# Ctek charger/conditioners Are they worth the £100 cost ??



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I have two brand new 110 A/hr leisure batteries (ouch !!!) and I am thinking of getting a super whizzo Ctek charger.

Before I lash out the best part of a hundred quid has anyone any experience of these chargers?? 

Do they ACTUALLY extend the useful life of leisure batteries enough to warrant the outlay. 

A pair of 110 a/hrs costs about £180 so is a Ctek charger at £100 a worthwhile (and more importantly cost effective) investment??

Discuss !!


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## FranknJan (Dec 18, 2007)

Hi Mr Plod 
Lidl / Aldi sell 3 stage battery chargers. They are not a stock item, but they usually sell them about twice a year. I would seriously consider one of these at about £12 - £15, before paying £100 for a similar item with a different brand name. 
I use one regularly to keep my motorcycle battery topped up, and have had no problems. 
Frank


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## richardjames (Feb 1, 2006)

The beauty of the bigger CTEK charger is that it has a 12 volt power out so you can remove the battery without losing radio settings etc


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

The £100 CTEK is a 5 stage charger and also has a 12V power supply setting. I have had one of these looking after my 2X 85AH batteries for 5 years and they still show well over 13V when full.
CTEK also do a cheaper 3 stage charger which is similar to the Aldi/Lidl one. The cheaper one also has a lower current output so will take longer to charge your batteries.
In my humble opinion the 5 stage one is worth the extra cash. Also have a look at the "Sterling" range which are well regarded.


Trevor


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## Snelly (Aug 20, 2005)

Numax do a connect and forget battery charger that is very similar to the ctek and slightly cheaper.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Sorry to come in with a basic Q part-way through a thread.

Are we talking about chargers working off 230v on hook-up or charging the leisure batteries off the alternator. On other threads I have seen reference to Sterling in the latter function.

On my boat I have an Adverc system which controls the alternator output and replaces the standard automotive regulator which is set too low for puttting max amps into leisure batteries. 

It does this by stopping the charge for millisecs, testing the static voltage of each battery and then continues with the max charge rate that each battery can accept. Is this the sort of system that we are talking about or am I (barking or otherwise) up the wrong tree?

Supplementary Q for anyone one who knows the electrics of N+B Arto, or if similar, Flair or Clou. My ammeter shows positive charge when on hook-up but no charge when the engine is running.

My understanding is that the alternator firstly feeds the engine battery before charging the leisure batteries. 

The voltmeter only reads when selected to Leisure batts-a fault which the previous owner posted but I think did not resolve. Therefore I do not know what is the voltage in the engine batt and whether the alternator should be showing a positive reading on the ammeter into the the leisure batts, having already satisfied the demand of charging the engine batt.

Sorry for long post, but wanted to get all info out from start rather than having to to/fro with spplemental answers.

All expert help gratefully received

Geoff


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

Hi Geoff

We are talking mains 230V chargers here but yes Sterling do also make a battery to battery charger as you read on another thread.

Sorry but I am not familiar with the N&B set up for charging off alternator.



Trevor


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Trevor thank you-the Sterling ref had me cofused

General Q to all

Surely all units have some form of battery charger for use on hook-up, so why this thread?

Is it that the manufacturers' ones are not as good and require moe time to achieve full top-up?

Please enlighten me-still learning

Geoff


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## Snelly (Aug 20, 2005)

Not all units striclty come with a mains charger and very few of the older models come with a sufficient stepped charger... normally just a small charger that keeps on charging and hence cooks your batteries.


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

The units that come as standard on motor homes are really a compromise between a power supply and a charger. They have to run all the 12V appliances as well as attempt to charge the batteries. Because of this their output is around 13.8V and they will only charge a lead acid to about 80% of its capacity.
To properly and fully charge a lead acid battery you need 14.7V. Other sealed types its 14.4V. 
These "smart" chargers also have a boost setting at 16V that cleans the plates for a short period.

