Evening folks I'm wanting to put a battery/charger conditioner permanently wired to my 240v in to charge my leisure battery whilst on 240v. What charger would you recommend? C-tek 7? Is it possible to have a switch to charge the main battery as well?
I went with a ctek can't remember which model but I also wanted the option to charge the main battery so I bought two of these You wire one to each battery and then using the standard plug on the ctek you can chose which battery you plug it into, I'm just not sure where I'm going to mount them but that a minor detail Robo...
My 3rd Optimate charger in 12 years failed today and I've just ordered one of these for £20 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190673036509?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 Hope it lasts longer! It'll be permanently wired to the camper electrics when parked at home. 1.5 amp Intelligent Battery Charger for 6V and 12V Lead Acid and Gel Batteries Sakura UK offer a wide range of durable, innovative high-performance, high quality automotive accessories, for both the DIY user and the Professional Trade. The Sakura accessory brand offers a wide range of products for use in and around the car and provide unbeatable value. 1.5 amp Intelligent Battery Charger Suitable for all types of 6V and 12V lead acid and gel batteries Smart charging - Multi stage fully automatic for fast, safe battery charging Fast charging - Charges up to twice as fast as manual & automatic chargers Safe charging - Can be left safely connected to a battery permanently. Ideal for long term trickle charging
I've got a c tek mx7 but I haven't wired it in yet but that's the plan, would be interested in a switch to charge either battery rather than unplugging it.
I've got the ctec 7. You don't need a switch, just plug it into charge the main battery and then when it is full you have a split relay that kicks in and the ctec will automatically charge the leisure battery. That way both batteries will be nice and topped up at all times and you 'should' be able to start the van after a week of it sitting around.
I bought a ctek mxs 5.0 few weeks ago and really impressed with the quality and the indicated system it has which shows every stage of battery condition...Amazon ended up being cheapest £58 I think....has alot of good reviews too....my mate bit of electronics buff and he says they good...went for dearer one as my leisure battery is a 70 ah when I charge that.
I've got a Zig 9 unit which sorts all your electrics out and has got a trickle charger built in, ideal over winter just plug into mains and walk away, also when on site and connected to 240v it tickles your battery as well,
Ctek all the way i have tryed outhers and had issues. One thing to watch with a ctek is if your battery is compleatly flat it will not see the battery and not charge To change over between batterys a small 10amp 3 position switch will do wire the common to the charger and each battery to the outher points using cable the same size as the charger. Zig units are not my fav for the money, they only have a transformer and a relay and just put a low amp 12v suppply on the battery rather than a muilt stage charge to the battery. Sargent make a very good all in one unit if you want one pannel to control the lot
Van already has a zig unit to see charge on both batteries but I'm sure that its not wired correctly as I get the same reading when checking levels of both batteries no matter how long I've been driving/camping for. Got a feeling I'm definitely going to have to get someone in to have a look at it as I can't see what's what.
i wish they made a ctek smart charger that runs on 12v dc so DC-DC i want to charge it by alternator, but new batteries require more complex charging techniques and some get undercharged or overcharged. ctek would sort that, but i don't have a wall socket everywhere i go.
what one like this http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/ctek-smartpass.php Not fitted one yet but seams a good idea and a lot cheeper than the sterling ones https://www.roadpro.co.uk/retail/12...rling-45a-12v-battery-battery-charger-280.htm have fitted one of these but it was a right pain
yes, exactly like that, except one that doesn't cost as much as two batteries would be nice. Its cheaper for me to overcharge my battery and shorten it's life, then buy another one at half it's life expectancy, than invest in that charger.
For use away from mains, I use one of these http://www.yachtbits.com/sterling_p...nced_alternator_regulator_12v_only_ar12vd.php on my boat , to boost the alternator output for some AGM batteries - it sits in parallel with the normal regulator and boosts the output to charge the battery faster. Most of the time a 20 watt solar panel keeps the batteries topped up.
Sven, no problem, just hook up a solar panel when out in the field, keep you topped up and no need for a 240v socket. We have a ctek 5 also brilliant bit of kit!
I've looked into solar panels and you'd need one the size of the whole roof to actually make any difference in charging the battery. As soon as you use a light or stereo any solar trickle chargers are pretty much pointless IMHO.
