battery, it won't fully charge and, over time, it could actually damage your AGM battery.

 

Under normal starting conditions, an OPTIMA battery should never experience at-rest voltages below 12. Most 12-volt chargers and alternators have no problem recharging an OPTIMA if it has an at-rest voltage of 10.5 or greater.

 

The magic threshold – 10.5 volts. The charging scenario for a deeply discharged AGM battery, one that's dipped below 10.5 volts, may be slightly different. The OPTIMA Digital 1200 can recover batteries that have been discharged as low as 1.25 volts.  Other charger tips for recovering a deeply discharged AGM battery can be found in OPTIMA's tech tip, How to Resuscitate a Deeply Discharged AGM Battery.

In time, AGM batteries, including OPTIMA® batteries, may fail. Failures are often caused when a starting battery is used in a cycling application, for which a deep-cycle battery is the better choice.

 

OK, so you have a seemingly bad AGM battery, you attach it to your charger and…CLICK. The charger won't even charge it! "It must be a bad battery!" you exclaim. Or is it? In many cases, OPTIMA batteries that are assumed to be bad may actually be perfectly fine, just deeply discharged.

 

The great thing about AGM batteries, including OPTIMA REDTOP® and YELLOWTOP® batteries, is that they have very low internal resistance. This allows very high amperage output so that the battery can power your accessories longer and deeper than a traditional battery, but at the same time deeply discharging it.

 

An AGM battery with its low internal resistance may stump car guys because sometimes it doesn't work like a traditional flooded lead-acid battery.

 

Here's the problem: Most battery chargers have built-in safety features that may prevent chargers from recharging deeply discharged batteries. A traditional battery that's at 10.5 volts or less is seen as defective, having either a short, a bad cell or some other defect. Most analog chargers are binary and are either on or off. If they don’t come on, it may be because the charger thinks the battery is “bad.” Turning on to charge a “bad” battery could create an unsafe scenario. But the fact is that the AGM battery may be just fine; it has simply slipped below the minimum voltage threshold of the charger to turn on, and the charger doesn't know what to do with the battery, so it does nothing.

 

Here are three options for bringing that deeply discharged AGM battery back to peak operational performance.

 

RECOVERY OPTION #1: THE BEST SOLUTION – AGM-SPECIFIC CHARGERS

The best method for recharging a deeply discharged AGM battery is to purchase a modern charger that has kept up with battery technology. Many chargers now have AGM-specific settings and desulfation steps that help recondition and recover deeply discharged AGM batteries. These are becoming more common, and they work well for all lead-acid batteries. They have the additional capability of doubling as a battery "maintainer" for batteries in storage. Some come with additional ring terminals to permanently attach to your battery leads so you can charge the battery externally with an accessible charger or maintainer. This makes it easy to hook up when you store your car, truck, boat or RV.

 

The OPTIMA Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer enhances the performance of OPTIMA and other AGM batteries, recovers deeply discharged batteries and extends battery life. The OPTIMA Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer is optimized when used with high-performance AGM batteries, but has enhanced charging capabilities that can also be used with all traditional types of automotive batteries.

 

This is the preferred method of charging a deeply discharged battery.

 

RECOVERY OPTION #2: THE DIY SOLUTION FOR CHARGING A DEEPLY DISCHARGED BATTERY

This is a recovery method for the do-it-yourselfer using the equipment you've got in the garage. With this option, you're going to trick your traditional charger into charging the deeply discharged AGM battery.

 

Here's what you need:

 

• Battery charger (under 15 amps)
• Jumper cables
• A good battery, preferably above 12.2 volts. (It can be an AGM or flooded battery - it doesn't matter.)
• The seemingly dead, deeply discharged AGM battery
• A voltage meter
• A watch or timer

 

Now, here's what you do:

 

Hook up the good battery and deeply discharged AGM battery in parallel – positive to positive and negative to negative. Do not have the charger connected to the battery or turned on at this stage.

 

Now, hook up the good battery to the charger. Turn on the charger. The charger will "see" the voltage of the good battery (hooked up in parallel), and start providing a charge.

 

After the batteries have been hooked up for about an hour, check to see if the AGM battery is slightly warm or hot to the touch. Batteries naturally become warm during charging, but excessive heat may be an indication that there really is something wrong with the battery. Discontinue charging immediately if the battery is hot to the touch. Also discontinue the process if you hear the battery "gassing" — a hissing sound coming from the safety valves. If it's hot or gassing, STOP CHARGING IMMEDIATELY!

 

With your voltage meter, check back often to see if the AGM battery has charged to 10.5 volts or above. This generally takes less than two hours with a 10-amp charger. If it has, disconnect the charger from the wall outlet and remove the good battery from the charger. Now, connect only the deeply discharged AGM battery to the charger. Turn on the charger and continue until the AGM battery reaches a full charge, or until the automatic charger completes the charge process. In most cases, the AGM battery will be recovered.

