battery charger / conditioner

[Dico]

the only advantage i can see is that you can jump in your car and go whenever you want.

Yes I must say, thats quite an advantage!

[Sy V]

Fancied a clutch in Stripey this morning (weather was nice, dry and cool - good turbo performance conditions), but it wasn't to be as, although the car's been wired up to the battery conditioner since the last sojourn, the battery's as dead as a dodo.
Indicator lights on the conditioner showed all as "well". Lights in dash came on but were dull and only a muffled sound from the fuel pump could be heard - not the normal whirring.
Insufficient wiggly-amps to turn the engine over at all.
Reconnected the conditioner and after it went through its diagnostic phase it's now showing "recovery" mode.
I'm hoping it's just a case of trying again tomorrow, as the hardtops on and battery access is particularly difficult in this scenario.

Livid of Lydiate Ash.

[Sy V]

Update

Something's amiss. Hardtop will have to be removed at the w/e so i can get access to the battery department.

Can you tell that Donington's approaching?

[Doug]

someone's aiming for another alibi I see

[Sy V]

Nothing that an £82.00 new heavy duty battery with 4 year warranty from Halfrauds couldn't fix.
Thinking about it, I'd had the same battery since I bought the car, so it hadn't done badly.

[clemo]

Old thread revival ..
Seems like 12 years later i am going to ask the same question again ?

who is using what trickle charger ....

I think i have ade my mind up and am going to buy one !

[Rambo]

CTEK. Am on my 2nd one in 15 years

[Tuga2112]

Old thread revival ..
Seems like 12 years later i am going to ask the same question again ?

who is using what trickle charger ....

I think i have ade my mind up and am going to buy one !

just drive your elan regularly and you will find no need for it.
at least mine has no battery issues after 5 years.. and still runing the same battery

[daveiow]

Always had a battery conditioner on the Elan and have just bought a Ctek 3.8 for the Evora.
An interesting side note, in the Evora hand book it states that if the car is not going to be used for over 3 weeks it should be connected to a battery conditioner which they supply with the new 410

[clemo]

Mark & Dave both using Ctek.
Seems to be quite a few options on Amazon . Could you possibly let me know the model number ?

Thank you both or anyone else running one.

[dapinky]

Thank you both or anyone else running one.

Pinky is using a 'cheap and cheerful' Lidl special (which I've had for over 10 years) - so also interested to see if a CTEK 3.8 is the way forward......

[GeoffSmith]

So, if you won't need it to recover a pancaked battery and you're only using it to maintain the charge on a good charged battery, personally I'd go for the cheaper XS 0.8.

[RonR]

CTEK MXS 5.0 for me as it has the re-conditioning programme which comes in handy if the car's not used for a while.
Wired with an extension cable from the battery to a socket / condition monitor in one of the spare switch blanks by the clock.
The charger just plugs into the dash when needed, no need to bother with Hood / Stowage lid / Carpet / Battery cover / Terminals.

[lotusflasherman]

Pinky is using a 'cheap and cheerful' Lidl special (which I've had for over 10 years) - so also interested to see if a CTEK 3.8 is the way forward......

Yes it is Dave, CTEK chargers are great and so are the accessories... they make things very convenient. I don't lay mine up for winter but there can be long periods when I'm using something else..
and they sit on the drive so I don't want the CTEK always connected.

I've had this one in my Elan for several years to connect the charger and the LED's tell me when it needs a recharge .. called the "Comfort Battery Charge Indicator"

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(they flash every second or so and photo did not catch it).

I fitted a CTEK 'Battery Sense' to the Evora which has bluetooth connection to my phone and tablet so I can sit in the lounge and see what the battery is doing on an app and whether I need to go for a drive ..

I have a 3.8 and a 5.0. The 3.8 is most suitable for cars (ignore the skinflint ) the 5.0 has an extra reconditioning programme that may recover to service a very flat battery BUT..
I have had two batteries BLOW UP .. when using it so NEVER use it with the battery in the car. I now put the battery in a plastic box just in case..

Batt 20180430.jpg

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[Rambo]

So, if you won't need it to recover a pancaked battery and you're only using it to maintain the charge on a good charged battery, personally I'd go for the cheaper XS 0.8.

Agreed Geoff. My first one was a 0.8 and my current one is a 3.8. The former is simple and cheap and the latter is more convoluted, more expensive and does things I don't need like recover a sulphated battery. Like Tuga I use mine (undoubtedly the best way to keep a battery in good nick) but sometimes over the winter months if I don't use a car for a week or so........

I'm all for cheep and cheerful, however, so my next one will probably be a Pinky cheapo from Lidl or Aldi

[Saltire]

CTEK MXS 5.0 for me as it has the re-conditioning programme which comes in handy if the car's not used for a while.
Wired with an extension cable from the battery to a socket / condition monitor in one of the spare switch blanks by the clock.
The charger just plugs into the dash when needed, no need to bother with Hood / Stowage lid / Carpet / Battery cover / Terminals.

That’s what I have too. And it’s been working faultlessly for the last 7 years.

I have my charging socket just behind the drivers seat on the door jamb, so, just like Ron, no need to get into the hood well

[daveiow]

The conditioner in the Elan came with it from Gov and has gone back with it to him as it was nicely wired in
I went with Ctek for the Evora for 2 reasons.First they come from Scandinavia where keeping things mobile in the cold can be slightly more challenging than here Second as lotusflasherman states they also do a useful range of accessories, the Evora has a permanently live socket in the boot so the optional plug makes it a doddle to use.
(I was tempted by the Bluetooth thing but as I go in the garage every day to check my mousetraps, yes, really, I caught 32 last winter i didn’t really need it.

[dapinky]

Having read all the above, it appears that the 'general consensus' is that the 3.8 is the one to go for.....

..... so, with that in mind - I'll probably stick to my Lidl special, and replace it with a 0.8 in due course (unless there is a great Black Friday deal in a week or two).

I don't need an all singing, all dancing one - just something to plug in when I leave the car laid up in the garage. Flashing LEDs won't help me if I'm not in the car to see them......

....... and my car is wired such that I have HT posts inside the boot (with an isolator dis-car-nect) for easy attachment of charger/conditioner/jump leads as required

[clemo]

My situation is that i have a decent battery but will be laying the car up over the horrible months.
It has run flat now and will need a re charge . Does the Ctec actually charge the battery slowly or just keep a charged battery topped up ?

I do have an S2 charge point under the bonnet but will probably do a boot connection point like Geoffers or dash like Phil

Cheers guys

[lotusflasherman]

By far the best way to keep a battery in good condition is use it in a car.

Vehicle 'Starting batteries' are not designed for standing or deep discharge. When standing they have a tendency for the sulphuric acid, which has a higher density than water, eventually to sink to the bottom of the battery.
They need an occasional shake about.

For this reason 'Standing Batteries' for power supplies used in electricity substations and telephone exchange supplies were NIFE batteries (Nickel Iron with potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte) that did not suffer from that.

If the Elan battery fits the 'daily drive' best to take it out and swap batteries in the daily a couple of times during the winter to keep them both exercised... and shaken about .. and then you won't need a CTEK.

CTEK choice .... if your battery really needs a charge, 0.8 amps will take forever to put enough ampere-hours into the battery to be able to use the car, but may maintain volts over the winter. It's really designed for little motorbike batteries.
The 3.8 amp charger is for car batteries. The 5 amp will charge it quicker, obviously .. and only the MXS 5.0 has the Reconditioning Programme - to blow your battery to bits..

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