Charger / battery conditioner .. etc?

[rocks]

Got an Optimate 3, bought in 2005 i think ish.
It has generally been good and kept my bikes topped up. But recently found the gs battery dead after a lengthy lay up, despite being hooked up.

I have a seperate battery charger, but its getting old.

Should I get a newer conditioner? Has the tech moved on/improved?

Can you get a combine conditioner and charger and is it worth it?

 

[MikeP]

Can you get a combine conditioner and charger and is it worth it?

Yes and yes.

I've had a BMW "conditioner" for years (the old blue one, pre-canbus days) and it's good at what it is supposed to do but it's not much cop at charging a flattened battery.

For that I have a Halfords charger-cum-conditioner, this type:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_815387_langId_-1_categoryId_255205

I like it because it can be set for bikes, cars, boats as well as for sealed and unsealed batteries.

It will deliver a proper charge and then drop into "conditioner" mode. It's just not as convenient as a conditioner as the BMW jobbie to use as it has crocodile clips as opposed to a Hella-DIN plug.

I once had an Optimate and it was never as good as either of the above (it was second-hand so it may not have been in particularly good order).

 

[rocks]

charging from flat?

Hi Mike,
That looks interesting. Thanks.
I am not sure if maybe the optimate is ok on lead acids, but doesn't do quite so well on the gel. The new varta batter I have just picked up today is lead acid.
But the optimate will defenitely not re-charge from flat. It did a fairly ok job in the past of keeping the bike topped up, and stopping the alarm killing the battery, but i think it must have a minimum volt level below which it just cannot recover, I suspect.

Shall have a look at that halfords one, shortly, unless someone happens to have any other suggestions. Cheers.

 

[Timolgra]

It won't charge the knackered battery because the voltage is too low but you can try linking the new battery to it and charging them both at the same time ....just don't hook it up in series!

 

[rocks]

The old battery is goosed..

It would be worth a try Tm, but alas, the old bmw gel cel is goosed.. when put on charge, it goes quikly to full.. but has no voltage to speak of.

Apparently I can use the new batter straight away, (well after letting site for 30-60mins) once the acid has gone in, but I am tempted to put it on charge later to ensure it is 100% full, for when I try to actually start the GS given it has sat for near 9 months and not been run.

I also need to pick up some grease for the terminals.

 

[Flanners]

I always charge a new battery after adding the acid not sure why, just for piece of mind.

 

[harry]

Also chech the bike's sockets for corrosion stopping the current flow

 

[rocks]

charging

Flanners, I am the same and like you, I don't know why I do it or if it actually required.

I also loosen the filling caps when charging. Was told to do it, and have always done it. With modern batteries, like mine that have a "vent" is it required?

This is the same battery charger I have. It shows the charge ampage i believe RMS in a scale from 1 to 6.

Unfortunately I have missplaced the paper work with it year ago. I believe it should show fully charged when the lights get down to 1 or 2amps.

The old battery, went straight to one amp, which I believed given it had no power shows it was dead, from past experience. However I have just read on line that it might just have needed being left on charge for an extended period.
But not sure, and also unsure about if this charger I have, will work on gel/cels or if you need a different one!

Really wish someone with some technical knowledge on batteries/types and chargers etc would go a guide..

The new battery is now down to 3amps as I type, from 6amp initial charging ampage over about 2 hours.

 

[Ian J Hartley]

There is no reason why your charger shouldn't charge the battery, it is only doing the job the alternator does when the bike is running. The gauge on it is an ammeter which shows the flow of current. The less the reading, the closer the battery is to full charge.

Over time the internal resistance of the battery increases which means that there is less voltage and current available to power what it's designed for.

A charger won't really tell you the state of your battery. You need to Cap test it. That's when you load it up and check it can deliver the required voltage/Amps. Ideally a 19 Amp/hr battery should deliver 1 amp for 19 hours or 19 amps for 1 hr with the battery at 100% efficiency. if you take your dead battery to a specialised battery retailer they will cap test it and tell you how good it is, but if it's over 3 years old, then it's on it's way out.

The only thing I'm a little concerned about is that you have replaced a Gel battery With a Lead Acid. Have you got the vent connected up to an overboard drain. If not you may regret it, an acid spillage under the tank would do lots of damage. I say this because my bike has Gel as standard equipment and no drainage needed. I would have to buy and fit a drain hose if I wanted to fit a Lead acid.

 

[rocks]

drain

Thanks Ian, good point.
The original battery with the bike was a BMW lead acid that was then replaced with the now defunct gel cel when that went dead.
It had a drain pipe I recall.
I have installed the new battry and she is running fine.
However I haven't reconnected the old drain pipe (other than install the eldbow) that game with it..

I will go and have a look and see if the old drain is still there. It should be i think.

Thanks for the tip.. had over looked that.

The good news in the mean time is she is now running.

 

[rocks]

b****x

Arh nuts, looks like blue bell who put the Gel Cel in, have removed the acid drain.

Any one know how it was through through the bike, how long it was and the best place to get a replacement?