Smart charger battery?

[spruce]

View attachment 13209
Thanks spruce. I'm guessing I don't have VSR then as I have four wires from the SCR?

Garage said both batteries needed replacing. They've replaced the vans starter battery.

I believe the pump battery is quite new, so I've purchased the charger you have in the hope that this may bring this battery back up to speed. Could be wishful thinking. They said the pump battery had a life of 36%, whatever that may mean?

You say you leave yours charging over the weekend, would that be a better solution than charging at the end of each days cleaning over night. I'm hoping to do three or four days per week.

www.wellingtonwindowcleaning.co.uk

You have a standard split charge relay which is basically a relay activated by the ignition or alternator.

There's nothing wrong with them. They are fine. The reason why VSR's are more popular is that they are easier to fit as you don't have to find a suitable connection for the 'trigger' source.

The sales guys tell you VSRs are better in that the starter battery gets charging priority. That's really a load of rubbish as your alternator is capable of charging both batteries at the same time. (The starter motor battery has to provide a starter motor with a lot of current for the first few milliseconds of you starting your van. Its been suggested that this is in excess of 320amps quickly dropping to about 200 amps within the first 2 seconds of starting your diesel van. Although that seems a lot of current, is only slightly more than what your wfp pump uses in an hour. So your alternator isn't doing much work replacing that initial starter motor draw.)

I don't know what the life of 36% means either. As a battery ages it looses capacity usually due to calcification of it's plates, it could well be that they are saying that under load the battery is showing it only has 36% of its original capacity. If its a 110 amp leisure battery then it only has a capacity of 38 amps. This probably won't get you through the day. You just have to charge it and 'suck it and see'. If it means you have to replace the battery then so be it.

I charge my leisure battery virtually every night in winter and every second night in summer. They say your leisure battery will last longer if you fully charge is at every opportunity.

If the battery has had very lite use then I don't bother putting it on charge. Leaving a leisure battery in a state of discharge causes premature battery failure.

The charger I have can be left on all winter as it goes in maintenance mode once the batteries are fully charged. They are designed to do that.

.

 

[Guest]

eBay item number: 262464934981

This will work, sterling chargers are a good bit of kit and not as much as grippa's

 

[spruce]

eBay item number: 262464934981
This will work, sterling chargers are a good bit of kit and not as much as grippa's

I'm glad you noticed that one

This one has longer cables

10mtr Sterling BB1230 kit with red 70amp 10mm2 leads | eBay

and VAT is already included in the price. Grippa's is + VAT.

Sterling acted on what everyone knew for years. Alternators are terrible battery chargers. So they developed a unit with a modified charging profile to compensate. They became standard fitment in NHS ambulances about 15 years ago. Unfortunately they were also prohibitively expensive for 'the man in the street.'

Looks as though they have eventually taken note of a potential market. I see you can get the base unit - no cables - for £199.99 delivered.

.