shelldrake Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 See an add in Oct Caravan Club mag for a CTEK charger at aknockdown price Does anyone use these in their M/H? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
storth Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Don't know about a knockdown price, this varies with the capability of the unit. I have a MXS 7 which is very versatile in being suitable in the range 20ah to 100 ah and can be used up to 225ah. You will get what you pay for but extras like comfort clips can sugar the pill. I have mine attached now to my starter battery (van is on drive). No problems anticipated when I set off next as despite a cold spell coming I'll be confident the battery will be kept topped up and in best condition due to the charger's smart technology. A set of comfort clips is permanently attached to my leisure battery which is impractically fitted under the passenger seat, so I can top that up without removing the seat. You only need to have your perfectly neglected leisure battery fail once to make your mind up on the need for this adjustment. I ignore warnings not to by-pass my transformer (German build) but always make sure there can be no connection between leisure and starter when either is on charge. These things do what they say, clear sulphation, protect against accidental reverse polarity. Most can be left on indefinitely. some people fit them permanently but I like to be able to move mine and use it on my car and a standby spare. They also make battery to battery chargers but I've no experience of using these which are for people not addicted to mains hook up who need a quick fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartkingswood Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Just to reiterate previous reply, I have had a ctek charger for 8 years now for winter use and up to now it has performed excelently. We went to New Zealand for 6 weeks and left the ctek attached via a timer which brought it one once a week for 8 hours. I know I could have just left it conected but I thought it safer via the timer. All said quite expensive but well worth the expence, Aldi and Lidl do a much cheaper version but unlike the Ctek which can be disconected from mains and reconected and resumes charging the others do not. So if you had it conected and there was a power cut the vehicle would go off charge OK if you are at home but if you are away then you are in trouble. Hope this assists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Although I can charge our's easy enough(it's on the driveway and onboard charger,charges both batteries),having recently bought a Ctek charger for the car,I would like to know,if I did fit these permanent plug/socket arrangements in the MH,in order to make connecting easier..just what else would need "disconnecting"? (..I wouldn't want to "fry" something expensive.. :-S ) ...I've always assumed that batteries should be isolated/removed when being charged... :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I have two Cteks and use one on each battery. (3600 and 7000) which are permanently connected to the mains and batteries. I just un-clip the snap connector before driving off, although they can be left in line if required. The larger of the two chargers; I take with us when traveling as a backup for the mains unit. (just in case) The units come with a lead for permanent connection to the battery, and an easy snap connector for connection and disconnection. Also come with crocodile clips. You can also purchase a connector which has traffic light signal system indicating voltage. It does pay to search on the internet for the cheapest price, but I see that model numbers and specs have changed slightly. I use two chargers because my theory is that each battery (vehicle and leisure) have differing charging requirements. That said many people us the system described where the batteries are connected with a fused connection and single charger. as described by Clive Mott-Gotobed on these forums. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 We have recently bought a 3600 to use on the car and bike... ...So,if need be, it wouldn't hurt to just leave everything else connected and just connect the charger up then...? (..I had visions of it damaging the existing charger/circuitry.. :-S ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I don't get why anyone would bother. We have a Sargent system on our AutoTrail which will charge the vehicle and leisure battery as required. During the winter lay off we leave the moteorhome connected for three hours a day through a timer with a dehumidifier plugged in. Keeps the motorhome dry and both batteries well charged up. I've no idea what system it used but we used to do the same with our previous Rapido and that worked fine as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I don't get why anyone would bother. We have a Sargent system on our AutoTrail which will charge the vehicle and leisure battery as required. During the winter lay off we leave the moteorhome connected for three hours a day through a timer with a dehumidifier plugged in. Keeps the motorhome dry and both batteries well charged up. I've no idea what system it used but we used to do the same with our previous Rapido and that worked fine as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Double posting. Sorry I've no idea what I did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I don't normally "bother" ;-) ..But it's just that occasionally there's talk on here of onboard chargers not charging the batteries as well as a decent "stand alone" charger..and I was just curious to hear if using the Ctek every now and then,would be beneficial for the batteries..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Once the ctek chargers have settled down and reached a static charge / voltage with the battery, the current drawn (240V) is next to nothing, so makes little difference if connected all the time or not. A far better explanation of how they work is given on the ctek site Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianBW Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I have added one as a permanent fitting in place of the original charger. Is it better than the original MH one I don't know. It just works. When on a camp site, one thing I have noticed is, that the pulsing effect which they advertise as beneficial for the battery, can be seen on the older strip lights. The pulsing varies the light density. As this is annoying I turn it off in the evenings, then back on when required. That is a problem, one has to phyisically push a button to turn it on, it does not turn on automaticaly when the mains is applied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 With regard to pulsating lights, It may depend on which charger you have ? I do use the 7000 rather than the M/home unit to supply power on odd occasions as the switch for the mains unit is not too easy to switch on as the locker door opens against a wall. My 7000 has a "supply" setting which I assume is a constant supply. I have not used it for any length of time at night to see if it pulses the lights. Others may know ? Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 We have a couple which we use on our scooters (Sym VS125) as the batteries are a pig to get at due to having to remove the side panels etc to put charging leads on! Now we have a 'proper' CTek connector permanently fixed to the battery terminals and just plug the CTek lead into that when they're in the garage and leave them on - no problems experienced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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