How to charge AGM(Optima)/gel batteries.

[Trick Pony]

Use a maintainer and you won't need these directions.

This. I've got a Hawker PC680 AGM battery in my Mustang that I've kept on a Battery Tender since '05 and it's still good.

[projectPONY]

I have 2 that have been sitting in the garage for a least 2 years. I said I was gonna try this a year ago.

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[orphan Shelby]

Learned this after pitching a couple out. The jumper cable w another regular battery and charger works well

[stephen4785]

Fyi, if you have an optima that your about to give up on take it to an Interstate battery shop and have them charge it. I use to take pallets of blue tops to them that techs deamed dead and about 98% of them were still good.
By shop I mean an actual Interstate battery wholesale shop. Not an auto shop that sells interstate.

[TX21]

very cool, didn't know that.

[Jose]

Good read.

[Slow Five-O]

Good read thanks.

[shumpertdavid]

Challenge accepted

I had a yellow top that was pretty old a friend had given me. I was able to charge it up with a jumper battery and it would load test ok after a good charging, but if it sat for a week or so it would discharge, must have had an internal short I would guess. I had a guy bring me 2 5 year old blue tops a few weeks ago. Both were badly discharged, I used the jumper battery method and one came back and seems to be doing ok, the second was toast.

[stephen4785]

We do the same thing with a standard lead acid battery. If it's deeply discharged it's a good way to bring it back.

As stated in the info above. If the battery has been sitting completely dead for much of any time it will likely not come back. So if you've got one sitting the in garage dead for 2 years it most likely won't bring it back.

Challenge accepted

[shumpertdavid]

We do the same thing with a standard lead acid battery. If it's deeply discharged it's a good way to bring it back.

As stated in the info above. If the battery has been sitting completely dead for much of any time it will likely not come back. So if you've got one sitting the in garage dead for 2 years it most likely won't bring it back.

[Clifton]

Yep. Only way to properly charge an Optima with an AGM charger.

[stephen4785]

Use a maintainer and you won't need these directions.

Stringing 20-30,000 foot of extension cord to a pad site to run a maintainer probably wont work so well.

[EW]

Use a maintainer and you won't need these directions.

[stephen4785]

wuuuut?? I have two Optima's sitting in the garage that I considered dead a long time ago. I even thought about taking them to AZ just to get rid of them. I'm gonna have to try this asap.

Iv junked a dozen or so blue tops at work because they wouldn't charge back up. Im gonna try it out on some yellow tops Iv had for years

[projectPONY]

wuuuut?? I have two Optima's sitting in the garage that I considered dead a long time ago. I even thought about taking them to AZ just to get rid of them. I'm gonna have to try this asap.