Ctek D250s

They do state in the manual that if the unit gets too hot then it reduces the charging rate.

Is it to charge an under bonnet battery.

The good thing about the Ctek is they are water proof but the bad thing is they don't like the heat. The Redarc I think has a built in cooling fan so it can handle more heat but it is not water proof.

I have read that lots of people have trouble with the heat under the bonnet for the Ctek and some end up mounting them behind the grill. I have seen someone run the heat sensor cable to the grill to it will stay cool.

I have my Ctek charger in the camper so no problems with heat.

For the landcruiser and charging the second battery I have added an alternator booster diode like you can buy from Sidewinder - who is a member on this site.

http://www.sidewinder.com.au/page159aa.html

With this it will pump up the amount the alternator is putting out so my second battery gets a full charge. Previously my starter battery would get 13.4 to 13.8 and now it gets 14.2 to 14.5. This allows the second battery to get a decent charge. I then have a Sidewinder battery isolator kit.

I know the Ctek will do all this but I go this stuff before I knew about the Ctek.

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers

Serendipity

I've got the Redarc bcdc1240 mounted under the bonnet and it works great, the Redarc bcdc chargers are all sealed so are water & dust proof. As stated some people mount them on a bracket in front of the radiator. I got mine off ebay for about $400 including cable and fuses. In my opinion Redarc is as good as or superior to anything on the market and they are Australian owed & made- so that makes your decision easy :)

I have been punishing my Redarc 1240'and the BMS system for over three years now and they haven't missed a beat. Very happy and the Solar function is fantastic.

Write up on both here;

Redarc review


Cheers Mick.

My ctek is under the bonnet and originally the temp sensor cable was on top of the battery next to the + terminal as its purpose is to monitor the battery temp to manage charging rates, not the temp of the device itself.

Result was the under bonnet temp was too high and the charger shut down!

So I routed the temp sensor to the front grill all sweet.....works a treat......its coupled to s solar panel as well as the alternator and sorts itself out which charge source it uses.

2517
NO to DC/DC units in engine bay.

It's not much good having a Redarc which has a fan if it is trying to cool itself with engine bay heat of 70C or more. The difference between the developed heat of charging and the air taken in by the fan to cool it would be very little, therefore no cooling will be happening.

Redarc not last long!

The Redarc fan would be to cool the internals while drawing in COOL air from somewhere other than an engine bay.

Then Redarc last long time!

The Ctek derates as it gets hot and so mounting it in an engine bay will make sure it is hot so it can't deliver it's intended output. May be very ineffective depending on circumstances.
On another forum, a BT50 owner asked the same questions re a Ctek and after being told no in engine bay he tested to see if the advice was right. He found the Ctek only delivered 30% of expected output when hot in engine bay and full output when cold.

If the aux battery is in the engine bay and will normally use the same charging profile as the crank battery then why have a DC/DC unit when the alternator will do it anyway??????
It is not as though you have long resistive cable runs to consider.

Having the solar is a good thing and will keep things charged when engine is off. Many people have a suitable capacity system for the maintenance of the aux battery.

If the alt ever stops working you can use the solar to run the vehicle and maintain charge while you drive to get help.

Many people are drawn into the need for a DC/DC unit when it may not be needed at all. They do have their special situations of use and do a good job, it's poses the question, do you really need one.
You are going to have a solenoid battery system to run the DC/DC from the alt anyway. Maybe manual or VSR type. Just use it to connect the batteries.

The Solar will have it's reg, preferably MPPT.

If the DC/DC was going in a trailer/caravan then different story.

Cheers
Ross M

I mounted my Redarc BCDC1220 just inside the firewall in the cabin. In nice cool air and with very little extra cable length. Even if it could take the engine bay temperature, there is no need to stress it.

I have a D250S Dual, but would not consider it suitable for mounting in the engine bay.
As the connection points are exposed they can not be considered waterproof.

They are a great unit but are best suited for mounting inside a vehicle or camper trailer/van, or other compartment protected from the weather.

From the feedback on this topic one would think the the manufacturers of these products should be more informative in the correct fitting instructions of their products.

It's obvious that if not fitted correctly it could be a waste of money or at worst damage the product.

Whats with the manufacturers if they don't spell out fully the fitting requirements?