Which trickle charger should I purchase?
Hi, was wondering if anyone had any advice on which trickle chargers are good value for money, I have searched online and there are various prices ranging massively and each are not entirely clear on what batteries they are capable of charging fully. I need
it for my motor mover as the van is in storage and I haven't access to a mains so need to disconnect the battery and charge at home for next outing. Sorry for the basic, seemingly stupid question but I'm a newb.
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I would not be buying a trickle charger but a decent smart charger so it can better maintain the battery and ensure it gets a full charge.
I use several with two CTEK units and two Aldi budget offerings to keep my vehicle and camping batteries as healthy as possible.
The CTEK 5 amp job would be an excellent choice handling anything you are likely to have, but if Aldi have an offer on their 4 Amp budget charger at about £15 this would also be quite adequate.
This is an example but prices could be better elsewhere:
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C-Tech chargers are the ones most will advise you are the best.
peedee
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When we had our caravan we had 2 110ah batteries we used to cycle keeping 1 on charge in the garage and never had an issue. Like others we have a ctek smart charger so it keeps battery in tip top condition.
Still have the 2 batteries so if anyone us interested in buying let me know.
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You are correct, at home connect to the battery first, then plug into the mains and watch. The smart chargers have a selection of different phases and will do what the battery needs. Don't put your battery on a cold floor, if going on the floor put some wood underneath it, and also in a reasonably ventilated space, no naked flames.
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Yes , those retailed in the UK should come with a conventional 3 pin 13 Amp mains plug prefitted.
Couple the battery's leads to the battery as directed then plug in switch on. On most chargers you will then need to index to some icon showing a "car" or 12 volts, but it is very intuitive. Then with a decent charger you can if you want
leave it connected till you need to use the battery.0 -
As a slight alternative, have you considered getting a solar panel fitted to the caravan? Assuming you aren't storing your caravan inside, this would keep the battery topped up, mean that you don't have to take it out to charge, and also mean you can more
easily venture places without EHU!0 -
Bought the ctek mxs5.0, I went to remove battery to charge at home, then realised that when my wife told me it was flat with no voltage that she hadn't flicked the switch from car to van! The battery is absolutely fine and nearly fully charged. Oh well
I guess I should've checked myself, I will use the charger ar some point anyway to recon the battery so not a pointless purchase. Thanks again for the advice0 -
Bought the ctek mxs5.0, I went to remove battery to charge at home, then realised that when my wife told me it was flat with no voltage that she hadn't flicked the switch from car to van! ...
You can't get the staff these days!
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As a slight alternative, have you considered getting a solar panel fitted to the caravan? Assuming you aren't storing your caravan inside, this would keep the battery topped up, mean that you don't have to take it out to charge, and also mean you can more
easily venture places without EHU!Write your comments here...
Our van was manufactured with a 20W roof mounted solar panel. Later models have bigger ones. The panel is enough to keep the battery charged in storage and allows us to use our motor mover. When staying off EHU we supplement the panel with another 90W suitcase
style panel which allows indefinite stays. I don't think we'd enjoy disconnecting/ reconnecting and lugging batteries around between trips.0
