optima float charger

JtownJoe

JtownJoe

Senior Member
I have a 12 volt Optima battery in my 30' Tudor and I will be storing the A in an unheated garage this winter (Western PA) I was looking at a battery float maint/charger that mentioned "for wet lead acid & gel battery". i'm thinking that the Optima fits in the gel category?
 
I have optima batteries in both my 41 plymouth and my 98 corvette and I use the float chargers from harborfreight and have for about 10 years on the plymouth with the same battery. They seem to prolong the life of the battery
 
AGM = Absorptive Gas Mat. The hydrogen gas given off by the charging process material is 'absorbed' into solution within the porous mat that holds the electrolyte. Think of a damp paper towel. The electrolyte is not gelled.

In a gel cell the H gas forms micro bubbles that do not rise to the top. The gel swells, later contracting as the H gas dissolves back into the electrolyte. The charge characteristics are very different. Gel batteries cannot take high amp recharge, AGM batteries need occasional high amp charge rates.

Long term low amperage charge maintenance will severely shorten the life of an AGM. They are best left until 50% down, then charged at a very high amp rate.
 
Mike, Thanx for the in site on the different charging situations with the different types of batteries. Very informative. I gather from your description that the regular charging cycle of an alternator will give the AGM batteries what they need, including the occasional higher charge rate, when they get a heavy use situation. Is the cold weather more or less hard on the AGM verses regular batteries?
 
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