Trickle charge question

[LouisFeakes]

Bought myself a ctek mxs 5.0 trickle charger which has been on all afternoon and is showing the battery to now be fully charged.

Do people tend to leave them on 24/7 or just turn them on as and when required (i.e. the day before you plan to go out for a blat)?

I suspect the former but thought I'd check.

Cheers,

Louis.

[Jonathan Kay]

AFAIK most people leave them on continuously. I do. But there's a recent discussion with a suggestion that they can overcharge leading to loss of water from the battery. I'm not convinced by that, but if it's a batttery that you can top up of course it's worth checking the electrolyte level.

What sort of battery? And how fast did it go flat?

Jonathan

PS: That's a smart "conditioning charger" rather than a traditional "trickle charger".

[james.c]

I bought something similar the other day:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004RADNCQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seems like a slightly less fancy version of yours. Also got the adaptor for the cigarette lighter which obviously makes life much, much easier!

I leave mine plugged in all the time (albeit I've only had the car about a month!). The implication is that it just goes into a "pulse" mode to keep it topped up so I don't really see the harm in leaving it plugged in. Unless it's faulty it shouldn't overcharge the battery.

 

[Mort]

I have the same CTEK charger.  It's a good bit of kit.

The instructions claim that you can leave it plugged in all the time, but some folk have experienced problems - notably low electrolyte level as in the above link.  I think you have three sensible choices:-

1. Leave it on charge all the time, but check the electrolyte levels regularly (with the charger off), or
2. Bring it up to float level very couple of weeks, then disconnect it.
3. Use a timer of some sort.

I do the second.  It's a lot less hassle, and starting after two weeks should never be a problem if you don't have time to ​charge up before a run. I've left it as long as 6 weeks and still been able to start up OK, but all cars are different, so I wouldn't rely on that.

 

[Titanium7]

Use mine once every couple of weeks for a day or so until it's showing fully charged. 

[JAL]

I have the same charger and have used it on my brand new car for the past 18 months. I've left it on constantly as per the instructions. All has been well until I recently used the car for a whole day and really put some strain on the battery. The battery died and would not hold a charge even after 24 hours of charging.

I have now replaced the battery and will now only charge it periodically.

Buds

[LouisFeakes]

All,

Thanks for your responses.

I think I'm going to flick it on every week or two and bring it back up to full charge rather than leave it on constantly.

Louis.

[ScottR400D]

Buds, how did you "really put some strain on the battery"?

I had a CTEK 3600 on the 997 911 I had until I built the 7. It was 7 years old, bought new, when I sold it, with 23000 miles and had the original battery, still working fine. Obviously the car stood in the garage a lot and the CTEK was always on. 

 

[JAL]

How did you really put some strain on the battery?

Oh that's easy, just leave your hazard lights on for 5 hours.

Buds

[Mort]

"I think I'm going to flick it on every week or two and bring it back up to full charge rather than leave it on constantly."

I'd be inclined to disconnect it both ends too - but then I am a belt and braces person.  

[Bottrill]

My CTEK 5.0 is always left on and plugged into the seven. No problems after nearly twelve months of ownership. Car is used every 3-4 weeks for a weekend blast.

Lee

[Dave Rayner]

Louis, I leave mine on all the time but I can confirm the electrolyte levels do need topping up occasionally so just keep an eye on it

 

Dave 

[mike150]

I have been using a Ctek mxs 5.0 trickle charger for years for both cars and motorbikes after a few dead motorbike batteries!

Previously the bike had sat through the winter and every 2 weeks I would start and run the bike but the winter laziness set in and the 2 weeks got longer and longer, then, dead battery.

I eventually stopped kidding myself and bought the Ctek years ago, I leave it on all the time if the car or bike is not being used for a week or two, never a problem. The problem comes if you either don't have one or don't use it enough!

I connect it to the Caterham through the 12v socket and Ctek adaptor so I don't have to take off the bonnet and risk paint scratches or have a fly wire hanging out the bottom of the car somewhere. 

[Ian B]

Listen to Dave  *arrowup*

Be like Dave 

[prangerman]

I use a CTEK on my Banner which does gradually lose some electrolyte. I switch on the CTEK for a few hours each day and check the electrolyte monthly. I'd probably leave the CTEK on if I had more confidence in the electrics in the garage  .

I recall John at Redline telling me that one shouldn't expect more than four years or so from a Banner, although some may manage longer. Mine is almost five years old. Time to resurrect the what battery thread and smash the piggy bank.

Peter

[Johnh]

Leave mine on when cars not in use.. my ctek conditioner is probably the best accessory I ever bought for my cars and there batteries