Battery Charger - Recommendation

[bluestripes]

Hi Guys

Just a quick question, I've currently got an engine rebuild about to happen, and my battery is already drained from sitting idle for 4 weeks. So Im just wanting the heads up on a good 12v battery charger / trickler to keep my battery healthy over the coming months.

So i suppose Im just wondering does a charger trickle also???

What does one normally do when the engin bay is empty for 4 weeks or so???

(Engine rebuild, plus body work, re spray engine bay)

Cheers
Brad

[data_mine]

C-Tek is the name in chargers.

a 4Amp model is plenty for keeping a battery healthy

[GTPete]

Ive got a few 0.8 amp brand new ctek maintanence chargers at $40 if you want one PM me.

[ebxr8240]

Yep don't get sucked into too large charger for maintenance..
I've burnt a few batteries due to leaving charger on too long..
Even stuffed up the battery in alarm...

[GA_0009]

I agree with the above, but having said that, you sure your battery is flat? It shouldnt need to be charged. as long as it hasent been connected during the 4 weeks or left on concrete you should be fine.

When you buy a new battery, how long has it been sitting on the shelf for?

[Franco Cozzo]

I've got a CTEK 5amp battery charger (replacement for the old 4amp one) does the job.

[bluestripes]

Its gone flat sitting in the car.... and it will be in the car for another few weeks until the engine comes out, that it will be out for say 3 / 4 weeks.

[bluestripes]

doing a whole new engine, 347 block from ford stroker, custom cam, 36lb injectors, Trickflow r series manifold. larger TB... only thing that will remain from the old engine is the 170 heads though the valvues have been upgraded.

Happy guy at the moment though this **** takes time !!!

[GA_0009]

Originally Posted by bluestripes

Its gone flat sitting in the car.... and it will be in the car for another few weeks until the engine comes out, that it will be out for say 3 / 4 weeks.

should have disconnected the terminals and she wouldnt have gone flat.. If you had disconnected the terminals and the battery still went flat, then you need a new battery.

Either way, a charger comes in handy.
Cheers

[GA_0009]

Originally Posted by bluestripes

doing a whole new engine, 347 block from ford stroker, custom cam, 36lb injectors, Trickflow r series manifold. larger TB... only thing that will remain from the old engine is the 170 heads though the valvues have been upgraded.

Happy guy at the moment though this **** takes time !!!

Going into a AU Ute? Should be a tough ute

[bluestripes]

Yeap - all going into a clunky old AU1 commercial ute

I m mean - I ve rebuild the front end and just recently fitted a set of BA PBR Premium brakes. Until now I ve liked the sleeper aspect of this ute but now I will be giving the game away with a bulge bonnet so im considers doing a Pursuit 250 Replica.

(MORE $$$$$ )

[bluestripes]

THANKS GUYS FOR YOU HELP!!!

FF Member has sorted me out!

[Pepscobra]

C-tek is the only one to get.
I've had my 2007 FPV hooked up to a trickle charger since day one... Factory battery is still going strong more than 5 years on.

[mike_nofx]

Looking at getting a battery charger just for general duties, and also to try breath some new life into tired batteries (reconditioning function on cteks?)

Looking at the ctek mxs 5.0A. which is an 8 stage charger with maintenance and recondition functions.

Have seen them on ebay for under $100 delivered such as: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CTEK-MXS-...item460a8a1441

Is there any chance that the ebay ones could be fake? or is it pretty safe they are the real deal?

Also, I would have liked a charger that did both 6v and 12v, but I dont see that ctek do a 6-12v charger, is this correct?

Mike

[data_mine]

pretty safe it'll be genuine, local dealers just like ripping us off on prices.

No ctek's range is 6 / 12 / 24 only, no mixed options.
I imagine to be able to run all the features they do, it'd be fairly specific circuitry for each battery type/chemistry.

[gregaust]

I got ,mine from a place is S.A through Ebay 4WDEXTREME , All good . Only thing i was told to watch out for was that they have an Australian serial number for warranty purposes etc whuch the ones from that place have .

[XR6TCraig]

I'm a CTEK convert. I bought this 5AMP one about a month ago:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400338801325

Works great on my bike and my car. I actually bought it to hook up to my bike while I mess around with tunecu changing and playing with various tunes so I dont drain the battery, but I have also used the reconditioning mode on the car battery.

[Sprint]

meh i have 4 and 8 amp rapid chargers.

But ever since buying each of my cars(5) a trickle charger for like $35 and some inox $10, my batteries last over 5 years and never short of charge.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by GA_0009

I agree with the above, but having said that, you sure your battery is flat? It shouldnt need to be charged. as long as it hasent been connected during the 4 weeks or left on concrete you should be fine.

what do you mean by " left on concrete"?

[GA_0009]

Leaving a battery on concrete will sap either the cold cranking amp or voltage, not sure how, but it does.

[Sprint]

it basically earths as concrete has moisture

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Sprint

it basically earths as concrete has moisture

Originally Posted by GA_0009

Leaving a battery on concrete will sap either the cold cranking amp or voltage, not sure how, but it does.

Nope... I don't believe it.

(sounds like an urban myth)

[Daniel B]

Originally Posted by Ugg

Nope... I don't believe it.

(sounds like an urban myth)

I do remember reading somewhere that this is an urban myth. It's not the concrete that saps power out of it, its because the concrete is cold. True story, I read it on the internet....

