Ctek Chargers..Re xs 25000 or xs 15000

I agree

No problems with finding a great price on ebay....In fact that is the site where I bought the 7000....
Cheers

I'm curious about these grey imports of chargers and whether they have been c-ticked and if they carry an Australian Approval Number....

BTW, c-teks don't charge all AGM batteries fully as their maximum charging voltage for AGMs is limited to 14.4V instead of 14.7V.
They're good for US sourced hybrid batteries with lead/antimony alloys while the latest Chinese calcium/calcium or calcium/tin/silver AGMs can take a higher charge.

Why would you pay top dollars for a quality AGM battery only to have it 90% charged with the associated risk of sulfation?

best regards, batterymeister

batterymeister, I'll admit, I only did a brief search, but most of your previous posts (that I could find) have been moderated due to the 'self promotion' rules of this forum.

I can only assume you are a seller of similar competing products and don't like the competition from EBay.

I have a 25 Amp E Tek, not from EBay. I paid over $450 for it 3 yeas ago. Since becoming aware of the E Bay offer, I've recommended it to many others. All are delighted with the result (at least two after 2 years or more of use). I believe the charger they are getting for over $100 less is identical to mine. If I knew of it earlier, I certainly would have bought that way. If I ever need another, I will.

I am confident my AGMs FULLY charge with the C Tek. One measure of this is that after fully charging (till charger trips to supply), then letting the batteries rest with no load and no charge for over 24 hours, the battery monitor reads a voltage of 12.94 Volts. Now if that is not fully charged, I don't know what is - it is a higher charge than normally attributed to a fully charged battery - one of the advantages of AGMs.

The particular seller on EBay has a 100% positive feedback rating with over 8,000 ratings. That is close to unique.

Many posts from well informed, qualified and experienced people on this forum over a long period have rated the C Tek as among the best chargers available. Do a search to check this out. I suspect is by far, the most recommended brand on this forum.

To support your view of their poor performance on AGMs, how about you tell us some more about your qualifications your business and whether you sell other brands of chargers. Oh,and give your self a name, so we can see who the poster is at the top of your posts.

Norm C

So if someone with some knowledge states some facts about a product he is automatically considered to have an ulterior motive .

Ctek is claimed to be the smartest in the world and that is far from being correct.

It is a marketing program that works wonderfully for Ctec and they spend heaps of money promoting it.

Ctek is a good basic charger but there are plenty of chargers that can match them and some that can better them.

Batterymeister has posted good generic information in all that I have read from him and I see no reason why he should do any different.
Ian

If there is a problem with possible sulphation from a Ctek, then why do they have as the first of their 8 stages a "desulphation" step?



Whilst they may only charge at 14.4v with temperature compensation, surely they handle sulphation issues, especially for the money. ;)

Andrew

Funny enough the ctek 7000 has two charge rates..the higher rate is 14.7V The normal setting 14.4V....
This seems to be the only ctek that offers these two settings.....

And yes there are lots of chargers out there..just as there are lots of different AGM batteries....
The great thing about this forum is that people are happy to offer opions and knowledge...I am sure that we all look to confirm that opinons and knowlege of an issue/product is confirmed elsewhere...
thanks for the help..

@ Norm C

if you consider 12.94V open circuit as an indication of 100% full, read the following sentence twice:
I've load tested and conditioned hundreds of AGM batteries, and it is quite normal for them to exhibit an open circuit voltage (which is somewhat temperature dependent) of around 13.2V, 24 hours after coming off a 14.7V boost charge cycle.
So your claim of 12.94V being a sign of 'full charge' doesn't hold much water :(

Sorry, can't answer all of your questions as this would trip the mod$ters threshold, as you've already noted in the top of your follow up - they're an ever watchful bunch (howzitgoing over there btw).

@ Ian,

what can I say more to a man who knows his stuff...
Slightly disagreeing on the c-teks being a good basic charger, at least not for the majority of AGM batteries - I'd say they're well designed, but don't offer the optimal charging voltage for (asian sourced) AGM batteries.
C-tek themselves confirmed this in my private comms with them. Reason is that they need to also accommodate other AGM designs which only can stand 14.4V boost charge voltage.

@ Andrew,

believing the 'desulfation' stage can make up for constant undercharging of your AGM battery, is just that.
Think about it: the manufacturer has found it to be safer to only program one boost charge voltage into the charger's routine for AGMs, which is the lower one of the two. To counter any fears of sulfation, he smartly makes the charger spew out a few pulses at the beginning of the charge cycle. By doing so, he speculates (quite successfully) on the wide spread belief in the effectiveness of these pulses.
BTW, the diagram you gave, is for flooded cells, as the 'recond' phase six is just another name for 'equalisation charge' - a high voltage charge which would quickly damage any AGM battery.
So, this diagram doesn't even prove that AGM batteries get to see these pulses.

