Are our batteries AGM?

[BoostedCat]

Just picked up a Noco Genius Battery maintenance charger. There's an option for 12v or AGM 12v. Are our batteries AGM?

 

[BULL]

Just picked up a Noco Genius Battery maintenance charger. There's an option for 12v or AGM 12v. Are our batteries AGM?

Not normally

 

[BoostedCat]

Not normally

thanks

 

[BULL]

thanks

Also, I believe that if a battery is AGM, it will actually say so on its label

 

[Catless]

Flooded lead/acid with vent tube connection.

 

[T_Trahan44]

Unless your battery is aftermarket, it should be standard Flooded/Lead Acid. All AGM batteries are regulated to be marked as AGM due to the fact that they need special chargers/maintainers, and it's unsafe to use the wrong charger/maintainer on them.

 

[BULL]

Unless your battery is aftermarket, it should be standard Flooded/Lead Acid. All AGM batteries are regulated to be marked as AGM due to the fact that they need special chargers/maintainers, and it's unsafe to use the wrong charger/maintainer on them.

Useful

 

[T_Trahan44]

Useful

I do have a little knowledge. 😁

 

[Deano]

Unless your battery is aftermarket, it should be standard Flooded/Lead Acid. All AGM batteries are regulated to be marked as AGM due to the fact that they need special chargers/maintainers, and it's unsafe to use the wrong charger/maintainer on them.

I have used several Battery Tender Jr. on both types of batteries for many years without any problems.
They are rated for AGM as well as flooded.

 

[T_Trahan44]

I have used several Battery Tender Jr. on both types of batteries for many years without any problems.
They are rated for AGM as well as flooded.

As long as they are rated for AGM, you won't really run any risks of damaging the batteries. If the tender is not rated for AGM, you risk damaging cells and potential fire/chemical hazards.

 

[Hickster]

Just buy a Tesla then you will know every week.

 

[Detroit Muscle]

I can tell that the Optima brand Red and Yellow batteries require the AGM charge setting.

 

[Jimmy N.]

All AGM batteries are regulated to be marked as AGM due to the fact that they need special chargers/maintainers, and it's unsafe to use the wrong charger/maintainer on them.

If that was entirely true, we'd need to change alternators when switching to an AGM battery.
Those fancy Lithium batteries can be a different story.

 

[Magnified]

Just picked up a Noco Genius Battery maintenance charger. There's an option for 12v or AGM 12v. Are our batteries AGM?

Our batteries are POS.

 

[T_Trahan44]

If that was entirely true, we'd need to change alternators when switching to an AGM battery.
Those fancy Lithium batteries can be a different story.

Not entirely. The problem with a charger is that it's running off of AC power, instead of the DC power that our alternators crank out. And that's where the issue lies. With AC power, the voltage can drop below that Zero voltage threshold. (if I remember correctly, I may be using the wrong terminology)

But as the alternator only cranks out DC power, it never crosses that threshold, thus negating the need for a special type of alternator.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Unless you swapped in a generator, your alternator puts out AC, right? Hence its name.
Which is then converted to DC, much like with a charger maintainer.

 

[T_Trahan44]

Unless you swapped in a generator, your alternator puts out AC, right? Hence its name.
Which is then converted to DC, much like with a charger maintainer.

Regulators, both internal and external, change the current from AC to DC. while the alternator does crank AC, it is changed to DC before it reaches the battery.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Umm, yeah. Didn't I write that in the post you quoted?
And to nitpick, it gets changed to DC before it leaves the alternator, not in the cable going to the battery.

 

[T_Trahan44]

Umm, yeah. Didn't I write that in the post you quoted?
And to nitpick, it gets changed to DC before it leaves the alternator, not in the cable going to the battery.

Yes. Forgive me for restating. But that is the reason we don't have to change out alternators when "upgrading" to an AGM battery. As far as I know, a regular maintainer doesn't have the limiting factor to keep the AGM cells within their spec. The alternator doesn't put out enough to charge the cells out of spec unless the alternator is faulty.

AGM rated battery chargers/maintainers have to be calibrated(for lack of a better term, I guess) to keep the cells within their specs. Otherwise, the battery fails quickly.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Maybe I've just been lucky, but the four Optimas I put in my toy hauler in '99 have never seen an AGM "tuned" charger or maintainer.
They've been fed by solar panels (with a controller, of course) when on the road, or a basic BatteryMINDer maintainer when parked. Well, since '13 it's been solar only.

What they do have, and one reason they are still going strong, I think, is that they've always had a Canadus desulfation unit on them.

But yes, I have tweaked a couple of BatteryMINDers to better suit AGM batteries.