OptiMate or Halford's automatic battery charger?

[fjweaver]

OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

I want a battery charger that will be ok for for my engine & leisure batteries. The OptiMate seems the right one but is a bit pricey. The Halford's automatic is cheaper but I don't want to get the wrong one.
Has anyone been through a similar process recently and got any views on either of them?
thanks
Frank

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[JerryHawkins]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

What size are your batteries? The Optimate is only suitable for relatively small (up to 28AH) batteries (I have one and it works well for a 17AH portable power pack). I would have thought you'd need at least an Accumate, but even these only go up to 75AH batteries. Look at http://www.accumate.co.uk. Also have a look at http://www.roadpro.co.uk and search for charger. Then look at the C-Tek 3600, which is suitable for up to 125AH batteries. Of course, if the time it takes to recharge is important then you'll need something much better, like the Sterling range. Look at http://www.sterling-power.com. I have one of these too.

Forget the Halfords one, it won't charge the batteries fully - just enough to start your car!

Cheers,

Jerry

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[ParaHandy]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

well ... i use the halford one which has a float stage to it. I can't remember how much it cost but was cheap - £50? or less. It is 10amp which is OK for charging a single 110amphour battery.

Battery charging goes something like this: bulk phase where the voltage increases fairly rapidly to approx 14.6v, then adsorption phase where the voltage naturally drops gradually and when the voltage drops to approx 13.4v, then float phase starts where the charger holds the charge at about 13.4v. The float phase lifts the battery charge to above 80% whereas allowing the adsorption phase to continue would not. The Halford's charger seems to work well and i've used it for 4 years. I've never left it switched on for longer than 8 hrs ... cheapness comes with some disadvantages ... and charge little and often

hope that helps

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[chas]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

I also use the Halfords automatic. I have not had any problems yet and seem to get a nice fat charge.

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[fjweaver]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

A bit embarrassingly I can't remember what size they are but I'm going down to the boat this weekend and will bring them home with me. Thanks for the info

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[duncan]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

hmmm I have a single 210AH battery and was going to give it the luxury of a charge this month from my Halfords battery charger - it's their Diesel Car/Van version.
I have had the thing in situ for a couple of years and haven't touched it - it gets charged from the alternator and discharged from the lights/electronics/fridge/windlass. Not having shorepower or access to power easily it has been left to it's own devices....but rarely goes a month without use.

Is it worth me hauling it out and attaching the charger or should I just leave it alone? I thought the former but this thread is making me question that.

It is big and it is heavy!

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[Trevethan]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

I have one of those halfords jobs. I used it to charge 200 amp hour truck batteries before I bought a Sterling. It did a grand job and still looks after a 110 leisure battery I keep spare.

The only thing I found with it was once when I lett the charge get too low it didn't seem to able to sense that a battery was connected and needed charging so I had to hook it up to teh sterling, which quickly ramped up the charge. I suspect the battery is slightly buggered which didn't help things

All in all, I reckon its a good deal -- had mine for 2 years and other than having to re-solder the battery clips, (the cable its rather brittle) no problems.




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[snowleopard]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

i recently bought a charger for the car from a motor factor. i put a volfmeter on it and it was soon pushing out 15.7v and the battery was gassing away merrily.

i now only use it under supervision and plan to use it on the boat only for de-suphating.

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[duncan]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

ty - will check it's output

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[rex_seadog]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

All this talk of fancy battery chargers is leaving me a bit lost. Our boat only has a 75ah leisure battery which is usually kept charged by a Mariner 8 outboard (manual start) which has a max output at full whack of 6 amps. When I recharge the battery at the end/start of the season and perhaps once mid-season, I just use a cheap 4 amp car charger. Is this giving it a full charge or causing any damage?

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[Birdseye]

Re: OptiMate or Halford\'s automatic battery charger?

I spent £200 or thereabouts on a Sterling charger. One of my few better decisions allowing me to use all the bits and pieces in harbour, and not to have to duplicate with mains lights etc. You can leave it on permanently without overcharging. Recommended.

I use an Optimate on the bike and on the classic car. It is rated at 20ah or thereabouts, but it will eventually get a larger car battery up to full charge. I cant see it coping with the size of batteries on most boats.

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