@ tagistheman ;)

I appreciate your view on things which is unbiased and open minded.
Yep, you're quite right the 7A c-tek offers a setting for 14.7V - but to my knowledge this is only for 'winter charging' of flooded cells. Selecting flooded for AGM batteries is risky because the charger might add this equalisation charge which would be very damaging to any AGM battery (but maybe equalisation can be suppressed manually, sorry I am only guessing as I don't know this charger well enough).

best regards, batterymeister

batterymeister (please, can you throw a name here for future goodwill),

Thanks for the detailed response.

BTW the battery equalisation charge is only used when the charger is placed in "recond mode" (normal, supply and recond modes on the higher output models). Not the default setting therefore not an issue with AGM's.

Andrew

" it is quite normal for them to exhibit an open circuit voltage (which is somewhat temperature dependent) of around 13.2V, 24 hours after coming off a 14.7V boost charge cycle. So your claim of 12.94V being a sign of 'full charge' doesn't hold much water "

Accurately assessing state-of-charge by voltage-measurement doesn't hold much water.

Batterymeister
I considered the 14.4V for some AGM to be maximum only and they should be charged at 14.1V also the ctek at 14.4v may be suitable in the high ambient temps of Australia where 14.7/8V unless temp compensated may be too high.

I have seen top AGM batteries damaged when maintained charging is at 14.4V and high demand cycling is used.

I have a new toy to experiment with that came with Santa.
It is a Large PulseTechnology Analyzer that is new state of the art which can determine all parameters of the battery and has a print out report for the test .
It is designed to test lead acid batteries of all constructions and nearly any size with a nominal voltage of 12V.

I hope it does what it claims.
Ian

@ Andrew,

you're welcome, call me Peter.
If the equalisation routine isn't entered by the 7000 model automatically, then the 14.7V setting is indeed a good choice for asian AGMs. But I don't think the 7000 model offers temp compensation, therefore it is important to keep the battery temperature at 20 to 25 degrees when boost charging at 14.7V.

@ Mike DID,

yours is an absolutely valid point.

@ Ian,

14.1V is quite low of a boost charging voltage for an AGM. If you discharge any lead acid battery below a certain DOD, you want to bring all cells back up to full charge by a boost charge cycle. This voltage has to be high enough to equalise all cells in the string, and low enough to not overwhelm the recombination ability (in case of the AGM).
You can charge the battery with a lower voltage (i.e. the float charge voltage of 13.6V), but this is not recommended if the battery is used for deep cycling, as capacity mismatch between cells may develop over time.

I totally agree on the temperature compensation. In summer it's easy to have the AGM sitting at 35 degrees, which can be compensated for by reducing the boost/float charge voltages from 14.7/13.6V to around 14.4/13.3V.
In winter the opposite can be expected (15/13.9V) if the battery temp is around 10 to 15 degrees.
Nonetheless, nothing is as beneficial as having the battery sitting at 20 to 25 degrees when it gets recharged, meaning that temperature compensation is only a bandaid measure.

BTW, I'm curious about all the c-tek owners' response as to their units being c-ticked or not...

Anyone?

Best regards, batterymeister

Quote > "I'm curious about these grey imports of chargers and whether they have been c-ticked and if they carry an Australian Approval Number...."

and... "BTW, I'm curious about all the c-tek owners' response as to their units being c-ticked or not..." (end quote)

Mine has (been 'C' -ticked), and it does (carry an Australian Approval Number, Q050101)...
The bar-code sticker on the box reads "Multi XS 15000 AUS" ....

Also, the ebay seller (4wdextreme) from whom I purchased it has confirmed on this forum (in response to similar questions) that the units he sells are fully covered by warranty IN AUSTRALIA...
(I guess that means they are NOT "grey imports")...

So There !!! .. ;-))

As mentioned previously, a recognised (and recognisable) 'User Name' may help to enhance your credibility somewhat ;-)

Regards, Ed C
:)

Very interesting information.....
I always seem to charge my agm at night....Fridge is always connected either running 12v or 240...When I get home at the end of a day I pop the ute lid and connect to 240 volt....Every 3rd or 4th day I connect the ctek 7000...always afterdark ..(solar at home so use power after the solar stops working as we get paid 52 cents for every Kw we put back into the grid....and at night get charged 20 cents kwh to draw it out...On average we produce 18-19kws each day summer time...use about 5kws during the day....6-8kws at night...

Should point out that I check the voltage of the agm each morning after resting all night...so far the lowest volt has been 12.72......
Fridge is a waeco 32 litre...

I keep 3 frozen 600ml bottles on top just under the lid..these I replace each of them morning and evening...Find this helps with the battery draw....probaly why I use so little power....
During the day the fridge draws from the battery for about 7-8 hrs on average...
Battery is not conected to the car alternator...

Therefore always seem to charge at night when the temp is lower...

Batterymeister
I find that the statement of boost for AGM at 14.1V being low is at odds with high recombination AGM battery makers specifications where they state a charge of 14.1V at 20oC for USA Spec GEL & AGM.

Also with the CSIRO Designed Super Gel made by Battery Energy Systems in Australia can accept charge at open flooded wet cell rates with temp compensation but it is stated they will fully charge at 13.8V.

They are high recombination low resistance that will accept high input currents.

Ian