 

RECOVERY OPTION #3: ENLIST THE PROFESSIONALS

If you don't own a battery charger, you don't want to make the investment, or you're not the do-it-yourself kind of person, this is the option for you.

 

Take the battery to a professional battery specialist who knows AGM technology. Most specialists are willing to provide "charge and check" procedures free or for a small fee. Auto parts stores are typically not capable of accurately determining an AGM battery's condition and many use conductance testers that don't provide correct readings. Battery specialists (such as Interstate Batteries and other independent battery distributors) are experts who can help determine if your battery is recoverable or not.

 

Fully charged, engine not running, starting batteries (all REDTOP® or BLUETOP® 34M) should measure about 12.6 volts to 12.8 volts. Deep-cycle batteries, including all YELLOWTOP® and dual-purpose BLUETOP batteries, should measure approximately 13.0 to13.2 volts. Voltage measurements of the battery when the engine is running are the output of your alternator. This measurement should be about 13.3 to 15.0 volts, which may differ due to temperature. At average operating temperatures of 50° to 80°F, your alternator output voltage should be about 14 volts to 14.8 volts.

 

If you don’t have a multimeter, you can test the output of your alternator by starting the car and turning on the headlights. If they are dim, it indicates the lights are running off the battery and that little or no power is being produced by the alternator. If the lights get brighter as you rev the engine, it means the alternator is producing some current, but may not be producing enough at idle to keep the battery properly charged. If the lights have normal brightness and don't change intensity as the engine is revved, your charging system is probably functioning normally.

 

If this checks out, you should determine whether or not the battery is holding a charge, or if something on the vehicle is discharging the battery.

 

THERE ARE THREE LIKELY SCENARIOS TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEMS YOU'RE HAVING:

1. A high parasitic draw (key-off load). This can quickly discharge a battery and decrease its service life. This may be caused by a trunk light, cigarette lighter, clock/radio, alarm system or any other electrical device. Current drain on the battery can be checked with an ammeter. With the ignition off, disconnect one of the battery cables. Connect one ammeter lead to the battery and the other to the cable. The normal current drain on most vehicles should be about 25 milliamps or less. If the key-off drain exceeds 100 milliamps, there's an electrical problem that requires further diagnosis. If you don’t want to take your car to a mechanic, the easiest way to isolate the problem is to pull one fuse at a time from the fuse panel until the ammeter reading drops.

2. A problem with your battery is causing it to not hold a charge. To check this, remove the battery from the vehicle, charge it to the full voltage, wait 12 to 24 hours, then measure its voltage. Another faster, but less-preferable way to do this is to turn on the high-beam headlights for 15 seconds, turn them off, wait five to 10 minutes, then check the voltage. If you measure the voltage of the battery the next day, week or even a month later, the voltage should be close to the max voltages listed above. If the voltage holds when it is not installed in your vehicle but drops when it is in your vehicle, see #1 above.

3. The battery was somehow discharged, and your maintenance charger is not able to properly charge your deeply discharged battery. Please see the directions for charging a deeply discharged battery.

 

Both the OPTIMA Chargers Digital 400 and Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Chargers and Maintainers 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 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 at 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.

 

For regular charging, we recommend a maximum of 10 amps, 13.8 to 15.0 volts. For float charging, we recommend one amp maximum, 13.2 to 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.

 

These guidelines are intended for typical consumer applications. For military, commercial applications or new equipment design, please contact OPTIMA for additional technical information and assistance.

 

CAN YOU TRICKLE-CHARGE AN OPTIMA BATTERY? AND WHAT TYPE OF CHARGER CAN I USE?

Yes, and you can use any charger on an OPTIMA battery as long as the voltage is regulated properly. If your charger will remain on indefinitely, the voltage should be at 13.8 volts maximum with a one-amp maximum current.

 

WILL MY HIGH-OUTPUT ALTERNATOR DAMAGE THE OPTIMA BATTERY?

No, as long as the voltage is properly regulated. Because the OPTIMA battery has a very low internal resistance, it will accept high current more efficiently than conventional batteries.

The OPTIMA® Chargers Digital 400 and Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Chargers and Maintainers employ the latest in digital, multistage charging. With up to six fully automatic modes, your OPTIMA Digital 400 or Digital 1200 Performance Chargers will follow in sequence stages 1 through 6 listed below:

 

Stage 1: Analyze your battery's condition, state of charge and quality of connections before charging.

Stage 2: Soft-ramp charging control for deeply discharged batteries when necessary.

Stage 3: Fast-charge bulk mode for moderately discharged batteries, also known as normal battery charging.

Stage 4: Conditioning mode for conditioning your battery with a finish/complete charge.

Stage 5: Auto maintain, float mode for keeping your battery fully charged.

Stage 6: Automatic storage recondition mode – desulfates your battery when in storage and being maintained.