JT-C6

I have been charging a brand new Optima Yellow Top with a 12V 10A charger for 6 hours now. When I connected it for the first time, the charger was at 7 amps. It is now down below 2 amps. Is this relatively normal?

Optima documentation indicates that I should switch to a 2V trickle charge for 1 hour once the meter is showing less than 1 amp. How much longer do I have to wait before this gets dangerous? The documentation also indicates that the battery should not be charged for more than 8 hours. I am going to disconnect it in about 15 minutes and resume the trickle charge tomorrow. Any comments?

99HT

Charging current is dependent on the battery condition and the charger output voltage under load. You will not hurt your new battery with a typical wimpy 10 amp charger over a 24 hour period.

A typical car alternator uses brute force to charge a battery. The charging current could be as high as 50 amps at times. Over time this current will taper off, but it rarely goes under 5 amps.

If a battery is healthy, as it charges, the current it draws from the charger drops. Every charger is different, so the amount the current drops is charger dependent.

YO-EL

I've been using the Battery Tender, specially made for the Hawker/Optima battery. Its 12v 6 amps. Took 24 hrs to go from the flashing green light, (charging mode) to the solid green light, (maintain full charge mode). So, it may be normal.