Battery conditioning

mickysf
mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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edited January 2016 in Parts & Accessories #1

Saw this advertised today, anyone using this product? 

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=30031

Comments

  • Nuggy
    Nuggy Forum Participant Posts: 512
    edited January 2016 #2

    I've had one for a couple of years and use it regularly on my 105 Ah battery. It is only 3.8 amp but good value for the price, works well and does the job. I don't leave it on all the time in maintenance mode, I just recharge the battery and when it goes into pulse mode I turn it off. 

  • briantimber
    briantimber Forum Participant Posts: 1,653
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    edited January 2016 #3

    A good product micky, does practically the same job as my C-Tech one bought three years ago for nearly four times the price....Cool

    Edit.... mine is 5amp

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2016 #4

    So, at the lower ampage it'll just charge slower and more 'gently' and if its as intelligent as suggested it would be great to keep battery in good health during periods of inactivity. Is that your experience, Nuggy?

  • Vicmallows
    Vicmallows Forum Participant Posts: 580
    500 Comments
    edited January 2016 #5

    Just be aware that these chargers from Aldi/LIDL have the annoying characteristic that they DO NOT restart after a power outage ....you have to restart them manually. (Unless they have at last realised this is an infuriating 'safety feature' and have modified
    it Foot in Mouth ).

  • rogher
    rogher Forum Participant Posts: 609
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    edited January 2016 #6

    The linked advert is rather scant of detail and I’d doubt its suitability for batteries of 120Ah, apart from maintaining an established charge. I forget the reasoning, but recall a rule of thumb of 1A charging current for each 10Ah of battery capacity. My
    charger’s output is 20Amp.

  • Nuggy
    Nuggy Forum Participant Posts: 512
    edited January 2016 #7

    I never let my battery get fully discharged. I don't often have an EHU but do use a 40 watt solar panel when away. I have a MM to park the van in it's usual place and I always recharge at home as soon as possible. The charger works for me. If it takes a little longer to charge I'm not aware as I cannot compare as the battery condition before charging might never be quite the same. My logic was, if it didn't work out then I haven't wasted a lot of money. Happy   PS, during the winter months I top the battery up at the beginning of each month so it never gets below 75% full.

  • rogher
    rogher Forum Participant Posts: 609
    500 Comments
    edited January 2016 #8

    Nothing wrong with that, Nuggy. Theory and practice don’t always work together. 

  • Nuggy
    Nuggy Forum Participant Posts: 512
    edited January 2016 #9

    Rogher, I don't know if the charger is made in Germany but reading the literature that comes in the box, it gives me the impression it's not naff quality. I also have a bigger charger, possibly 11 amp (not sure, the spec. plate underneath confuses me)  but it is more cumbersome so I don't bother with it.

  • ocsid
    ocsid Forum Participant Posts: 1,395
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    edited January 2016 #10

    If the battery is actually a leisure battery then the more modest charge is overal good news.  20 Amp  into a 120 Ah leisure battery  that has a decent deep cycling ability, would be abuse of the battery.

    The Aldi/Lidl variants make a decent job of normal recharging our caravan batteries, provided you are mindful of the lack of post power outage auto resetting Vic above mentioned.

  • Nuggy
    Nuggy Forum Participant Posts: 512
    edited January 2016 #11

    If post power outage is a power cut? then they are thankfully very rare here. If it does happen it's usually a man with a mini JCB he hired with no instructions and he had one too many beers the night before.

  • Marksailor
    Marksailor Forum Participant Posts: 57
    edited January 2016 #12

    I agree that lower charging rates are better- putting 10% of the charge back into a battery is about the
    maximum that it can take per hour- so a 10amp charger is realistically the biggest for a 110Ah battery. This is for those that go above 13.6V, where you will get gassing (which is occasionally good for batteries)- which doesn't happen with most inbuilt
    'van chargers, as they are only to top-up the batteries- they won't give depth-of recharge. However, slower rates of charging (with higher voltages) are good- such as provided by solar panels.

    Incidentally, I have one of these Lidl chargers and I agree with another poster, that they are very similar to CTEK models- and they bring my 110Ah batteries on the caravan- and the boat when laid up- up to a good state of charge. It is also quiet, compared
    to my larger inbuilt chargers on the boat (which are CTEK). Very good value!

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