Charging the camper battery whilst connected?

It's fine, if you've got a brainy charger like a CTEK. Just doing that very thing myself

 

I have a 1.5a AA car battery charger (from Amazon) for the car battery. It is plugged into a 240v socket in the campervan. So, when on hookup, the car battery charges.

I have a separate Leisure Battery charger for the leisure battery, also plugged into a 240v socket.





Sent from my SM-S908B using Tapatalk

 

Use a unit designated as a charger /maintainer as it can keep up the charge 24/7 without being confused by loading the battery while charging.

My bus is on a Nordelettronica 12 amp 24/7 at home.

 

I’ve a ctek 5 permanent fixed in the van so it charges when parked at home and on site through the hook up

 

Or slip on some nylon leggings and rub your thighs together. Might take a while to fully charge a battery, tho'

 

Hello everyone,

batteries have a well-filled state that can be maintained using charging technology.

My batteries (70 + 95 Ah) are separated by a relay until the typical charging current voltage is present, so that the starter battery is not drained.

Loading
- via generator with the engine running,
- via 70 Wp solar panel on the roof,
- via 25 A (for fast charging, I usually limit it to 10A ~ 240 W) charger if the car is connected to 230 V shore power.

I can control the chargers (Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 25 A and Victron Energy BlueSolar MPPT 75/15) via Bluetooth from my smartphone.
The solar charger also has a voltage monitor so that the batteries are not completely drained (e.g. by the refrigerator).



regards,

 

My setup used the 12A charger because at the time I was sometimes running a thermoelectric cooler at 5 amps plus a compressor fridge at about 1.5 amps average.
Now its just the compressor fridge and the Propex. But still thats maybe 3-4 amps which would be pushing the smallest CTek 5 amp charger hard if there were any other loads.
So the 12A charger is the largest one they sell on 12voltPlanet for mobile homes that has no cooling fan .

I have a 75 amp alternator because I have a heated windscreen (draws 26 amps while driving) , and a VSR between the two batteries, so I can get a fair charge rate on the leisure battery while I am driving.
The 12 amp charger/maintainer goes on the leisure battery side, in parallel with a 200 watt solar panel driving a MPPT controller. The VSR also closes between the two batteries to charge the starter battery once the leisure battery is charged. A system that works by itself without human intervention wherever I am.

 

You didn't miss anything...

 

I follow the Snotty approach and have used a CTEK for quite a few years now.

 

Yes I do it all the time with a trickle charger. I stick it on the bus once a month and the buggy too, just for a few hours while I'm working in the garage. I've not left it on over night though.

 

My CTEK connector's on the leisure battery. Once the charger raises the voltage a bit, the VSR triggers and both batteries charge together. Easy peasy.

 

Then sometimes you turn off the charger and something goes thump in the engine bay a couple of minutes later as the voltages drop.

 

Eh?

 

Double eh?

 

Who said that ?

 

quarter past two

 

I'm eighty three! Eighty three!

 

Why not just feed a cable connected to the battery into the saloon so when you want to charge the battery, just connect the charger to the cable. Simples!