Keeping battery charged

[vectra]

It is a good idea and I have experience this device in Canada
The car was in the garage with suitable ventilation and it was very pleasant to go the the car which pre warmed

[peterb]

I have a car that is unused for relatively long period and just use an ordinary battery charger every month or so. No great hassle, but the Ctek chargers referred to earlier in the thread would be a good solution for semi-permanent trickle charging.

Solar chargers are all very well in theory, but the windscreen glass reduces efficiency, the panel has to be evenly illuminated (or the output drops off disproportionately) and there isn't much sun in winter when you really need it.

[vectra]

Thank you for your comment
Perhaps in a little while the sun will shine ,it will get warmer and my anticipated problem of a non starting car will go together with the snow and cold weather
vectra

[DanceswithUnix]

I have a ctek charger, absolutely worth every penny.

Unlike a normal charger you can leave the battery connected and just plug the charger in, so alarms etc continue to work. When you want to use the car, unplug it and drive off. My fun car is left in the garage on one of these for months at a time over winter. The battery in it is now really quite old, and has yet to be replaced (probably 2005 from when the car was made).

Because it is a proper modern charger design, it charges at full pelt until the battery is fully charged and then totally stops charging. That is what the battery ideally wants, so that is what it does. If left plugged in the battery voltage is monitored, and if it falls below some value then it starts charging again until fully charged.

It is most definately not a trickle charger. Trickle charging tends to be just a cheap and nasty way of charging, and with no protection circuitry if left plugged in may slowly electrolyse the battery until it is dry and dead.

The ctek model number is basically how many amps it can charge at, though the higher models are also a bit more advanced. I just have the 3.6A version so it can take hours to recharge a big battery if it is really down, but with a car that is locked up all night that was fine by me. Do wish I had gone for a bigger model for those odd times it gets used on the driveway.

It came with crocodile clips to clip to the battery, but I bought an optional connector that I leave always wired in to make connection much quicker and easier.

[vectra]

I have a ctek charger, absolutely worth every penny.

Unlike a normal charger you can leave the battery connected and just plug the charger in, so alarms etc continue to work. When you want to use the car, unplug it and drive off. My fun car is left in the garage on one of these for months at a time over winter. The battery in it is now really quite old, and has yet to be replaced (probably 2005 from when the car was made).

Because it is a proper modern charger design, it charges at full pelt until the battery is fully charged and then totally stops charging. That is what the battery ideally wants, so that is what it does. If left plugged in the battery voltage is monitored, and if it falls below some value then it starts charging again until fully charged.

It is most definately not a trickle charger. Trickle charging tends to be just a cheap and nasty way of charging, and with no protection circuitry if left plugged in may slowly electrolyse the battery until it is dry and dead.

The ctek model number is basically how many amps it can charge at, though the higher models are also a bit more advanced. I just have the 3.6A version so it can take hours to recharge a big battery if it is really down, but with a car that is locked up all night that was fine by me. Do wish I had gone for a bigger model for those odd times it gets used on the driveway.

It came with crocodile clips to clip to the battery, but I bought an optional connector that I leave always wired in to make connection much quicker and easier.

That seems an ideal way of solving the problem . ctek seems the one to for
Thanks
vectra

[bledd]

Do you have a battery drain? I can leave my car for two weeks and I know it will start first time. This is with an aftermarket alarm on it too. When did you last replace the battery? I've never used a battery charger on any car I've owned

[vectra]

Do you have a battery drain? I can leave my car for two weeks and I know it will start first time. This is with an aftermarket alarm on it too. When did you last replace the battery? I've never used a battery charger on any car I've owned

Thank you for your comment
The battery is 12 months old fitted by a Vauxhall dealer
It is an alarmed car factory fitted and I suspect that I may have 'battery drain' but how do I check this out?

[bledd]

I'm no mechanic, but this guy explains it really well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

[vectra]

I'm no mechanic, but this guy explains it really well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

Thank you 'bledd' that was really interesting and most useful
Cheers

[bledd]

No problem.

His videos are a good watch if you've got an interest in cars. He has a really good way of explaining everything without being boring or repeating himself

[Agent]

Also worth looking at OptiMate chargers. Lots of accessories that help with things like this. Designed to be connected permanently if needed. They're also fantastic at helping restore sulphated battery's.

Well known in the biking community due to a lot of people storing their bikes through winter.

[GoNz0]

tbh i would buy a optimate should i decide to go for a constant connection option.

[DanceswithUnix]

I think I went for the CTek over the Optimate largely on cost grounds. The Ctek does seem a little more advanced, or at least more honest. I notice Optimate say:

"Forgot your battery throughout the winter? OptiMate 5 will recover it from deep discharge and optimally recharge it."

Sorry, but no it won't. The battery is damaged, and will only come back at much reduced capacity. Seeing a claim like that rather puts me off.

[Agent]

I think I went for the CTek over the Optimate largely on cost grounds. The Ctek does seem a little more advanced, or at least more honest. I notice Optimate say:

"Forgot your battery throughout the winter? OptiMate 5 will recover it from deep discharge and optimally recharge it."

Sorry, but no it won't. The battery is damaged, and will only come back at much reduced capacity. Seeing a claim like that rather puts me off.

From what you quoted, they don't seem to be claiming it will restore a damaged battery to that degree. They're claiming it will recover it from a deeply discharged state. Depending on the battery chemistry, a deeply discharged battery doesn't mean it's seriously damaged (Li-ions are a different story though). The sulfation / desulfation process in lead-acid battery is well understood. Depending on how bad the winter has been, how old the battery is, it's chemistry and so on....recovery to the point of keeping it alive a bit longer isn't an unreasonable claim for any of these more advanced chargers.

[abaxas]

I would get a Ctek battery charger - no need to remove the abttery at all and you can leave it on constantly with no damage.

http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/ctek-mxs-3.6.php - also available on amazon for a decent price.

Check if the car has a permanent live cigarette lighter. If so, you can buy an adapter for the above.

Insert into cig lighter, plug in wall socket, end of work.