Try a different charger.The lower the amps the better it is for your battery but will take longer to charge. I like to use my 2 amp battery maintainer over night on weak batteries.

 

It is an Interstate Battery... They have shops all over... if you check one you may pay less by going directly to them for the Optima. I love my Red Top... when needed, I will for sure get another... perhaps even a yellow.

 

FYI. Optima recommends 10AMPs unless it's a float charger in which case they recommend 1AMP.

 

Not sure what you mean by "float" charger?

 

They "float" when the battery reaches full charge. As in, stops charging. Then it starts again once it drops below full charge.

 

Lol kinda figured that but was unsure.The little battery maintainers that I use on my stored equipment and such do just that.The only thing is that the ones I use are for standard batteries and as I mentioned before charge at I think a 1.5 or 2 amp rate so as you mentioned 10amp is what optima recommends so I guess my point is pointless lol.

EDIT
Excuse me, the ones I use are 1.5A 6/12V Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Charger/Maintainer.Schumacher I purchased mine from Walmart a while ago for like $20-$30 each,I can't remember the exact price but it was not much of an investment.They are really small and fit under the hood of a vehicle easily so they can be left over night by running an extension cord to it.

 

Those "maintainers" are just that, they maintain the battery during long periods of non-use. They are not meant to charge a vehicle battery over-night. That's what the 'real' battery chargers are for.

You can get a cheap solar battery maintainer for your dash for about $10 at Harbor Frieght. It plugs into the cigerette lighter. My F250 plow truck battery is never low/dead since the battery is "maintained" while it sits for months on end.

 

Ok so what is the difference between setting up the solar "maintainer" and me plugging un used batteries in during non use or when the battery is low? The "maintainer" that I have does charge the battery over night how else is it supposed to "maintain" the battery?It charges it and keeps it from getting low aka maintaining it. So what is different between what I said and what you said?
If you want to take your dead battery and shove 5000 amp to it all at once go for it but Ill be patient and allow it to charge properly at a low amperage and we can have a little experiment and see who buys the most batteries over the next couple of years.

 

A "maintainer" simply provides enough power (500-1000mA, generally) to keep the battery charged (mostly) in the face of the self-discharge common to chemical batteries and the "keep alive" current consumed by electronics. I wouldn't count on one to charge a battery sitting about doing nothing in anything less than a week and a half.

A "charger" will give you a significantly higher charge rate (anywhere from a 2-5A "trickle charge" to a 100A "dump charge," with several rates in between on various units,) and is generally considered to provide too much current for long-term use.

You can get plug-in maintainers (generally providing 1A or less) that can be mounted and left in place, with just a tail sticking out to plug into an extenson cord; or you can get "solar maintainers" that can be mounted to the roof or the dashboard and left in place.

For a vehicle driven less than once a month, I'd highly suggest installing a maintainer. For a vehicle driven less than once a week, I'd say it's a good idea. For a daily driver, I'd say to save your money - the self-discharge and keep alive currents aren't enough to drain a battery in good condition overnight.

Hell, we probably only go out and drive anywhere, on average, about three times every two weeks and our battery is just fine (2005 Suzuki Verona - later OBD-II will have more keep-alive current requirements than early OBD-II, OBD-I, or pre-OBD.)

 

That's good info there thanks,however I will stick with my personal experience and say that the maintainer I have does not take a week to charge a discharged battery.The batteries in all of my vehicles are lead acid type also.I dont have experience as of yet with any other type.I have said what I feel is right and probably should stop stealing the thread with my opinions .I hope that the OP has resolved their issue by now