[Bill M]

I use a CTEK trickle charger for my Optima 6 volt battery in my jeep, works well. I wouldn't leave a good battery on a concrete floor as I do not know of any good workshops who do and am not willing to test this theory out of my pocket $$$!

This is what the professionals say...


Battery Myths

Storing a battery on a concrete floor will discharge it
All lead-acid batteries will naturally self discharge. The rate of self discharge is most influenced by the temperature of the battery's electrolyte and the chemistry of the plates. Some experts believe that storing car or deep cycle batteries on a colder concrete floor might actually slow down the leakage rate because the floor acts as a heat sink.

Driving a car will fully recharge a battery
Generally, idling the engine or short stop-and-go trips during bad weather or at night will not fully recharge a car battery. When a dead battery needs to be recharged, it is best to use an external battery charger because you could over heat and damage your vehicle's charging system.

A battery will not explode
Charging a wet lead-acid battery produces hydrogen and oxygen gasses as electrolysis of the water occurs. While spark retarding vent caps help prevent external battery explosions, sparks occur when jumping, connecting or disconnecting charger or battery cables and ignite the gas causing an explosion. Lose terminal clamp is the most common cause of explosion during starting.

A battery will not lose its charge sitting in storage
Depending on the type of battery and temperature, batteries have a natural self discharge at a 1% to 60% rate per month. Over time the battery will become sulfated and fully discharged. Higher temperatures will significantly accelerate this process. A battery stored at 35° C will self-discharge twice as fast than one stored at 23.9° C.

Maintenance Free" (Ca/Ca) batteries never require maintenance
Though MF batteries don’t require addition of water, there is still a need to check for the following: correct charging system, tight connections, corrosion between terminal clamps and posts and flayed or damage cables.

Test the alternator by disconnecting the battery with the engine running
A battery acts like a voltage stabilizer or filter to the pulsating DC produced by the alternator. Disconnecting a battery while the engine is running can destroy sensitive electronic components or the charging system because the peak voltage can rise to 40 volts or more. In the 1970s, removing a battery terminal was an accepted practice to test charging systems of that era. That is not the case today.

Pulse chargers, desulfators, aspirins or additives will revive sulfated batteries
Most battery experts agree that there is no conclusive proof that pulse chargers work any better than constant voltage chargers to remove sulfation. They also agree that there is no evidence that additives or aspirins provide any long-term benefits. Short term gains are achieved by increasing the acidity (Specific Gravity) of the battery.

On really cold days turn your headlights on to "warm up" the battery up before starting your engine
While there is no doubt that turning on your headlights will increase the current flow in a car battery, it also consumes valuable capacity that could be used to start the cold engine. Therefore, this is not recommended

Car batteries last longer in hot climates than in cold ones
Car batteries last an average of two thirds as long in hot climates as cold ones. Heat kills car batteries and cold reduces the battery's starting capacity

A larger capacity battery will damage my car
A starter motor will only use a fixed amount of current from the battery, based on the resistance of the motor. A larger CCA, RC or AH capacity battery supplies only what is required. It will not damage your vehicle; however, using batteries with higher or lower voltage or physically too tall could potentially cause harm.

Bad batteries will not harm the charging system or starter
A bad or weak starting battery causes additional stress on a charging system, starter motor or starter solenoid. It can cause premature failures to other electrical components on the starting circuit due to compensating for the voltage or current.

Use tap water to refill batteries
Use only distilled, de-ionized or de-mineralized water to replace the lost water in batteries because using tap water can produce calcium or magnesium sulfate crystals that can fill the pores and coat the plates. In an emergency, use rain water because rain water does not contain calcium or magnesium

Excerpt from the Supercharge Batteries website...
http://www.supercharge.com.au/battery_care_4.php

[mike_nofx]

Finally bought a ctek 5amp charger.
Seems like a quality piece of equipment.

Just curious if anyone knows much about the recondition function the chargers have. Such as when should you need to use it?
Is it something you should do at regular intervals to prolong the life of a battery? (like every 2-3 months)
What effect does it have on the battery?

I gave it a test run on the battery im currently using, but is nearing replacement time.
Using a battery hydrometer 5 of the cells were in the white section (green=good, white=fair/needs attention, red=poor/cells discharged) and one cell was in the red.
The recondition function had no real effect on hydrometer reading, but the charger progressed through the 8 stages without issue.

So was this battery just too far gone to be reconditioned (note, it still starts and runs fine with this battery)

[bluestripes]

Just leave the charger on - it will reboot the battery. Mine was dead flat when i brought my charger and i just left the charger on and the battery is 100% fine. (my battery was out of the car though during a rebuild)

Also - I always notice when ever i hook up the charger its always shows less charge than whats in the battery... a bit like the cordless drill charges. SO dont be to concerned with the initial reading.

[ZA-289]

Why does everyone get off on C-tek battery chargers? Projecta do Pro charger which is just as good if not better.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by ZA-289

Why does everyone get off on C-tek battery chargers? Projecta do Pro charger which is just as good if not better.

Mine had a couple of the LED lights fail. Still works fine though.

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by ZA-289

Why does everyone get off on C-tek battery chargers? Projecta do Pro charger which is just as good if not better.

I don't think its like that. Ctek just has a good reputation.
When discussing battery chargers (well... not that I have many battery charger discussions ) ctek does often come up, can't say i've heard projecta mentioned. Doesn't mean ctek is better, its just a known quality product.

[ZA-289]

Thats kinda my point. Everyone thinks ctek is the only smart charger on the market...