Basically a good quality charger will put more charge into your batteries, maintain them and make them last longer.


Trevor


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## andyandsue (Sep 7, 2008)

*ctek charger*

been full time in europe for 3 years and i use a ctek on both my batteries (after topping up) before the winter season , . top bit of kit, also keep it for emergencies and helping other mh users( as an electrician i always get dragged in to help) highly rec


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

To help you decide I think that you have to consider the size of the battery that you want to charge and if the charger is able to recharge it at a suitable rate

As there are two 110Ah batteries = 220Ah you will need a charger with a decent output (especially if you will be using the van whilst expecting the batteries to recharge at the same time)

Just sticking with the CTEK range for now
the MULTI XS7000 output is 7A CTEK suggest the Max Battery charging = 150Ah & max Battery maintenance =225Ah

but a MULTI XS25000 output is 25A CTEK suggest the Max Battery charging = 500Ah & max Battery maintenance =500Ah

Now take a look at the CTEK M200 somewhere in the middle, output is 15A, CTEK suggest the Max Battery charging = 300Ah & max Battery maintenance =500Ah, it is a 8 step fully auto switch mode charger, it has a night mode that lowers the output (press a button) that will give silent running, it has an IP44 rating so its somewhat water resistant and has a 5 year warranty, could this be the one for you?

Now I would suggest that the Aldi / Lidl charger would be fine for a smaller battery but you would be better with the larger CTEk charger for your 220Ah battery (2x110Ah)

just my thoughts on the matter?

ps I bought the CTEK M200 for general use ie for any flat car batteries & for giving my camper batteries a boost now and then -& it seems fine

£135 & free p+p from here :-
http://www.barden-ukshop.com/ctek-m200-1626-p.asp


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

If you are considering a Ctec charger to have as a spare to charge batteries occasionally then it will without doubt do the job, but so will much more competitively priced chargers.
If you are considering using a Ctec charger as the main power supply / charger inside your motorhome then tread carefully. It has a fan which will make a noise. Would you not be better off with a charger that did not have a fan running - at least when the load is moderate?

C.


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

Only the larger output chargers have a fan for cooling. My XS7000 certainly does not have a fan and runs totally silent.


Trevor


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

My main concern is to get the longest life out of my new and expensive batteries.

I usually (but not allways ) use EHU when on site, 

I have a 100W solar panel mounted on the roof.

I have a built in 240V 2.5Kw generator

My MH lives on my driveway so can be "hooked up" at any time.

So is it worth lashing out on a super whizzo Ctek ???


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

Well you have already "lashed out" on batteries, solar and a large genny so another £100 isn't much more :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Do you have a charge controller with your solar set up? A good one such as a Stecca will also do a good job of maintaining your batteries but obviously not so good in the dark days of winter and not at all during the night  

All said, its your money and your decision based on what you have read.



Trevor


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## wilse (Aug 10, 2007)

Mrplodd said:


> My main concern is to get the longest life out of my new and expensive batteries.
> 
> I usually (but not allways ) use EHU when on site,
> 
> ...


Why can't you charge your leisure & starter from the solar?
Will the panel/regulator not charge all your batteries? Surely even if the weather is not bright there will still be a few amps a day??

w


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

Mrplodd said:


> My main concern is to get the longest life out of my new and expensive batteries.
> 
> I usually (but not allways ) use EHU when on site,
> 
> ...


I would say no its not worth it.

Your batteries will be fully charged due to your configuration, so on a 6 monthly cycle, you should do a load discharge, ie put everything that draws battery current on, when the battery is discharged (not fully so it screws it up) then turn everything off and recharge the batteries.


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## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

I think its a total waste of time to get another charger as you already have a charger built in, if you do anything, think of a sterling bat to bat charger as this appairs to put more charge into battery while on the move,
in over 2 years I have not had to put water in bat and it almost definately lasts longer when off H/U.


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