Electric Hookup to Split Charger

[gvee]

Evening all,

I installed my electric hookup a good while back and the Mrs asked me this evening whether it is capable of charging the batteries, too.

I hadn't thought about that!

What would it take?

I have a split charger relay for the leisure battery so I wondered if I could plumb some wiring in from my EHU consumer unit in to that?

I assume not, because of the extreme voltage difference and so I probably need some kind of extra... kit... just not sure what!

Hoping for something simple (and cheap would be nice).

Cheers,
G

 

[lemur]

Well...not directly via the relay since 230vAC to 12vDC , but since you now have mains hook-up you could permanently install a nice smart charger for when hooked up. something like this maybe;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-MXS-5-0-Reconditions-Motorcycle/dp/B00FC42HAA/ref=asc_df_B00FC42HAA/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=226613731662&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13158264049904094909&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006914&hvtargid=pla-303286758601&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

CTEK are pretty well reviewed and it's a nice small unit to squeeze in somewhere too.

Hope that's some kind of help
LIam

 

[gvee]

I was thinking of grabbing one of these and snipping the end off to wire in to the relay, and then plug in on demand

Or am I talking out my proverbial?

 

[gvee]

That's nice, Liam, thanks dude!

 

[lemur]

I think though said item may indeed provide 12vdc, it will be at low amps, that's why it's a supply and not a charger. The recommended amps for charging a 12vdc automotive battery are circa10 amps- and that current would need fusing correctly. I'm no electrician but I'd advise against using a small power supply unit to charge a leisure battery.
There are cheaper designated battery chargers- Aldi recently did a nice unit not unlike the CTEK at a very good price.. cheap is good. safe is better.
I'm sure someone with better knowledge will be along to enlighten us
Liam

 

[67westy]

I had a ctek when using hookup. They tend to come up at a decent discount on Amazon during black Friday if you're in no rush

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[gas1man]

I did a lot of research about this subject at the time when I needed a unit.
I wrote to CTek about what I wanted to do, there reply was very informative .
They basically said that a MXS7 was enough for what I needed. Leisure battery and
a couple of lights just. I then said that I had a fridge and a few other bits running off
the battery possibly and I wanted to hook up when camping without the hassle of
plugging and unplugging things. There suggestion was the MXS10 . Yes it is more but it can handle just about anything.
I plug the bus in when we camp and do the same when I get home and the unit rectifies depending on the voltage.
Have had no battery problems , unless like me you forget to plug it in. :lol: :lol: :lol: Hope this helps.

J & P

 

[ozziedog]

Hi George bud,
Read a bit about this on another forum or two, mainly the Latebay. Listening only to the ones that I have a little respect for with their electrical wisdom etc. The Aldi charger / conditioner was considered to be a virtual CTek clone at the lower end of their range and since then, occasionally an even better one appears at Aldi and Lidl. Also on the UTube, their are some very interesting comparisons between the Aldi / Lidl ones both the lower range ones and the slightly better spec and some of the CTek models. Have a little check it out yourself, but I believe that if you can unplug by way of crocodile clips and a three pin plug most of the time, and only connect when required so that you’re shortening the usage from permanent to a couple of days at a time and at a cost of a lot less then twenty quid :shock: and as said above, it’s a fairly small unit that could be easily accommodated in the engine bay out of the way.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,, electrical knowledge of a pea, me :lol:

 

[gvee]

I have plans to add a fridge in to the mix ahead of next years season - so I might hold off on the purchase until then (don't want to under-spec what I need now and have to buy twice!).

Great advice though, folks - thank you!

 

[Coda]

I was thinking of grabbing one of these and snipping the end off to wire in to the relay, and then plug in on demand

No!

It's not designed for charging. That could just cause overcharging and destroy your batteries, plus they almost definitely cannot be trusted to be left unattended in your engine bay.

The Ctek charger is ubiquitous but there are others. I use this one: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintenance/battery-chargers/noco-genius5-5-amp-battery-charger-230278.html

 

[67westy]

Or go solar depending on what you use hookup for

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