Cetek v Numax charger?
I'm needing to replace my leisure battery so am going to buy a smart charger for use at home when in store. Anybody have any opinions between which is best please? 110 ah battery will be what I go for I think. Would go for 5 amp CTEK MXS 5.0 or Numax 10 amp version.
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No idea which is best but we have had a Numax one for the last 3 years. I cycle batteries on the van as we have an alarm / tracker that runs them down in storage. I have been very happy with its performance. I just leave the battery in the garage connected to the charger, until I am ready to swap them. One battery I bought with the charger and that seems as good as new. The second is 5 years old and previously charged on a non smart car charger, and still runs the alarm and tracker for six weeks.
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True but. A battery charger identical to the Numax charge apart from the colour of the case, was sold by Sterling power products, as their pro budget charger they are a specialist manufacturer. Depends I suppose how important charge rate is to you.
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CTek are used by professionals and are recommended time and again. I have two MXS5.0 units as we use them to keep our car batteries on trickle charge when we are away for more than a couple of weeks. They are fine for 110 AHr leisure batteries. The charging regime is highly sophisticated and uses pulsed charging in "maintain" mode.
Battery life varies enormously for all sorts of reasons and it is difficult to know whether one charger or another is giving a better performance but I prefer to go with a product that is proven and I know will do the job. Expensive but here is no reason why it should t last for many years.
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choose the one that has the appropriate charge regime for your leisure batteries.....gel, wet acid or AGM.
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Just a post script to this discussion. Yesterday I tried to unlock the Landcrusier and the battery's were totally flat. Someone had left a light on. Got out my smart battery charger. The Numax clone as it happens and nothing it immediately went to the float fully charged setting. This is because the battery was so flat a smart charger won't recognise it as a battery. I had to connect up my very old very dumb charger to start charging. You can do the same with another battery you need enough charge in the batteries to raise the voltage to above a minimum level.
Moral of the story smart chargers can be to clever for their own good sometimes and you might need a plan b.
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good point, Boff. Ive had this very situation in the past.
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I am surprised that the cTek wouldn't recharge a flat battery. It a probably necessary to disconnect from the car otherwise the car circuits may give false feedback. Also, try on "recon" mode.
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I don't know because I haven't got a cTek charger. But as far as I know all smart chargers need to detect a minimum voltage to recognise it as a battery. So a totally flat battery won't be recognised. You need to use either an old fashioned transformer type charger. Something that kicks out a constant voltage no mater what, or another battery to raise the voltage of the flat battery to the point where the smart charger recognises it and starts to works its magic.
Btw I am aware that by letting the batteries(my land cruiser has 2) get completely flat won't have done them any good.
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