Optimate constantly charging

blinkinink · L Plate Warrior Joined: 16 Apr 2015 Karma :

I have had a gsxf for 10 years. Ride it during summer, then put it on optimate 111 for winter. I understand that the optimate is supposed to maintain the battery however the orange light(charging) is constantly on. I`ve had to replace the battery 3x despite connected to the optimate all this time?
My questions are
...is it a knackered optimate?
Could I put it on a timer to just charge for perhaps an hour every day?

mudcow007 · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

so in 10 years you have been through 3 batteries?

blinkinink · L Plate Warrior Joined: 16 Apr 2015 Karma :

yes in 10 years 3 boiled batteries.
Was that not clear Rolling Eyes

...........why? is that normal with a optimiser?
I purchased the optimiser to maintain batteries and have seen forums where the users have NEVER replaced batteries.
The question was..... is this optimiser knackered or is there a solution by adding a timer to the optimiser

DrSnoosnoo · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Mar 2012 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

You need to check the voltage when it's plugged in and been plugged in for a while.

As above, could easily be something else causing problems.

mudcow007 · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

could the bike be overcharging the battery, then when its connected to the charger its trying to recover a fubared battery - if that makes sense?

Islander · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Aug 2012 Karma :

If you've had three boiled batteries then you definitely need to run some checks on the bike's charging system.

blinkinink · L Plate Warrior Joined: 16 Apr 2015 Karma :

DrSnoosnoo · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Mar 2012 Karma :

mudcow007 · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

you need to check the voltage of the battery as the bike is running

report back with what you find - forget the optimate for now!

WD Forte · World Chat Champion Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Karma :

I'd buy a decent meter before an Optimate.
As said, you need a meter to check the bikes charging system and optimate function.

Most batteries have a 2 year guarantee so 10 years is beyond
supported use for 3 batteries.
Crap batteries perhaps? I've used many batteries past the 2 year mark but they were used a lot

I use a Mascot charger from a UPS bank which has three colour leds
Red for bulk charge
Orange for topping/saturation
Green for float/trickle
My Lidls charger has the same functions
Both drop to say 13.5-13.7 on float/green and i check them from time to time

Are you saying your Optimate has the same process but stays on
orange/saturation rather the moving to green/ float?

Here's a useful page on LA battery charging
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery
____________________
bikers smell of wee

kramdra · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Oct 2010 Karma :

Get a decent charger to begin with. Any decent charger ** will ** have a display to show the voltage and/or charging current. Automotive chargers will be massively overpriced and generally shit - many have fixed charge rates and no over-voltage cut off, which will boil batterys Shocked

. Any charger without a display should be considered to not have a cut off and needs an external meter to check them.

I have an Imax B8, this is slightly cheaper version: https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__28146__IMAX_B6_50W_5A_Charger_Discharger_1_6_Cells_GENUINE_UK_Warehouse_.html

This was able to bring back three Pb batterys that were left flat for about 6 months, no issues since, they work like new. A halfords charger was not able to charge them Mad

Check charging system on bike. Batterys do not need constant float charging, top it up once or twice a month over winter if your not using it.

evilzed · Scooby Slapper Joined: 05 Oct 2013 Karma :

How are you connecting the charger? Straight to the battery with the jumper cable things or using one of the quick charge SAE adapters? Because I've had issued on one of my bikes with the quick charge adapter thingies cleaning the terminals /spraying with WD40 solved the issue and the charger got up to the standard maintain lights (green and green flashing).

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

The alarm may be the problem.

The charger is trying to charge the battery to a set point, using its lowest trickle setting - which is probably 0.1 or 0.2A.

The alarm is drawing a constant low current - probably more like 0.01A.

Because there is always a draw from the alarm, the charger is staying on its lowest trickle setting. This is more than the parasitic drain, so the battery is being overcharged.

Easiest solution is to leave the charger on a plug timer, so it only turns on for an hour every day or two. Also worth seeing if the alarm has its own internal battery which could be knackered by now, meaning more reliance (and drain) on the bike battery.