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Just bought an Oxford version of this piece of kit, so what I need to know is:

Do you leave them on 24\7 or can you run them for a few hours a day on a timer.

The battery on the bike was in decent shape, I am not trying to bring it back from the dead just make sure it gets through the winter.

Quite OK to leave on 24/7 - that's what they're designed to do

+1

One thing that has been observed is (by others smarter than me), if you disconnect from the bike, also unplug it from the wall. This resets the charging programme, otherwise when you re-connect it to the bike it may not do everything it's supposed to do.

i think that current feeling is to have them on a timer switch so as they are off for say 2 hours per day

i could very well be wrong, but think i read something about that helping an optimate on its charge cycle....

am sure andy will know

I think I will leave it on the timer.

Thanks

Tonyunn wrote:I think I will leave it on the timer.

Thanks

Rather defeats the object of spending on an optimiser imho.
RTFM ?

Hook it up. Turn it on. Leave it alone. That's what they're for and that's how they work.

actually optimate state in their instructions that you should disconnect every 48 hours, and that the charge cycle is a 12 hour period. it also states that to do a check on the battery life, you disconnect it from the mains - i.e. timer switch, then it does the checks and charges as needed

I do not think you will do any harm by leaving it on - the heine gericke equivalent does actually suggest that you cycle it every 24 hours btw - and that is the unit i now have... i knew i had read it some where

oh - http://www.accumate.co.uk/Optimate%204% ... ctions.pdf for the optimate instructions in case any one else wants to know what the pretty lights mean....

Maybe we should establish which version of the Oxford optimiser is in question.
The manual that was in front of me as I typed certainly bore no resemblance to that one.

What sort of "automatic" optimiser is that if you have to disconnect the bleeder every now and then.

I use a CETEK beastie. Plug it in and let the microprocessor do the work.

I think there may be some health and safety bullshit giving cause for the advice by some manufacturers....

I leae it on and disconnect when I take the bike out or move it etc even a short disconnect should reset any chip

Tonyunn wrote: The battery on the bike was in decent shape, I am not trying to bring it back from the dead just make sure it gets through the winter.

I would imagine any H&S concerns would be to do with gas production, acid spillage and/or overheating when bringing a discharged battery back to life.

I never disconnect/turn off mine, unless I'm going for a ride. Then I switch it off at the wall anyway. Simples!

Otherwise it runs all the time, to keep the battery healthy.

I have the Oxford one (bought it before i knew better), the quality is shite, the plastic's broke and the wires came out but it does work and have had it for 2 years now as i don't ride the bike that often, occasionally goes into standby mode of it's own accord...leave it on all the time as i'm sure that's what it suggested, however i did note somewhere it's good to switch off now and again, so the timer sounds a good idea Pete, prob be good to switch off and reset now and again