Which battery charger?

Robmac

Robmac

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I am looking to install a new 240v battery charger for when on EHU, but not sure which one to go for?

I have a Ring BTB at the moment connected to 2 x Trojan T125 6V batteries connected in series. I was going to opt for the Ring 240v smart charger but I have read some bad reviews on this.

Anybody got any recommendations?
 
You can't really go far wrong with either Victron or CTEK.
My preference is Victron, especially with the 5 year warranty, but CTEK has 3 year warranty.
 
A general rule is no more than 20% of your battery typically - so if you have a 100Ah battery, no more than 20A.
But basically enough to keep up with your battery demands on hookup, and to end up with a full Battery in the morning, so something like a 10A charger would suit I would think and be fine.
The top brands are around £130 for that size. Unbranded/random ones will be a fair bit cheaper but TBH I'd be wary.
Check out alpha batteries - they had what used to be called Pico, but now rebranded to Xplorer, chargers which are well priced for the spec. Around £65 - £80 for 10A to 20A . Very solid construction and there is the forum discount as well.
 
wildebus said:
A general rule is no more than 20% of your battery typically - so if you have a 100Ah battery, no more than 20A.
But basically enough to keep up with your battery demands on hookup, and to end up with a full Battery in the morning, so something like a 10A charger would suit I would think and be fine.
The top brands are around £130 for that size. Unbranded/random ones will be a fair bit cheaper but TBH I'd be wary.
Check out alpha batteries - they had what used to be called Pico, but now rebranded to Xplorer, chargers which are well priced for the spec. Around £65 - £80 for 10A to 20A . Very solid construction and there is the forum discount as well.
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Excellent information.

Thanks for taking the time.
 
I like the price Trev!

What I am after though is a multi phase charger which will condition the battery, for which you usually have to pay a bit more.
 
Robmac said:
Found this one at Alpha;

https://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/12v-10a-connect-forget-leisure-battery-charger/

Is this the one you mean?

Thanks
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That's it. I must admit I would be inclined to get the 20A version for the extra £15.

Trev, probably fine, but there is so much misdescribed gear on eBay at the 'too good to be true' prices. The amount of "MPPT Solar" controllers that are certainly nothing of the sort, for example. When it comes to Battery Charging and the like, reputable makes and reliable suppliers are worth the premium (IMO).
 
Decided to go for the 20A as you advised, makes a lot of sense. (I also chatted with John at Alpha about it - very helpful).

Now ordered with discount applied.

Thanks very much for your help Wildebus.
 
I asked the same question last year Rob and I looked at the 20A charger from Alpha, which looked good. I was told that 10A would struggle with a combined 260ah of batteries. In the end I went for the Ctek MXS 25A model to future-proof things a bit.
 
General rule is 10% of battery bank size is the ideal isn’t it, not forgetting some for starter battery?
 
wildebus said:
That's it. I must admit I would be inclined to get the 20A version for the extra £15.

Trev, probably fine, but there is so much misdescribed gear on eBay at the 'too good to be true' prices. The amount of "MPPT Solar" controllers that are certainly nothing of the sort, for example. When it comes to Battery Charging and the like, reputable makes and reliable suppliers are worth the premium (IMO).
Click to expand...

That's the one I've had on the transit for the 3 years or so....
Good solid piece of kit AND Alpha are great to deal with....
Plus if you turn up and collect you get 10% off
 
nabsim said:
General rule is 10% of battery bank size is the ideal isn’t it, not forgetting some for starter battery?
Click to expand...
The best rule is "RTFM" for the specific batteries (not just the type, but the ACTUAL batteries) you have of course :)
Some are 10%; some are 20%; my own particular AGM Leochs have a recommended rate of 25%. LifePo4 seem to be C1 or more (i.e. over 100% of capacity per hour!)
A 10% rate if no other info is available is maybe 'safer' (although thrre is so much contradiction in the battery world on this subject hard to know who to believe :( )
 
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