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car battery charger

ian103
ian103 Posts: 883 Forumite
I need to boost the charge on the battery of my mini, the car is little used.

The car has stop start so its an agm batter - I have a Hilka 12v car battery charger 6A but its not automatic.

Can I use this or do I need a modern charger like a CTEK?
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Comments

  • Richard53
    Richard53 Posts: 3,173
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    You'd be OK to use the normal charger for a quick boost to get you started. But if you are looking for a longer-term solution, then it would be best to get an intelligent charger (CTEK, Optimate are two I have used). These can be left permanently connected and provide a float charge all winter long if necessary.


    A modern car's battery is never really 'asleep', as things like alarms and body electrical systems are on all the time, so if a car is little used, some kind of maintenance charge for when it's not being used would be a good idea.
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  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,517
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    I would use it to get some charge back into the battery, a few hours depending on the chargers max rating. Upto 4 hours for a 12amp and 6 hours for an 8 amp and 8 hours for a 4 amp.

    If you want to charge it properly get a decent charger where you can leave it plugged in 24/7.
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  • Iceweasel
    Iceweasel Posts: 4,683
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    Don't forget this is MSE. ;)

    As usual at this time of year both Lidl and Aldi are selling smart chargers right now for £13.95 (or thereabouts)

    Almost as good as the CTEK at a quarter of the price.
  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    Iceweasel wrote: »
    Don't forget this is MSE. ;)

    As usual at this time of year both Lidl and Aldi are selling smart chargers right now for £13.95 (or thereabouts)

    Almost as good as the CTEK at a quarter of the price.

    Whilst both good chargers, they don't specify they are safe for on vehicle charging. I have a CTEK and an Aldi charger, CTEK stays on my other car, the Aldi one is used for charging my various SLA batteries.
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  • ian103
    ian103 Posts: 883 Forumite
    Iceweasel, is it aldi or lidl who have them on offer, Im tempted by striders option, if the lidl / aldi one solves the problem then the ctek maybe the proper solution but uts about a weeks delivwry from halfords
  • Iceweasel
    Iceweasel Posts: 4,683
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    ian103 wrote: »
    Iceweasel, is it aldi or lidl who have them on offer, Im tempted by striders option, if the lidl / aldi one solves the problem then the ctek maybe the proper solution but uts about a weeks delivwry from halfords

    I saw them myself in Lidl 2 days ago.

    I leave mine on for months on end on my camper van over the winter.
  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    ian103 wrote: »
    Iceweasel, is it aldi or lidl who have them on offer, Im tempted by striders option, if the lidl / aldi one solves the problem then the ctek maybe the proper solution but uts about a weeks delivwry from halfords


    Halfrauds is also double the price compared to the likes of Amazon.

    I'm sure my MXS 5.0 was around £60 delivered, Halfrauds were charging £99.99 for it.
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  • ian103
    ian103 Posts: 883 Forumite
    Ive found a local supplier for the ctek, Ill nip in when Im off work and see what they suggest. Ill call in at lidl tomorrow as Im passing one tonorrow afternoon
  • EdGasket
    EdGasket Posts: 3,503 Forumite
    ian103 wrote: »
    I need to boost the charge on the battery of my mini, the car is little used.

    The car has stop start so its an agm batter - I have a Hilka 12v car battery charger 6A but its not automatic.

    Can I use this or do I need a modern charger like a CTEK?

    That would be fine so long as you disconnect the battery from the car first so you don't 'spike' the ecu or other electronics. If you intend to charge with the battery still connected up to the car then make sure it is a good quality charger with a smoothed voltage output i.e. no electrical spikes coming through.
  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    EdGasket wrote: »
    That would be fine so long as you disconnect the battery from the car first so you don't 'spike' the ecu or other electronics. If you intend to charge with the battery still connected up to the car then make sure it is a good quality charger with a smoothed voltage output i.e. no electrical spikes coming through.


    This basically means the charger need contain no electro-mechanical switching devices (relays), which would cause voltage spikes.
    Smart on vehicle chargers likely use MOSFET outputs, which can be controlled in a precise manner to prevent voltage spikes.

    I know for a fact, the Aldi charger uses a relay, you can hear it clicking on/off, it is therefore not something you'd use without disconnecting the battery from the car.
    “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”

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