New battery, initial charging worry....

[stibbs]

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

[kissofdeath]

personally I don't know, but might be worth contacting optimate. sounds fishy to me though

[Strommer]

What brand is the battery?

[Juvecu]

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.

[stibbs]

What brand is the battery?

numark?

[Andy M]

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

[stibbs]

Thanks for the help but..... If I plug this into my optimate 4 will it ruin the numarx
 battery??????????

[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  

[StromGeeza]

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.

[stibbs]

Cheers Lads, Will try a little one hour burst in the morning then fit it and see how we go......

[Jacko]

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.

[Mr Nick]

I'm no expert but I've heard that the Optimate is not for battery charging from flat,  its a conditioner for charged battery  

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.

[Tusker]

I stand corrected