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Finally Got My CTEK's!! Updated 1/22

THEFERMANATOR said:
Many new style chargersd now have a 14-5-15 volt abosrbtion charge to help offset this problem though. I know I have an IOTA charger in our trailer and just added the IQ4 4 stage charging module to it for $45 that turned my converter into a 4 stage charger. Many other brands of 12 volt converters also offer a small module that you can hook up to convert them into multi stage chargers as well.
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where would I find what onboard charger the camper has? and what module I would need to convert it to a multi stage charger?

I leave the trailer plugged in 24/7...I don't know how that affects AGM's...I know I was constantly adding water to the battery(when I didn't forget and let it run almost dry) so thats why I switched to teh sealed AGM optima...

Would the ctek put on there every now and then (with the battery disconnected) correct any problems leaving the trasiler plugged in might cause?
 
It is not good to leave the camper plugged in all the time Paul. It eventually cooks the battery. That is what I was told. For the winter, I disconnect the battery and take it inside, where I trickle charge it at various times throughout the winter.
 
I leave it plugged in to keep all the soft drinks, gatorade and beer in the fridge cold for when we leave...we camp year round...we often head out on a whim, so I don't like to wait for the fridge to cool down and put things in have have them lose temp.

If what Ferm mentioned works to keep the battery in better shape then thats what I'll do...
 
You need to look in your 12 volt power center and see what charger you currently have in it. From the sounds of it your current charger must be on the high voltage setting. Most newer chargers/converters for RV's have a 13.5-13.6 normal output or a float charge, and then you can install a jumper and boost it to 14.2 to charge the batteries. Many of the newer chargers/converters have teh multi-stage chargers built in or you can add on the module. First thing you need to do though is figure out which one you currently have. I Know I have yet to add any water to my battery in mine, or any other RV we've had other than every 6 months to check em. A properly functioning charger/converter system should be able to be left on all the time to maintain a full charge to reduce sulfation, and also they should have a equalization charge to them to turn on ocasionally to combat teh memory effect that most deep cycle batteries get. Put a volt meter on them OPTIMA's though and make sure your charger isn't holding them at more than 13.5-13.6 volts. Anymore than that will kill them in short order as AGM type batteries are less forgiving than lead acid batteries to overcharging.
 
RI Chevy Silveradoman said:
It is not good to leave the camper plugged in all the time Paul. It eventually cooks the battery. That is what I was told. For the winter, I disconnect the battery and take it inside, where I trickle charge it at various times throughout the winter.
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This WILL happen. I ruined a very expensive battery by not knowing this.

For our current trailer I got a battery disconnect switch and a battery maintenance (trickle) charger. I put the battery disconnect in the charge line between the bat and trailer charger. I then hooked the trickle charger to the other side of the disconnect switch.

When the trailer is plugged into house current I turn off the disconnect switch. This turns on the trickle charger to maintain the bat, and turns off the trailer charger.

Don
 
handcannon said:
This WILL happen. I ruined a very expensive battery by not knowing this.

For our current trailer I got a battery disconnect switch and a battery maintenance (trickle) charger. I put the battery disconnect in the charge line between the bat and trailer charger. I then hooked the trickle charger to the other side of the disconnect switch.

When the trailer is plugged into house current I turn off the disconnect switch. This turns on the trickle charger to maintain the bat, and turns off the trailer charger.

Don
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This also depends on your charger. Some chargers run at a constant 14.2 volts which will boil a battery, whereas others are true chargers and will drop back to maintain a battery. That's why I upgraded mine to a 4 stage charger instead of teh standard single stage. Plug it in and leave it alone, it does all the work from there.
 
I lost 12 bucks on mine, but figured I'd pass on the better deal since this thread is active again...

Shipping was fast from my seller though...it's here already, so I'm happy :)
 
It all Depends on the Condition of the Battery.

The CTEK's Analyze the Batteries the whole time during the Charge. So it could be a Few Minutes, Few Hours, or Overnight.
 
So I ordered a 7002 & the status thingy from etrailer.(thanks Pepp!) Now for the dumb question; can I leave the batteries connected together and have the Ctek charge them at the same time or do they have to be separate? I see, Mad Maxx, that you bought two, so I'm thinking the latter.?
 
no...charge them together...James has them on multiple vehicles...

only if the batteries are really bad you would then take them out and charge them separately...
 
Pepperidge said:
no...charge them together...James has them on multiple vehicles...

only if the batteries are really bad you would then take them out and charge them separately...
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Sweet, I didn't want to have to 'unplug' them from each other everytime I needed to charge them. I suppose I should have bought multiple status attachments to put on my other vehicles so I would know when they needed some rejuvenation.
 
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