Stupidest question ever....

[hamill]

ok guys....here it is, and it's got me confused....


I have had an Optima Yellow top for over 1 year now and it's sat indoors in my room. It has never been in the car, but should be going in there this summer.

My question is, do I need to charge it?

I have no idea how these gel cell batteries work and after seeing the vid of Josh's blowing up last year, I don't feel like having to run a boiling battery out of my room...


thanks,

Dan

[Excelcier]

It's safe... just charge it!

[Iceotron]

Originally posted by: hamill
ok guys....here it is, and it's got me confused....


I have had an Optima Yellow top for over 1 year now and it's sat indoors in my room. It has never been in the car, but should be going in there this summer.

My question is, do I need to charge it?

I have no idea how these gel cell batteries work and after seeing the vid of Josh's blowing up last year, I don't feel like having to run a boiling battery out of my room...


thanks,

Dan

Honestly, I have no idea....but I do want to see that video!!!

[rastaman]

definitely charge it....have a hard time seeing how a battery could blow up unless it was faulty (i.e. a short between the cells) or you charge it with too much amperage...

[hamill]

I was talking to Ron and he said to put it on a deep cycle charge. Hopefully it's an option on my charger...if not, I'm investigating it further lol

as for the vid...ask Ron if it was ever on the net. I watched it in his car.

[Excelcier]

No, sorry guys, the vid never made net publishing. It's on a DVD and on my MiniDV tapes.

[ND4SPD]

i left my yellowtop battery sitting pretty much all winter... the car would not start at all when i was all ready last month, i had to run out and get a charger from canadian tire - hooked it up, car started perfectly - returned it to CT, got my money back... went out for a drive ;)

[MaverickFlyer]

Same, I have a new Red top in my garage thats been there for a few months. I guess we will find out if it needs a charge when I put it in the car! :biggrin:

[Massiv]

Apparently, you can kill a gel-cell if you charge it at something over 1amp trickle. Just ask Puck that sold me his broken one! :rolleyes:

Massiv.

[cawong11]

I use a 400ma trickle charger, a few hours a day, keeps the battery topped up, good to go any time I need to fire up my SVT. :)

[atlas]

PuckPuck shared his wealth of information about this in this thread (http://www.fastcougar.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=87800&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=)

[hamill]

thanks for the link...I was going to use my dads marine battery charger on deep cycle until reading that post...time to find a trickle charger...

also...it's prolly dead....it's been sitting on styrofoam in my bedroom closet for allmost a year :(

[atlas]

I do know those batteries have a LONG shelf life... so it might not be dead.

[MaverickFlyer]

Okay, I just installed my Optima Battery this past weekend. It sat in my garage for a few months and who knows how long on the shelf in the store. It started right up like a Champ!:thumbsup: I say put it in and try it, you might be surprised.

This is straight off Optimas Website:

"Because of the high purity lead grid in the OPTIMA battery, it has a self discharge rate much lower than conventional flat plate batteries. This means the OPTIMA can sit for longer periods retaining enough charge to start your vehicle. Depending on storage temperature, the OPTIMA can usually sit for 8 to 12 months and start most vehicles.
When possible, store your battery in a cool, dry location. Check the battery voltage every 6 months and charge if it falls below 12.6 volts."