Best in-van battery float charger for long-term connection?

[syncropatrick]

Hi, planning to run mains power down the garden while the footpaths are being remade, so I have an opportunity to get 240v power into the van via hook-up. I'd like to use this for a semi-permanent connection to keep the batteries in tip-top condition. Which in-van battery charger is best for providing a float charge? Something small I can wire in hidden somewhere and then forget about would be ideal, with no controls to fiddle with each time I plug/unplug hook-up. I have two batteries - the cranking battery and a 100A leisure battery connected via a split charge relay.

[CovKid]

The one LIDL has in from time to time (Tronic) that is intelligent and can be left connected. Doubt it would charge two at once but I have one and its safe on leisure batteries. Its usually about £12 when they have it. Its equivalent, the CTEC charger, can be as much as £50.

[Red Westie]

The problem with wiring in a small discreet charger as Covkid describes, is that if the battery becomes discharged whilst camping, the ancillaries (stereo/lights/LEDS/water pump/night heater etc) will try and run directly from the charger causing it to overheat and fail.

The maths: interior lights/stereo/occasional pump use/power for night heater etc could at times mean you have an 8-10amp discharge, this type of puny charger supplies 3/4amps so even whilst hooked up you have the possibility of a 6-7amp discharge. After a couple of days (depending on what you have turned on) the leisure battery goes flat leaving the weak charger to directly feed the demands of the leisure electrics you have turned on. The charger then overheeats resulting in thermal cut-out if it has one, or worse still, melting the unit causing an electrical fire.

The best solution is to fit a powerful/quality stepped charger unit, one that has a 'float charge' state and one that can supply a minimum of 8amps (10 to 12amps preferably) so the charge/discharge levels never get into a negative situation whilst on camp.

This sort of low amp charger is fine whilst the van is laid up outside the house.... but totally unsuitable otherwise.

As an example.....Something like this from Numax....

http://www.tayna.co.uk/Numax-Leisure-Ba ... P6127.html

Martin

[Cruz]

The one LIDL has in from time to time (Tronic) that is intelligent and can be left connected. Doubt it would charge two at once but I have one and its safe on leisure batteries. Its usually about £12 when they have it. Its equivalent, the CTEC charger, can be as much as £50.

I've had a Lidl charger in a box for a year. Really need to fit it so i can charge the leisure battery up when on mains hookup

[Plasticman]

Yep I would be concerened about drawing power when its connected, another thing , OP said he wanted to wire it in so it would auto maticaly charge when hook up connected, well the lidyl one I have (which works well) when powered up needs the button setting to tell it what to do, though once set it is automatic, however if mains is disconnected then charger will have to be reset.
mike

[horizontal kipper]

I just leave one of them cheap solar panels from maplins pluged in the fag lighter its got a saftey device built in. no more flat battery for me so happy with it going to get another one to leave connected to the leisure battery over winter. kicks out 14volts with no sun nearly 18volts with sun.

[Red Westie]

Small 1.5 and 2.4watt solar panels are great for avoiding cell sulphation/dead batteries but they are so low powered that you wouldn't consider one to actually fully charge a battery.
I use one myself on the leisure but purely to avoid a completely flat charge state which is terminal for any battery if left for a few weeks.

Martin

[jamesc76]

whs^^ those little uns are ok if the battery is fully charged before you plug it in, they only keep ontop of the battery never seen one charge a battery! They can kick out 14+ volts but next to no amps and there the important bit!

[syncropatrick]

Thanks all. I have a proper charger already for when things are properly flat, but it doesn't do a float charge. I'll keep my eyes eyes out for the Lidl deal, as with a bit of for-thought it will do the job. I just bought a new crank battery plus a new leisure battery and want to keep them for as long as possible. I'd love a Sterling setup but can't afford the £100s.

[sonic23]

Patrick - I got my sterling from these guys.
Quality piece of kit......it's gone up £50 in the last 2 years or so.....but still a lot cheaper than other sites selling the same product:
http://www.marinesuperstore.com/posit/s ... tno=PC1210

Rich

[CovKid]

To be fair, I didn't advocate running everything with charger still plugged in. Thats just silly. You might get away with a couple of lights but thats about it. What I have myself is an 85ah leisure for wild 'on the spot and unannounced' camping. I also have a chunky 240v to 12v (at a whopping 17amps) unit where mains is on offer (pic). That way if I need to charge leisure I can do that in isolation using the Tronic but still have a perky 12v supply at my disposal in the meantime.

I doubt you can buy these hefty transformers now (mine was s/h) but it sure does the job. The original spec says it will charge too but never fancied it, the transformer in it is absolutely massive and never ever seen another portable 12v transformer that delivered that much

I just altered it to take a four-way cigarette lighter socket. Never really been keen on having 240v pulsing around the interior, hence the 12v system.