Battery charger, which one?

The Ctek is regarded as the best charger available Lyndon.
If you can justify the initial purchase price, go for it. You will not be disappointed.

I have a "baby" XS 7000 (7 amp) which is all I need to maintain one battery at a time and am extremely happy with the performance and compact size.

The XS 7000 is suitable for any type of lead acid battery from 14-225Ah so you must have a serious battery bank mate. By lead acid, this includes wet cell, AGM, or Gell. (Is there any other kind?)


Bill.

Hello snail,

here's what other brands can't do:

Charge with 25A max current at a boost voltage setting of 14.8 for maximum battery cycle life.
Charge smaller batteries at a 50% reduced max charge current rate.
Get powered by the alternator via a cheap 300W inverter.
Offer adjustable overriding boost/absorption time limits (important when charging while load currents are present).
Charge two batteries independently from each other.
They don't have a 13.8V 1A flooded starter battery 'maintenance' output while the house batteries are being charged independently.
They can't be paralleled to give a whopping 50A or more max charging current.
Being used as a 25A 13.8V power supply.
Have full Australian electrical compliance/approval rating with the approval number actually printed on them, according to the law.
Australian EMC (c-tick) rated with the approval number printed on them, according to the law.
They can't be had for 275 bucks while offering all of the above and more.

There is more information in my profile.

Best regards, Peter

Hi Lyndon, I have the Ctek 7000 (7amp) permanently hooked up to the two 100 amp hour batteries in the camper, with the charger being affixed as part of the electrical set up. The only thing running off the batteries is the 73 litre autofridge.
The charger is about 2 years old and is on 24/7 and has not missed a beat.
As you drive a Troopy, you obviously believe in quality so you will not be disappointed with the Ctek.


Cheers

Mark

Lyndon,
I too have the C-Tek 7000, in fact I have two. One is in the caravan year round and the other one is usually in the boat set up with Dual batteries, and sometimes i will use it to recharge/recondition a battery.
I have found them to be the way to go,compared to a normal style charger that can cook your batteries in no time if you forget to monitor.
Wayne H

I have had a C Tek for several years. It started to give trouble a while back so I researched a replacement.

I ended up getting a Durst (Aust made) 45 Amp charger. It has a half power switch, so it can be switched to a 22.5 Amp charger if charging a smaller battery bank. Can independently charge two or three battery banks (depending on model) simultaneously. Charge voltage can be changed depending on the type of battery being charged.

While the C Tek is a good charger, it has none of these features.

The Durst and some other 'top end' chargers have these features and more.

We have a lot of batteries (3 AGMs in van, two AGMs in vehicle, one AGM in boat), so the investment in the bigger and more capable / flexible charger was well worthwhile.

Worth looking at others as well before you decide, particularly if you have multiple batteries.

Norm C

Opps another question, is the Ctek Aust made? Thinking of getting one of Ebay but don't want to shoot myself in the foot to save a couple of dollars!