Battery charger

Anything electric, AC or DC

Battery charger

Postby BrwBier » Sun May 28, 2006 9:51 pm

http://www.ctek.com/us/home.asp
The link is for a battery charger talked about on "Dream Car Garage" on speed vision. I searched for dealer and found http://www.apexperformance.net
They sell the charger for $68.00 with FREE shipping.
On the show they seemed genuinely excited about this charger. I trust the people on this show and will probably order one of these.
Brwbier
User avatar
BrwBier
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1120
Images: 100
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:28 pm
Location: Sheboygan, WI

Postby s4son » Sun May 28, 2006 9:55 pm

They look like they are really nice and compact. Good find.

Scott F. :thumbsup:
Are we there yet?
ImageImage
User avatar
s4son
Donating Member
 
Posts: 1399
Images: 180
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:29 am
Location: Smithville, MO

Postby Arne » Mon May 29, 2006 6:50 am

I have a power strip next to my 12v ports.. I use one of these. Every time I hook up to shore power, it recharges the battery, then goes to a float charge. It is not a high output charger, but handles all my needs and fully charges the battery overnight. I called the company to be sure leaving it plugged in all the time would not drain the battery while I travelled... I use one in the teardrop, and one on my motorcycle during winter storage... so I never have to remove the batteries, which is very nice, indeed.

The t/d battery is used to power dome light, reading lights, fan, etc. This, btw, is an excellent price.

http://store.azmusa.com/56-1129-az.html
www.freewebs.com/aero-1
---
.
I hope I never get too old to play (Arne, Sept 11, 2010)
.
User avatar
Arne
Mr. Subject Line
 
Posts: 5383
Images: 96
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:25 pm
Location: Middletown, CT
Top

Postby Cutterpup » Mon May 29, 2006 6:53 am

Looks like a good charger. :D However I can't stand paying more than I have to and found it on E bay for $49.99 plus $1.00 shipping :P

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CTEK-BATTERY-CHARGERS-ARE-HERE-THE-BEST-AVAILABLE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ80735QQitemZ4636913605QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

Dan
User avatar
Cutterpup
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 239
Images: 15
Joined: Sat May 07, 2005 4:51 pm
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Top

Postby 48Rob » Mon May 29, 2006 8:57 am

I could be wrong...but, It sure appears that the E bay ad is misleading...

And after reviewing the info on the company Web site, I think this charger may not be such a bargain?

The seller states that the charger "is recommended for batteries up to 100 AH, but FAILS to point out that "the up to 100 Amp hours rating" is only for maintaining a fully charged battery. :thumbdown:

For actual battery charging purposes, the Amp hour rating is only up to 32 Amp hours...

The point is that it may charge your battery over an extended time period, but will it be fast enough to recover when you really need it? :(

A properly sized charger may be a better bargain... ;)

Charger link

Rob
Waiting for "someday" will leave you on your deathbed wondering why you didn't just rearrange your priorities and enjoy the time you had, instead of waiting for a "better" time to come along...
User avatar
48Rob
Super Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3882
Images: 4
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Top

Postby surveytech » Mon May 29, 2006 10:22 am

Is this unit somehow different than the small Battery Tenders?
Just curious, dont know enough about chargers to tell.

Thanks.

Walter
surveytech
Donating Member
 
Posts: 776
Images: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:13 pm
Location: kissimmee, florida
Top

Postby BrwBier » Mon May 29, 2006 12:40 pm

That is NOT the model I was refering to. The model I want is the multi 3300. The 800 model is for sale at apex performance for $49.95 with no shipping cost.
Brwbier
User avatar
BrwBier
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1120
Images: 100
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:28 pm
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Top

Postby 48Rob » Mon May 29, 2006 2:53 pm

Didn't mean to offend anyone...just pointing out the potential for misunderstanding in the E bay link that was provided.

The 3300 looks like a capable charger.

Rob
Waiting for "someday" will leave you on your deathbed wondering why you didn't just rearrange your priorities and enjoy the time you had, instead of waiting for a "better" time to come along...
User avatar
48Rob
Super Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3882
Images: 4
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Top

Postby 48Rob » Mon May 29, 2006 3:09 pm

Walter,

They are similar to the Deltran battery tender chargers.

Deltran is a 4 stage, CTEK is a 3 stage.

Most any "smart charger" will charge your battery(s) without damage, at issue with most RV'ers is how long it takes to re charge the battery(s).

The low amperage (usually less expensive) models can take 30 hours or more to fully charge a decent sized battery (100 Amp hour).
Larger amperage chargers speed up the process.

Rob
Waiting for "someday" will leave you on your deathbed wondering why you didn't just rearrange your priorities and enjoy the time you had, instead of waiting for a "better" time to come along...
User avatar
48Rob
Super Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3882
Images: 4
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Top

Postby surveytech » Mon May 29, 2006 4:19 pm

Thanks Rob.
I guess I was wondering if the smaller charger would ever get a 100ah battery back up to snuff.

Walter
surveytech
Donating Member
 
Posts: 776
Images: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:13 pm
Location: kissimmee, florida
Top

Postby 48Rob » Mon May 29, 2006 5:35 pm

Walter, you're welcome.

I am far from being any sort of expert on chargers, but reading the specs on the different charger websites will give you all the info you need to determine what charger should work best for a given application.

