Trickle charger recommendations

[Volchara]

Hi all, as the title says I’m looking for a trickle charger for my T3 to keep the battery topped up while it sits on the driveway. Anyone got any good recommendations?

[cobblers]

Most T25 shouldn't require one, other than the clock there is absolutely no load on the starter battery with the ignition off. With even a moderately healthy battery you should be able to leave the van for 12 months untouched.

However if your van has additional alarm/immobiliser or a stereo that's not been wired correctly then you can end up with a small amount of idle power consumption.

Avoid the cheap amazon/ no brand chargers which you just can't trust, especially when for £15 more you can get something from a reputable brand.

I'd recommend a Victron "Blue Smart" IP65 charger. They range from about £45 to £150, but the cheapest ones will do 1.1A which is more that enough. Waterproof and you can connect to them with a bluetooth to see the status of your battery.
https://www.offgridrenewables.co.uk/pro ... 0460139788

[Aidan]

if the van is parked in the sun then you might use a cheap 40cmx25cm solar panel (sort of size, quoted ratings vary 5w-20w, I'd assume the lower value) and a cheap solar charge controller, this provides plenty enough power to keep the battery topped up even in Winter - my windscreen faces south south west when parked so I have one sat on top of the dash/suckered to windscreen and it's kept batteries alive for years even when van not used, stops them getting low over winter and prevented them failing, the controller was separate purchase as it properly prevents reverse voltage in dark and protects battery when absolute full sun as voltage from panel can exceed 16V as the panel I bought has no built in controller or diode, total cost less than £30 and the usb outs can be useful if you have stuff like lights that are usb chargeable leave them in the vehicle and know they are charged rather than taking them into house and forgetting to load them when heading away

[colinthefox]

I'll second what Aidan says above. I have five or six batteries on charge indoors using three A4 sized solar panels on the roof with individual float charge controllers for each battery. The controllers provide a constant 13.65 volts and keep the batteries topped up even in winter. My truck battery is still OK after 11 years. I make the controllers myself, but they must be available to buy.

My stereo is wired correctly, but has a permanent live connection to maintain its memory, and this produces a small constant drain.