Internal Charger for Leisure Battery

[keynsham1]

Currently I have no charger in by van for charging the leisure battery when using the EHU. I had a fancy CTek one but it failed and the replacement also failed so I am not keen on those now! I am looking for a simple charger that will automatically work whenever I plug the EHU in, I don't want to have to switch it on and off as it will not be readily accessible. I guess something like a caravan charger I guess? 

Any recommendations?

[cobblers]

Victron "Blue Smart" chargers are great for this. Very good quality and well designed.
a 5 Amp one is about £70, they make more powerful ones but 5 Amps will charge a normal leisure battery in about 10-12 hours, so there's no need to get anything bigger in most cases.

[Mocki]

How long are you planning on it being hooked up at a time ?
If its only while you are camping , then a bog standard “Dumb” charger will do the job, if you are leaving it weeks on end plugged in at home, the a 3 stage maintainer charger is what you need, but dont bother with a expensive one …….

[KateLovesPurple]

I've recently fitted one of these Numax ones in place of the old original zig panel.
https://www.tayna.co.uk/battery-chargers/numax/leisure-12v-10a/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr6yLkZ_2igMV14lQBh2x9jzPEAQYAiABEgK3J_D_BwE
They are brilliant, fit and forget. I ran one in my bay for years with no problems connected on my home hookup over winter. Kept the battery fully charged without damage.

[TwinTurbo]

key point as mocki say , whats your charging window , aditionaly ypur drain pattern.

there are so many out there , 90% probably based on the same charging board som housed in a reasonable plastic case for £15 some in a reasonable plastic case with a logo for £70...


or something like this.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004526173319.html

[TwinTurbo]

I bought one of these once , was one of the complainants to trading standars.. It was litteraly a transformer in a box, it boiled a £150 battery dry .  

https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alert ... -2107-0106

[Oldiebut goodie]

A lot of people use these small chargers in such a way that they are attempting to use them as a power supply by using 12v items when the battery is low and on charge. This is usually why people have them fail. Not the fault of the chargers just operator error.

[Oren Kipnis]

Currently I have no charger in by van for charging the leisure battery when using the EHU. I had a fancy CTek one but it failed and the replacement also failed so I am not keen on those now! I am looking for a simple charger that will automatically work whenever I plug the EHU in, I don't want to have to switch it on and off as it will not be readily accessible. I guess something like a caravan charger I guess? 

What is the capacity and type of the leisure battery ?
How much energy do you use during 24 hours while travelling/camping?
Do you charge while driving ?

Any recommendations?

I have a 10 year old onboard 10 amp Victron Blue Smart charger, and it is fantastic.
You can use it when hooked up during camping, and as a maintenance charger. 
I have a 70 Ah starter battery (connected to the starter motor only) and 2 70 Ah leisure batteries, which feed the automotive systems except the starter motor.
A split charge relay connects all 3 when the alternator is charging, and manual override connects the 3 during storage for maintenance charging. It works perfect.
The Victron charger is connected directly to the external socket, and starts automatically when the lead is connected to the mains.
One advantage of the Victron, is that it can charge Lithium batteries. Just press a button for the different charge pattern.