Oakmaster Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 12V Battery trickle charger Does anyone know of a compact and reasonably priced 12V Battery trickle charger that doesn’t cut out / re-set when the 240V power supply gets interrupted? As in when there is a power cut, or the RCD trips out, when the power is restored the trickle charger starts up again without having to be manually re-set. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwakers Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 http://www.tesco.com/direct/polco-12v-smart-battery-charger-6-amp/213-3888.prd?skuId=213-3888&pageLevel=sku&sc_cmp=ppc_sh-_-sh-_-tesco-_-213-3888&gclid=CMb1gtqSmc4CFYu6GwodsbYEiQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&source=others i have 2 of these theyre perfect for the job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leaky40 Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 I use one like an Oxford optimiser made by roxter. About £20 last for years and I always use them on my bikes. Not let me down yet and am sure they'll work just as well on Landy. Just seen one practically brand new for sale on gumtree in Norfolk £12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwakers Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 i had one of those. melted it. it isnt designed for 100ah plus battery's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco1tdi Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 http://optimate.co.uk/accumate.htm I've used one of these for years.. It keeps going on bike batteries and 110Ah car batteries alike. Not the cheapest, but a solid product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 What sort of 12V battery? It makes a difference. Old-fashioned straight lead-acid batteries can be float-charged by a relatively "dumb" charger - provided you remember to keep the things topped-up with distilled water. More modern batteries - sealed lead/acids and maintenance-free/AGM/Optima-types need more sophisticated chargers - ideally ones that vary the charge cutoff-point in response to both the battery voltage and ambient temperature. Modern "Silver/Calcium" batteries (as used in the last Puma Defenders with 'smart charge' computer-controlled alternators) are even more sensitive to charger characteristics. I've got a "CTek MXS5.0" charger I use here on pretty much everything. Not cheap but IMHO well worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 I've got this Noco Genius charger Again, not cheap, but intelligent, 12/24volt, remembers it's setting after losing mains power, conditions the batteries too. I bought it on the strength of having a lot of them at work and being impressed by their thorough idiot proof-ness https://no.co/g7200 They do cheap/lower output ones too. My customer uses CTEK MXS7.0's, they seem comparable in price, features and output 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 I have a cheap Maypole "charger in a plug" one which is fine for the use described and as far as I recall was probably less than a tenner. I use it for my ride on lawnmower and the bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakmaster Posted August 1, 2016 Author Share Posted August 1, 2016 The NoCo charger looks great especially as it retains its settings in the event of a power cut. But I already have 4 smart chargers of the CTEK style (but by Aldi / Lidl) - they work great (and they ‘recover’ wasted batteries) But when the power goes, they don’t turn back on – and you (I) won’t know unless you check them regularly. So what I really need are 4 little trickle chargers – cheap and simple, that will start again when the power cuts and comes back on. They don’t need to get the discharged battery up to capacity – they just need to maintain a fully charged battery. Does anyone think that 500Ma (1/2 an Amp) is too much? for a trickle? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lighting-automotive-batteries-Crocodile-connectors/dp/B006FG9RUC/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1470038341&sr=1-1&keywords=battery+trickle+charger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 Bear in mind the 500ma ones are usually 500ma max not 500ma continuous, whatever the blurb says. If you are worried about it, an option would be to fit one on a plug-in timer socket that switches it on for half an hour a day or something. Though to be honest I'd be wary of leaving a £4 charger plugged in all the time for the same reason I don't have cheap no-brand £2 Chinese mobile phone chargers in the house - fire risk. As with most things - you get what you pay for. Cheap phone chargers are apparently acquiring a bit of a reputation for letting the smoke out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finnarne Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 My customer uses CTEK MXS7.0's, they seem comparable in price, features and output I love my MXS7.0 as well. So do my neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I have one of those nicos for my caravan battery, it was recommended to me by the battery supplier after I killed an expensive battery and tried to get it changed under warranty. Feels a bit cheap compared to the ctek i use on my cars and the push button seems to have a mind of its own but I can't question the performance of it and it was significantly cheaper than a size for size ctek. Are you wanting to trickle charge for general battery loss, because you have something like an alarm which gradually flattens it or because it has a load, for example an electric fence. You need to work that out before you decide what current the charger needs to output. You could always use a dumb charger on a timer if your wanting to go cheap. If you decide to brew your own if you can set it to around 12.5v it should keep everything alive without over cooking the battery I would've thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I have a C-tek one and also the Aldi special, both have pulled batteries back from the dead successfully however as said above, the Aldi one resets when the power drops out. I like the range of plugs that the Ctek one has, I have fitted their sockets into both the Land Rovers so there's no mucking around pulling the seat out and they are water resistant also. My dad uses a an Optimate on his TVR, he's on the 2nd in 3 years after the first died for no reason. The 2nd one now seems to be playing up also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 The NoCo charger looks great especially as it retains its settings in the event of a power cut. But I already have 4 smart chargers of the CTEK style (but by Aldi / Lidl) - they work great (and they ‘recover’ wasted batteries) But when the power goes, they don’t turn back on – and you (I) won’t know unless you check them regularly. I went for a Noco for my Sankey conversion, it charges the batteries (2 x 110AH AGM Numax) whenever the trailer is connected to an electric hookup. Initially I chose it because it's rated at IP65 so shouldn't have problems living in the trailer even if it gets damp. The reason I mention it is because, as you'd expect on a camping trailer, it's constantly disconnected/reconnected from the mains and never misses a beat. I don't have to reset it or turn it on, it just starts charging as soon as I connect the mains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I own 2 Cteks and am mostly happy, except one has a doddgy mode button after a few years. I like the look of those NoCo units, might have to get one for the 12/14 ability and other features oh i also have a Optimate thats now about 20 years old and constantly in use for a lot of that time floating a workshop battery. Dont make them like they used to, i suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 No problem here with an (old) optimate and a new ctek - both recover when the power comes back on which is handy 'cos I was running them of a wind/solar generator for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 If I may hijack slightly has anyone any experience of the ctek mxs 25? I'm looking for a good charger to recover and maintain tractor batteries and of course smaller land rover types, going through the models there doesn't seem to be a great step up in price upto this model or is it overkill? Will it damage other types of battery if inadvertently connected? Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I use an MXS 5 to charge some very big batteries, certainly bigger than a JCB battery. Its currently charging a pair of 6V 220AH hawker batteries that are recovering from a deep discharge in a faulty UPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoggyN Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 I had the same problem with the Aldi Cetek type chargers switching off after a power cut. I replaced them with a couple of these... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NCS-MOTORCYCLE-SPECIFIC-SMART-12V-ACID-BATTERY-CHARGER-OPTIMISER-MAXIMISER-/200905657536?hash=item2ec6e90cc0:g:vOAAAOxy86RSVVMx They do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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