Here are a couple enlightening paragraphs from Deltrans site;

How often will the battery be discharged? In general, the more often the battery is discharged, the higher the power you want to use to recharge it. This is particularly important if the battery is deeply discharged. A good rule of thumb for deep cycle batteries is to only discharge them once every 24 hours, otherwise there may not be sufficient time for the batteries to recover between discharges. This has been a serious point of concern for many industrial applications. It has also been a great disappointment to many consumers who have expected to be able to repeatedly discharge large deep cycle batteries and then recharge them with low power chargers.

How much time is available to recharge the battery before it has to be discharged again? This question is where many industrial systems designers get into trouble. Industrial battery use is usually the most demanding, particularly with electric vehicles that require a mixture of high and moderate rate deep discharges. Time must be allotted not only to recharge the battery, but also to let it rest in a fully charged state between deep, high rate discharges. If you need to replace 100 amp hours in 4 hours, then you need at least 25 amps. However, the truth is that you will need 30 to 40 amps or more and probably 6 to 8 hours because of the way that chargers and batteries behave after the battery is 80% recharged. It is more difficult, and it takes a lot longer to replenish the last 20% of the battery charge than it does to replenish the first 80% of the battery charge. Even if you can get the battery completely recharged in 6 to 8 hours from a deep discharge, it is still not wise to deeply discharge a lead acid battery more than once a day.
Waiting for "someday" will leave you on your deathbed wondering why you didn't just rearrange your priorities and enjoy the time you had, instead of waiting for a "better" time to come along...
User avatar
48Rob
Super Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3882
Images: 4
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Top

Postby BrwBier » Mon May 29, 2006 6:29 pm

I'm sure the deltran is a good charger. Ive seen many posts that say so. Mad Jack says deltran is a good charger. Mad Jacks album also has a picture of a Black And Decker charger is his teardrop. The price of all three chargers is generally in the same range. I would think most any brand name modern smart charger would be a good choice. My reason for thinking about the CTEC is the credentials of the people I heard about it from are without question. I have seen some of their work in Toronto at Legendary Motor Sports. Their is non finer.
Brwbier
User avatar
BrwBier
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1120
Images: 100
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:28 pm
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Top

Postby surveytech » Mon May 29, 2006 6:31 pm

Rob,
lots and lots of good info there. It can be real confusing to a novice like me.
I thought that you needed a certain percentage of the batteries capacity for the intial charge. I have no idea why I think that or even where I got the idea. For example, a 100 amp hour battery might need 10 percent of its capacity intially, which would be like 10 amps. Then a much lower charge rate to maintain it at full capacity. (I dont remember what that percentage was by the way)

Like I said I have no idea where that idea came from. It's probably wrong but for some reason thats whats in my head. Sometimes having half of the corrent info is worse than none at all.

So for example lets take the 100 ah battery that one might use during the weekend. You get home Sunday nite and hook up the small charger to the battery. Lets say its like 1.5 or 3 amps or something like that. Does anyone think that it will be fully charged by the following weekend?
Obviously it will take a while to get charged since its a small charger but will it fully charge the battery? I guess I also wonder if the charger would not have a long life due to how long it has to run at full capacity.

Geez I dont know.

Walter (confused and prone to wandering)
surveytech
Donating Member
 
Posts: 776
Images: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:13 pm
Location: kissimmee, florida
Top

Postby 48Rob » Tue May 30, 2006 6:39 am

Hi Walter,

Now you've got me confused :?

I'm not understanding the first part...I think...

A battery does receive a healthy charge at first, then maintains the charge with lesser Amperage, if that's what you meant?

A small Amperage charger would probably re-charge your 100 Amp hour battery over the 5 day period...if you didn't discharge it too much while out, say, no more than 50%.
This way, it only has to replace 1/2 the capacity, only 50 Amp hours instead of 100.


Here is a link to a charger FAQ. page.
Though more info than many may want, it does explain and answer just about any question there is about charging batteries, including the formula for how long it takes to charge a given Amp hour battery with a given Amperage.

Rob
Waiting for "someday" will leave you on your deathbed wondering why you didn't just rearrange your priorities and enjoy the time you had, instead of waiting for a "better" time to come along...
User avatar
48Rob
Super Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3882
Images: 4
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Top

Postby surveytech » Tue May 30, 2006 7:25 am

From Interstate Battery website........here is the percentage I was referring to. they say 20% max of the batterys capacity. I dont know what the minimum should be. , if there is one.


What's the best way to charge deep cycle batteries? The maximum charger rate in amps should be 20% of the amp hour rating of the battery.

Normally, deep cycle batteries do not require special charging procedures. However, we recommended that you use a charger designed specifically for deep cycle batteries. It is best to slow charge all batteries, especially deep cycle. The 20% rule should be used when charging a deep cycle battery. That means to choose a charger where the maximum current (in amps) is less than 20% of the Ah rating. For example, an Interstate SRM-27 is rated at approximately 100 Ah, so a 20-amp charger should be the maximum. Also, it is best to use a charger that is adequate to recharge the battery within 10-12 hours (see next question).
Back to Top
How long should I charge my battery and at what current? Generally, we recommend that you use a low amp charge, i.e. as low as the battery will accept, over a longer period of time. A 10-20 amp charger can charge most automotive batteries. Fully charging a completely discharged automotive battery, for example, with a 10-amp charger may take approximately 6-10 hours at a temperature of 80°F. Lower ambient temperatures require a longer charge time.


So much info out there! It's hard to decide sometimes what to do.

Walter
surveytech
Donating Member
 
Posts: 776
Images: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:13 pm
Location: kissimmee, florida
Top

Next

Return to Electrical Secrets

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests