OptimaJim

Hi Unkle, I’m not in sales, I serve more of a pro-active customer service role for Optima. We do have a toll-free number on every battery we make, a website and an e-mail address, where people can contact us if they have any questions or concerns about our products, but we’ve found that quite a few folks prefer to come to forums like this one to ask questions. Sometimes the answers and advice are great, sometimes they need some assistance. Many modern chargers will charge a deeply-discharged battery, even if the voltage has dropped significantly. The parallel charging technique is not needed for those chargers, but many other chargers do have voltage thresholds that will prevent them from charging a deeply-discharged battery. If Optima didn’t feel the parallel charging technique was both safe and worthwhile, they wouldn’t have created a YouTube video to promote it. Hot Rod Magazine probably wouldn’t have written on a story on it in their September 2010 issue either. That’s not to say that care should not be taken whenever someone is dealing with batteries or electricity in general, so we do warn people that if the battery gets hot to the touch or starts to hiss or vent, charging should be discontinued immediately (wear safety glasses too). MikeW, as you suggested, I cannot comment or speculate as to what might happen with someone’s charger, as that falls outside my specific role as a representative of Optima. At some point, perhaps all manufacturers will have a presence on Internet message boards. Until then, I can only recommend that people contact a specific company if they have questions or concerns about their products. sblake01, if my purpose was to advertise for Optima, I would certainly post more often on all of the 300+ message boards where I am registered. The fact that I registered on this site last year, but didn’t post until Zedyone Kenobi started this thread should also speak to that effect. The event you referenced, which we put on at Road America was a phenomenal opportunity for anyone to get track time on one of the premiere road courses in the world. For the $325 entry fee, all competitors received an Optima battery of their choice, several meals, shirts, duffel bags and all the track time their cars could handle. I only posted information on that event on a few sites that I thought might have some interest in it. I wish just one of the GTO guys would’ve participated (we did have one GTO participate, but it was owned by an Optima exec). A G8 owner named Andy Quaas did compete and ended up winning the Baer Brakes Speed/Stop Challenge, which basically covered his expenses for the weekend and then some. Several other competitors also won cash contingency awards and two were invited to SEMA and our year-end event at Spring Mountain. If you can get more track time at Road America for less money, with no club membership requirement or other barriers to entry, please let me know. I’m at Road America most weekends anyway and I’m always looking for more opportunities to get out on the track. I only have one set of eyes, but if I notice someone on one of the GTO boards that has a question or concern about their Optima, I’ll probably try to help them, just like I have in the past and just like I did here- no hidden agenda, just help. If you notice a thread where I can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to give me a heads-up. If anyone has any other questions about our batteries, please don’t hesitate to ask. Zedyone kenobi, good luck with your battery and please keep me posted on your outcome. Thanks! Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. Zedyone kenobi, in your initial post, you mentioned that your previous alternator only put out 12.2 volts. Alternators should generally put out approximately 13.7-14.7 volts. I don’t know how long your battery was used in conjunction with that alternator, but it sounds like the battery may have begun to sulfate due to being in a partially-discharged state for an extended period of time. Sulfation will diminish both performance and lifespan, so maintaining voltage of at least 12.4 volts in a battery at all times can help minimize the impact of sulfation. That makes a battery tender or maintainer a great investment for any vehicle that is not driven daily. If you charge your battery at a 10-amp rate for up to two hours, it can help break up this sulfation and restore some performance characteristics. Whenever you are charging a battery, whether it is done with the parallel charging technique discussed in this thread and described in our video or with a regular charger, if the battery gets hot to the touch or starts hissing or venting, you should discontinue charging immediately. Fully-charged, RedTops should measure approximately 12.6-12.8 volts and YellowTops should measure 13.0-13.2 volts. A low amperage charge can charge a battery, but it will obviously take longer than a higher amperage charge. For example, take the rated capacity of the battery (for example, RedTop 34 is 50 amp hours or Ah). Think of the 50Ah as the size of your “fuel tank” for storing electrical power. You are using the charger to fill the fuel tank. If you have a 10 amp charger, this means it will put in 10 amps each hour. So for a 50Ah battery, charging at 10 amps, theoretically it will take (50 / 10 =) 5 hours for the battery to get fully charged. This assumes 100% efficiency in the charging process, that the charger will provide a constant 10 amps, etc. In reality, most battery chargers to do not provide a constant current through the charging process – the current tapers off early in the charging process. If you own a battery charger that was purchased through typical consumer outlets (auto parts store, big box retailer, etc) this probably describes the charger you have. It may take 20-50% longer than the time calculated above with this type of charger. If you are going to purchase a new battery charger it is very beneficial to get one that is microprocessor controlled and has "AGM" compatibility. If it has a separate setting for AGM batteries it will enhance the battery’s performance and potentially extend the life. There are some common consumer battery chargers that have “Gel” or a confusing “Gel/AGM” setting. Do not use this setting as this will not fully charge an Optima and will damage it over time. If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I’ll do my best to answer them. I appreciate your interest in our batteries! Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries