Author Topic: New battery, initial charging worry....  (Read 813 times)

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Offline stibbs

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New battery, initial charging worry....
« on: July 05, 2013, 16:03:41 »
Just had a new battery delivered for my scoot.
I've topped it with acid, supplied then read the instructions from the supplier which tell me that under no circumstances should I use a "conditioner" type charger on this battery :wtf:

I've got an optimate 4 and the supplier says that over the past three years they've seen an increase in battery failures which they blame entirely on these chargers :text-givemebeer:
They go on to say that riders think they're looking after their batteries using these but they're not!!


So, I'm totally confused can I use my optimate or not??

Your thoughts would be most welcome :ty:

Offline kissofdeath

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2013, 16:06:46 »
personally I don't know, but might be worth contacting optimate. sounds fishy to me though


Offline Strommer

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2013, 16:11:40 »
What brand is the battery?


A disgrace to biking...

Offline Juvecu

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2013, 17:03:58 »
I think the Optimate has a charge function for desulfation. It's also called pulse charging or pulse conditioning. I think it might be this that they are referring to. As long as you just use the charger to do normal/trickle charging then it should be fine. Pulse charging batteries that didn't need it is probably what was causing their failures.
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Offline stibbs

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2013, 17:40:59 »
Quote from: "Strommer"
What brand is the battery?


numark?

Offline Andy M

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2013, 18:04:05 »
I would read that as "Don't plug your Harley in for 11 1/2 months a year". My current Oxford and previous Optimate were not that smart, just a control loop that held the battery very close to the 12.4V mark by lots of little bursts of full charge. A battery in use would get a much better work out.

Andy

Offline stibbs

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2013, 20:05:32 »
Thanks for the help but..... If I plug this into my optimate 4 will it ruin the numarx
 battery??????????

Offline Tusker

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2013, 20:12:14 »
I'm no expert but I've heard that the Optimate is not for battery charging from flat,  its a conditioner for charged battery   :shrug:

Offline StromGeeza

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2013, 21:18:31 »
None of my scoot batteries have ever died from using my Optimate... You'll find the terminal voltage pretty high anyway once the chemicals have done their thing. Give it a wee charge, let the battery rest a short while (Ithink it's a heating thing reason you're told this) and then install and away you go.

Offline stibbs

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2013, 21:53:29 »
Cheers Lads, Will try a little one hour burst in the morning then fit it and see how we go...... :)

Offline Jacko

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2013, 22:57:30 »
Personally I would trust my Optimate 4 with any bike battery, including a new one. They're pretty smart, I'm sure they wouldn't kill a new battery.

Offline Mr Nick

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2013, 18:50:48 »
Quote from: "Tusker"
I'm no expert but I've heard that the Optimate is not for battery charging from flat,  its a conditioner for charged battery   :shrug:

The blurb that comes with the Optimate 4 says:
'STANDARD (up to 16V) engages automatically to recover neglected, flat batteries from a sulphated to a chargeable state.'

I happily stick it on any 12V battery I think needs charging at all - I have recovered a pretty much dead to the world one using it so it's not just sales porkies.
Seems pearl asbo orange is faster after all....

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Offline Tusker

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Re: New battery, initial charging worry....
« Reply #12 on: July 08, 2013, 18:53:49 »
I stand corrected   :thumb: