Battery charger

[Sometime]

Hi

I need to get a charger to top up my batteries, can I just pop to Argos and buy any charger or do I need a more specific one?
Thanks

 

[NickRobinson]

It depends! (as always)

If you have a safety critical setup with hundreds of pounds worth of batteries, take the advice shortly forthcoming about smart, 4 stage chargers, with 'life enhancing' cycles.

However, if you like me have a more humble setup, leisure battery from caravan shop, engine battery pre-used from diesel car, then Argos (or this Sunday's boot-sale) will save some money....

Nick

 

[pmagowan]

I used to do my batteries with a tractor battery charger. I then installed a more complex electrical system and it would have been a hassle to remove batteries for this. I now have a CTEK battery charger which is "smart" and can be plugged in to shore power and left to keep an eye on everything without boiling my batteries away.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I bought a 16A Ring charger (available on t'internet cheaper than Halfords)

I have 2x110 Ah Elecsol batteries. I use them one as the 'house' battery and the other for engine starting, but they are interchangeable using the Off,1,2, Both switch.

The charger takes the batteries up to 14.4 V before dropping back to 13.8 at approx 0.2A. If left connected it periodically takes the batteries up to 14.4V for a few minutes before dropping back again.

As the batteries are the same age, type and capacity I can charge them in parallel, again courtesy of the Off,1,2,Both switch. I don't believe it is advisable to do this if the batteries aren't well matched.

 

[William_H]

Charger

What an expensive charger will do is look after your batteries long term with no intervention by you.
However if you only want to be able to top up your batteries for an hour or 2 occasionally and do not intend to leave the charger connected then a cheap one will be fine. If it has an amp meter it will give you some idea how much you are replenishing the batteries.
The amp rating of the charger will not be what actually goes in but rather the max the charger can put into a dead flat battery so don't be too optimistic. You need to measure to be sure.
The expensive 2 to 4 stage chargers will get more in over a short period by charging at a higher voltage. So that may suit your needs better. good luck olewill

 

[Tranona]

Hi

I need to get a charger to top up my batteries, can I just pop to Argos and buy any charger or do I need a more specific one?
Thanks

It really depends on what you mean by "top up". It is common now to use a solar panel to keep batteries fully charged between use. However, if you have no other means of charging then a mains powered battery charger is useful. Some people take their battery home and use a car type battery charger.

However, if you have a large battery capacity, and particularly more than one bank then your requirements may well be different. A car type battery charger putting out 6 or 8 amps will not make much impression on a 200 AH battery bank. If you have shorepower, large battery banks and your enigine usage is not enough to replace your consumption, then you need to consider a proper multi stage, multiple output dedicated charger.

 

[lukecsmith]

I used to do my batteries with a tractor battery charger. I then installed a more complex electrical system and it would have been a hassle to remove batteries for this. I now have a CTEK battery charger which is "smart" and can be plugged in to shore power and left to keep an eye on everything without boiling my batteries away.

Hi there, am I right in thinking these CTEK chargers are fine to be left plugged in indefinitely then, and do a good job of looking after a couple of batteries? Could I for eg - leave this plugged in to my VSR system (1x house 1x start) while away from the boat for any time, and it will keep them well looked after?

I ask because its only in the £50 range or less, so it looks really affordable compared to the proper waterproof jobbies, which at the moment I cannot afford..

 

[Dave_Seager]

Hi

I need to get a charger to top up my batteries, can I just pop to Argos and buy any charger or do I need a more specific one?
Thanks

Even at the Argos/Halfords level, there are three types of charger to consider.

The basic charger will just charge at the maximum it can manage for as long as you leave it connected. Eventually, when the battery is fully charged, it with electrolyse the acid releasing hydrogen and oxygen which you will need to replace with distilled water.

The second type is semi-automatic in that it will stop charging when it thinks the battery is fully charged. This avoids the loss of electrolyte but will not maintain the battery for long periods.

The third type is fully automatic. This type will switch of when the battery is full but will switch on again if the voltage drops. This will maintain the charge in the battery over a longer period without attention.

Other. more sophisticated chargers can charge at various rates with various tricks that are supposed to remove sulphation and optimise charging. These are commonly built in to boats and can often charge more than one bank of batteries.

 

[duncan]

Hi

I need to get a charger to top up my batteries, can I just pop to Argos and buy any charger or do I need a more specific one?
Thanks

I think all the technical bits have been covered by others.

Faced with what appears to be the same issue I ended up with a B&D Autoselect unit from B&Q (only available from them) http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...7}/specificationsProductType=battery_chargers - they also do a 10A unit for £20 less.

I can only say it seems to do a great job - I ended up posting a Q here last month because it appeared to have got more into the boat batteries than either charger or alternator manged before! In the absence of dedicated shore-power and associated smart charging systems on the boat it's perfect.

The downside is that it's a special order item for most stores which didn't suit my 'I want it now' approach - but I am glad I stuck with it.

 

[pmagowan]

The CTEK charger I went for was closer to £150 than £50. I also have a VSR cluster. I have only got it temporarily connected until I do a bit of tidying of the battery side wiring. The purpose was so that I could leave it attached for long periods while on shore power and also to recondition a battery. It appears that this is within its spec. With the VSR and the charger attached to house it appears to charge only the house unless I have the switches on in which case it charges both. I can't quite remember the combo that gets it to charge both (if 1 or both switches need to be on). I wasn't interested in the start battery as it takes care of itself.

mine was a CTEK M200

 

[lukecsmith]

Thanks for that. Re the VSR, if its like mine - I have to connect the + from charger to + on the start battery, then the negative to the negative on the house battery. Then the start switch has to be on, and the house switch off. This then charges the start first, and then both together when the VSR engages. I have to do the same to get the solar to charge properly when away.

I'll look up the CTEK you suggested, but might need to check for cheaper alternatives first. Ive spent far too much on the boat already this year! Sure you know how it is ..

 

[elton]

I've been using one of these for years -£58 at Halfords. It's permanently on when I'm aboard at the pontoon.

 

[VicS]

I recently bought a Ring Smartcharge 8 , from Halfords but at a much lower price than the current £77.
There is a 16 amp version, but not from Halfords.

I believe a recent magazine review ( PBO ?) came out in favour of the Ring Smartcharge+ 16.

You can easily beat Halfords prices by shopping around

SmartCharge 8

SmartCharge+ 16

 

[lustyd]

Hi there, am I right in thinking these CTEK chargers are fine to be left plugged in indefinitely then, and do a good job of looking after a couple of batteries? Could I for eg - leave this plugged in to my VSR system (1x house 1x start) while away from the boat for any time, and it will keep them well looked after?

I ask because its only in the £50 range or less, so it looks really affordable compared to the proper waterproof jobbies, which at the moment I cannot afford..

Yes, the CTEK can be left on all the time. There are no "proper waterproof jobbies" the CTEK ranges are actually all rated the same and have the same features, just the sticker changes for the marine range. The price is identical though so better get the marine one just in case

There is a CTEK for around £40-£50 which is 4 stage, and looks like the RAC orange one in Argos is a rebadged one of these too. They also do one around £100 which is 8 stage (M100) which would be better if on all the time as it also reconditions the battery where the 4 stage wont. Then there's the M200 which is £150ish which simply ups the amps and charges faster, or for larger battery banks. The M300 is actually the M200 plus a smaller charger for the starter battery, and costs the same as the two would separately which is odd.

They can also all be used in series for 24 volt according to the manual.

I'm not an expert, just read up a lot when buying mine
Cheers
Dave

ETA they are IP65 rated, which gives complete dust protection, and protection from water jets but not submersion. Obviously if they are submerged then you're in more trouble than just charging your battery anyway

 

[reeac]

I recently bought a Ring Smartcharge 8 , from Halfords but at a much lower price than the current £77.
There is a 16 amp version, but not from Halfords.

I believe a recent magazine review ( PBO ?) came out in favour of the Ring Smartcharge+ 16.

You can easily beat Halfords prices by shopping around

SmartCharge 8

SmartCharge+ 16

I don't know what forumites' experience is of Ring products but many years ago I had trouble with their oven bulbs and an electrical engineer that I knew said that Ring products were built just to be within spec. and no more and were best avoided. I've avoided all of their products ever since. Certainly you'd want a battery charger to be super-reliable if you were going to leave the boat plugged in to shore power for days/weeks at a time. Personally I have a Sterling charger although the boat lives on a swinging mooring so it's infrequently used.

 

[Sometime]

Many thanks for all on the replies.
As always you guys are superb

 

[VicS]

I don't know what forumites' experience is of Ring products but many years ago I had trouble with their oven bulbs and an electrical engineer that I knew said that Ring products were built just to be within spec. and no more and were best avoided. I've avoided all of their products ever since. Certainly you'd want a battery charger to be super-reliable if you were going to leave the boat plugged in to shore power for days/weeks at a time. Personally I have a Sterling charger although the boat lives on a swinging mooring so it's infrequently used.

I always regarded Ring products as cheap and cheerful although I cant say anything has ever proved unsatisfactory. I have not knowingly used their oven bulbs though!

The battery charger appears to be well made and performs well, but I only use it as a bench charger at home. I bought it to replace a really really old non automatic one and although I dont normally leave it on for prolonged periods I don't have to worry now if I forget about it.

A solar panel takes care of the boat battery during the summer season.

 

[Stu Jackson]

What are your batteries worth to you?

The cost of a slightly more expensive charger will usually more than make up for the damage caused to your batteries by a cheaper charger.

Solar during the week when you're away from the boat is also a very good investment to care for the health of your batteries.

 

[davehobson]

I can't quite remember the combo that gets it to charge both (if 1 or both switches need to be on). I wasn't interested in the start battery as it takes care of itself.

Depending on your setup it is usually 1, 2 and "both" on to connect house and starter together. However, as you say, the starter usually looks after itself if you give it a brief charge regularly. It's the house that need the length of charge and the various cheaper chargers mentioned will do that safely as long as they switch themselves off when charged.

I bought a Ring 16A Smartcharger with quite sophistcated auto charging for £95. It's got a meaty output though it did go "phut" when I tried it across my old house and starter together. Replaced no questions by vendor.

I've now been lucky enough to splash out on a Sterling Procharge Ultra 20A unit which is plug in and forget and quick to restore charge too but a tidy £230.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

..... I've now been lucky enough to splash out on a Sterling Procharge Ultra 20A unit which is plug in and forget and quick to restore charge too but a tidy £230.

I fitted the Sterling Procharge Ultra 24/20 at 600 Watts in March this year for 2 battery banks. It has improved battery life by about 25% (domestic incandescent lighting, plotter, VHF, Navtex) because they are now fully charged.

The engine start batteries took a hammering last winter (they were not connected to the wind generator and I thought they were). They used to turn the engine over OK but now turn it over significantly faster and the engine starts almost instantly. After a long weekend sailing with minimum engine use the starter batteries still turn over the engine with that fast kick.

There is no doubt that my batteries have been improved significantly with the Pro Charge Ultra. I would not put it it down to the charger fixing the batteries (maintenance mode / desulphation cycle), just to the fact that it keeps them fully charged, a condition they probably never achieved in the previous 2 years. My batteries are standard lead acid types with the flooded cells that you have to top up with distilled water.

Shop around on the internet as prices vary significantly. I would recommend this type of charger.