Optima baterries and alternators

[Steve D.]

Does an Optima baterry require an alternator with certain specifications?

[Dick W.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

The generator/alternator knows no difference in the battery. Technically the battery is nothing but a large capacitor. Now if you were talking about lithium, nicad, alkaline yes there is a difference

[Mark T.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

I have a optima battery in my 66 BB It was in the car when I bought it over 9 years ago. The alternator is the correct part number with standard out put. It also was in the car. I always use a battery maintainer on all of my cars and the optima is still working fine.
Mark

[Steve D.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

Thanks. I think the article I read was referring to deep-cycle batteries which may have other requirements.

Steve

[Dick W.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

Deep cycle work on the same principal as regular batteries

[Stuart F.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

I have an Optima Battery that I got from my son that came in one of his Top Flight 78 Pace cars. It was dead when he gave it to me so I thought I'd keep it around as a spare as it will fit both of my current cars (63 Vette included), but I am afraid to use it. I charged it once with my old charger in series through the battery in my Impala and came back to life real good showing a full charge. I had it on a box on the floor with an old B & D trickle charger which subsequently failed - as did the charge in the battery shortly thereafter. From what I have said, does it make sense to keep it around or should I pitch it. Trouble is, I don't know how to check it to see if it may still be good or if it has failed.

Stu Fox

[Bruce B.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

I understand that you will ruin a Optima battery if you use a standard type charger.
I have a CTEC which has a Optima charging mode, although I don't have an Optima battery..

[Larry M.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

Does an Optima baterry require an alternator with certain specifications?

Steve:

Link is from Optima website. It provides the answers you seek.

http://www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/charging.php

Larry

[Stuart F.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

Bruce;

My information was from a September 2010 issue of Hot Rod magazine entitled: "Current Affair". Therein they stated that if you connect a second well charged battery (12.4 volts or greater) in parallel with the dead unit (I mis-spoke when I said series as I wasn't thinking electrically) positive to positive, negative to negative, then connect the standard charger to the pair. This tricks the charger into delivering the necessary current to the discharged battery. Charging should, however, be limited to 10 amperes.

What I did was connect my charger to my Impala's battery, then connected a set of jumper cables in normal fashion to the Optima. It is specially helpful if you are using batteries that have both side and top post connections.

Stu Fox

[Kurt G.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

Dick, don't mean to argue or dispute, but deep cycle batteries do not work on the same principal as regular batteries. Deep cycles normally have a higher lead content in their plates than regulars do, they have thicker plate seperation material, and as a result give a more consistant, continuous power source than a regular battery. In laymans terms, a deep cycle will provide it's rated amperage power availability longer, and then power will drop off rapidly. A regular battery as a more linear rate of power loss, loosing it's power consistently over the use cycle. A 12 volt deep cycle battery rated at 500 amp hours, as an example will hold that power level until the battery appoximately 65% of the way thru the depletion cycle. A regular, similar battery will hold it's power rating for approximately 45% of the depletion cycle. The Optima battery is primarily a deep cycle battery, and for my opinion not worth the money you spend on them. As a tech rep for Hawker Energy (now under a different name) I had the opportunity to put every possible battery available to practical and lab tests, and at that time, and I feel it holds til today, the best commonly available battery out there is the Delco line of batteries.

Just my two cents worth, but I spent a lot of time with the lab rats at Hawker and learned more than I needed to know about batteries the three years I spent working with them.

[Dick W.]

Re: Optima baterries and alternators

Dick, don't mean to argue or dispute, but deep cycle batteries do not work on the same principal as regular batteries. Deep cycles normally have a higher lead content in their plates than regulars do, they have thicker plate seperation material, and as a result give a more consistant, continuous power source than a regular battery. In laymans terms, a deep cycle will provide it's rated amperage power availability longer, and then power will drop off rapidly. A regular battery as a more linear rate of power loss, loosing it's power consistently over the use cycle. A 12 volt deep cycle battery rated at 500 amp hours, as an example will hold that power level until the battery appoximately 65% of the way thru the depletion cycle. A regular, similar battery will hold it's power rating for approximately 45% of the depletion cycle. The Optima battery is primarily a deep cycle battery, and for my opinion not worth the money you spend on them. As a tech rep for Hawker Energy (now under a different name) I had the opportunity to put every possible battery available to practical and lab tests, and at that time, and I feel it holds til today, the best commonly available battery out there is the Delco line of batteries.

Just my two cents worth, but I spent a lot of time with the lab rats at Hawker and learned more than I needed to know about batteries the three years I spent working with them.

Kurt I was referring to the principal, not the technical differences. I too am a firm believer in deep cycle batteries. I ran Delco 1150 series batteries in every piece of farm and construction equipment I owned. When I was in the fire and ems, every time we needed a battery, if I could fit one of those batteries in that is all I would use.