Battery charger setting

Mr Sambambles
Mr Sambambles Forum Participant Posts: 194
edited July 2017 in Motorhomes #1

We have a 2016 Hymer motorhome with a AGM Vatra battery fitted from new. I have just noticed the battery type setting switch on the charger is set to GEL type. Anyone had any experience as to which is the optimum setting. Your help as always would be much appreciated. 

Comments

  • Aspenshaw
    Aspenshaw Forum Participant Posts: 611
    500 Comments
    edited July 2017 #2

    Mine was on GEL when I had a AGM battery in my 2013 Hymer. Battery failed within 18 months and so I replaced with wet acid.

    Your van is newer and things move on so I would check the manual that should have come with your van. I presume you have a Schaudt unit and if so, you can get English versions of the manual from its website.

  • EJB986
    EJB986 Forum Participant Posts: 1,153
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #3

    Hymer have traditionally fitted GEL batteries for very many years...Goodness knows why!

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #4

    my charger has Gel or Pb settings, but i have a pair of AGM batterieswink

    i asked a 'battery expert' on another, more technical' forum and (despite his loathing for AGM) gave me his answer....

    the Gel setting is better.

    however, i also have a Pb starter battery which is also serviced by the same charger so......

    with different types of batrery across a MH, its difficult to get a single charger setting to cope with all types......for me, tne Gel setting is onviously a compromise as it suits neither the Leisure batteries nor the cab battery specifically...

    the alternative, Pb. wouldnt give a high enough profile for the AGMs.

    the latest Schaudt chargers/elektrobloks have an AGM setting, which is nice. but again, this will also be used for the cab battery (probably Pb).

    so, almost all choices will be a compromise of some sort.

  • Mr Sambambles
    Mr Sambambles Forum Participant Posts: 194
    edited July 2017 #5

    The Elektrobloks charger fitted only have the two settings so it seems that the gel setting is used. Been doing a bit of homework and it seems neither are the best for agm batteries. The charge voltage is too low. It also got me thinking that should we be matching our solar panel charge controllers to battery type ? Just a thought. 

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2017 #6

    short answer.....yes......and your alternator? 

    apparently there are some smart alternators being fitted to luxury cars these days....

    it looks like herting the charging regime right os getting more tricky as we have more choice of batteries.

    in order to het a match, more choice of charger 'options' is gradually being offered.

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