Jaguar 25
Well-Known Member
To change tack completely, what is wrong with using a £40 car battery charger? I have done so for 3 years without any apparent problem and usually going through the 'both' position on the 1 - 2 - Both switch.
Any recommendations on chargers
- Thread starter braithra
- Start date
pmagowan
Well-Known Member
I don't think there is anything wrong as such I just think they tend to fail to fully charge the battery and so you lose the top X%. Fine if you don't really need it. Also I think some can 'boil' the battery a bit.
zikzik
Well-Known Member
Unless I read the replies wrongly, I am not sure why you would buy 2 CTEK chargers - 1 for each battery. I also have the Sterling procharge ultra. It is a 20 amp charger plus float charge, and charges both my Contessa 26 batteries.
danielefua
Well-Known Member
CTEK
I agree that the CTEK's seem very professional and I reckon they received good feedback; still I have some questions.
They do not seem to be designed for fixed use in boats or whatever; they look more like very handy portable battery chargers one usually keeps in the shop. Is this an important issue?
I agree that the best would be to have two: one of high amperage for the large battery bank (i.e. MXS25 or M300) and one smaller (i.e. MXS10) for the starter battery. The overall price would be still quite convenient with respect to other well known marine chargers with multiple outputs. I have only one alternator and I wonder if connecting them in a permanent way downstream of the decoupling diodes is a problem. In this way I could still use the volt/amp meters present in my system.
My last question: why is the MXS25 cheaper than the equivalent M300? The former seems better...
Daniel
I agree that the CTEK's seem very professional and I reckon they received good feedback; still I have some questions.
They do not seem to be designed for fixed use in boats or whatever; they look more like very handy portable battery chargers one usually keeps in the shop. Is this an important issue?
I agree that the best would be to have two: one of high amperage for the large battery bank (i.e. MXS25 or M300) and one smaller (i.e. MXS10) for the starter battery. The overall price would be still quite convenient with respect to other well known marine chargers with multiple outputs. I have only one alternator and I wonder if connecting them in a permanent way downstream of the decoupling diodes is a problem. In this way I could still use the volt/amp meters present in my system.
My last question: why is the MXS25 cheaper than the equivalent M300? The former seems better...
Daniel
xeitosaphil
Well-Known Member
If not for any other reason, people without a VSR set up could not charge two separate banks of batteries from a M300. The Domestic set usually get depleted the most, so benefits from an intelligent charging regime with the added benefit it can remain plugged into the mains 24/7 without doing any harm to the batteries.
Part of the package I suggested includes an engine starter charger which is basically a trickle charger. The engine battery usually charges straight up once the engine is started in a very short time, so the trickle charger only really maintains the batteries actually natural voltage loss.
The benefits I suppose are more help to people who have electric available all the time say in a Marina, but live away.
pmagowan
Well-Known Member
I have mine fixed and it works well like this as it has good permanent connectors and a temperature sensor. It would be a pain to connect and disconnect each time but I suppose you could. My boat is very damp and the CTEK has survived well. You could certainly go the 2 charger way but I think you could get away with one without a problem. You can simply parallel the batteries if you are going away for a long time. I tend to do it from time to time and the CTEK picks it up immediately, makes its little whir noise and then adjusts its charge as required. I am not sure I could be bothered with having 2 since one works so well on its own. I can't answer your other questions as I went with the one that their website recommended for my use, battery size etc.
Storyline
Well-Known Member
They do the job but are usually just a few amps (2-5) so if you have more than one house battery it can take a long time. Also the smart chargers manage to get a lot more amps in - the difference is quite significant.
nigelmercier
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Non-optimal charge profile, at best you get only a partial charge, at worst they can murder your batteries.
GrahamM376
Well-Known Member
Thinking back to the days when I used to play around building my own valve driven amplifiers and radios. Power supplies which basic battery chargers are, are simple and cheap to build so it should be relatively cheap and easy to build a high amperage variable voltage power supply. Anyone done this? Output voltage would need to be variable/switchable between 13.8 and 15.5V and stabilised to take account of fluctuating supply voltages often found in marinas.
danielefua
Well-Known Member
In theory you are right but I am afraid you raise several issues which were not taken into consideration when you (and myself) were playing with "valves"
1) batteries are better charged by "smart" chargers which go automatically through different stages depending on many factors. This kind of charger needs a programmed processor with proper interfaces.
2) high amperage power supplies are now far more efficient and less bulky because they are of the switching kind but can be also terribly EM noisy if not very well designed and built.
Referring to what you write I would also add that in charging a battery (i.e. not supplying power to an hifi amplifier) stabilization is not important as far as the average voltage/amperage is well controlled.
Daniel
GrahamM376
Well-Known Member
What I'm thinking about isn't a fit, switch on and forget means of charging. Many of the supposed smart chargers give bulk charge on a timed basis, not dependent on what the batteries need. In theory, when on board, a simple transormer + recifier with an output set at (say) 14.4v could just be switched on and the output watched until current starts to drop, then switched off. A 15.5v output would also be useful for desulfation although maybe this should be pulsed?
Otter
Well-Known Member
Cetek. Fit and forget, simple, robust and works as a power supply if needed as well.
thalassa
Well-Known Member
GrahamM376
Well-Known Member
One of my chargers (I have 1 x 3 stage & 1 x 4 stage) also works as 40amp power supply and both chargers were a lot cheaper than so-called marine ones. It's a rare event if I have to use them anyway as solar provides what I need most of the time.
david100952
Well-Known Member
I am not able to comment on current models but a couple of years ago I needed to get a charger for my setup (1GM10+2 Batteries) and read extensively of the Product tests available. The Halfords own Brand came out with top marks as best buy. The one to go for is a "smart charger" which charges the battery according to it's retained level and then switches to "maintenance mode" afterwards so its a good bett to carry the batteries over the winter. I also use it on board in marinas as I use all my 12v equipment rather than having a second circuit for shore power.