What Is the Charging Procedure for an Optima Spiral Cell Marine Battery?

An automatic SCR battery charger will charge the Optima Spiral.

The Optima Spiral Cell Marine Battery isn't a flooded battery, with water and plates, or a gel cell battery, that has the electrolytes suspended in a gel. Rather, it's called an AGM, for "absorbed glass mat." (REF One) In the Optima Spiral Cell, the mat and the lead plates are twisted around each other, to enhance both discharge and recharging efficiency. While special chargers are available and recommended for the Optima, standard chargers will work as well, according to the manufacturer.

Things You'll Need

• Silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) battery charger
• Jumper cables

Instructions

1. Connect the red wire of a pair of jumper cables to the positive post of a fully charged battery and the positive post of the Optima battery. Connect the black wire of the jumper cables to the negative post of the fully charged battery and the negative post of the Optima battery.

2. Connect the red wire from the battery charger to the positive post of the fully charged battery and the black wire to the negative post of the fully charged battery. Plug the battery charger in and set the charge rate for 10 amps. Turn the battery charger on.

3. Allow the charger to run until the charger shows that the charging is complete. Unplug the charger. Disconnect the charger wires and the jumper cables.

References

• Battery Stuff: Battery Tutorial
• Optima Battery FAQ: How Do I Charge a Deeply Discharged Battery?