CTEK charger

[Plasticrat30]

The RCF is now happily residing in the garage and will remain there till Easter.  

I'm considering buying  a CTEK MXS 5.0 smart charger to keep everything electrical in good order.

Has anyone any experience of this item?

Can I just connect it up without disconnecting the Battery?

Cheers William

[B1RMA]

26 minutes ago, Plasticrat30 said:

The RCF is now happily residing in the garage and will remain there till Easter.  

I'm considering buying  a CTEK MXS 5.0 smart charger to keep everything electrical in good order.

Has anyone any experience of this item?

Can I just connect it up without disconnecting the battery?

Cheers William

I've had CTEK chargers for years and they still work well, I've never disconnected the Battery when using them as they are 'intelligent' chargers they look after themselves.

[JeffL]

I have one, great piece of kit, but I never disconnect the Battery.

[hockeyedwards]

I have that exact charger, used over lockdown with no need to disconnect Battery, never had a problem.

[deltapapa]

+1

Its a great piece of kit, well worth having

[First_Lexus]

Had a CTEK for my garage queen MINI for at least ten years. It’s a wonderful piece of kit and I’d recommend highly as others have already done.

[Rensin55]

I use the Noco Genius chargers, which are a little more modern than CTEK. I have a small 1amp charger to maintaining the the Battery over the winter when the GSF does not get much use. It can be left permanently connected to the Battery and will maintain it one full. The wiring system is need and the cable an be kept attacked to the Battery even when the car is use as it come with a waterproof connected to hook up with the charger. Have 5amp version of the charger too.

[Barry14UK]

I have had same model CETEK and it had performed well for both ordinary and AGM batteries using the appropriate mode button which is essential.  A few people report having had a problem with the mode button so I would not be heavy fingered with this.  Crocodile clips were provided for easy connection and also eye terminals for more permanent connection and I assume this will still be the case.

[Barry14UK]

Well I have looked further into this and it seems that a number the CETEK Battery chargers fail after a few years or much use due to quality of some components and poor design in addition to the mode micro switch problem.  I have no experience in this area so have to rely on comments of those who have.  This is an interesting video of an investigation into failure but is very long.  The last 15 minutes reveals conclusion that the root of the problem was caused by the power supply (not as good as in a £15 Lidl unit!).  The subsequent comments are also revealing and when pressed it is suggested a Noco unit is better built.  I am not so happy now about leaving my CELTEK MXS 5 permanently connected.  I also get the impression that permanent connection could lead to shortening of Battery life.  Would like to know what you more clued up guys think.  

 

[First_Lexus]

34 minutes ago, Barry14UK said:

Well I have looked further into this and it seems that a number the CETEK battery chargers fail after a few years or much use due to quality of some components and poor design in addition to the mode micro switch problem.  I have no experience in this area so have to rely on comments of those who have.  This is an interesting video of an investigation into failure but is very long.  The last 15 minutes reveals conclusion that the root of the problem was caused by the power supply (not as good as in a £15 Lidl unit!).  The subsequent comments are also revealing and when pressed it is suggested a Noco unit is better built.  I am not so happy now about leaving my CELTEK MXS 5 permanently connected.  I also get the impression that permanent connection could lead to shortening of battery life.  Would like to know what you more clued up guys think.  

 

I’m not an expert by any means, so this is purely anecdotal. I’ve owned my 2004 MINI from new. She’s done 13k dry miles, and is connected to my CTEK charger most of the time in order to maintain the Battery. I had a new (higher capacity) Yuasa Battery fitted in 2006, and that same Battery is still fine in 2021. Famous last words…

[Duggie B]

I have 2 one for each vehicle as I have use of firms van daily. Its a good piece of kit, must be if certain German car manufacturers use them with their own branding put upon them, also Toyota techs use them so can't be all bad, if concerned about leaving on float all the time use it for a day or two intermittently 

[true blue]

Hi I have a CTEK which I have used for a few years with no problems, I also have a Accumate charger which I have used for 15 years with no problems ( I purchased this as it also caters for 6 volt motorcycle batteries ) ,it is a smart charger but only 1.2 v output which is good to keep topped up but will take a long time if the Battery is flat, you may wish to consider one of these as an alternative

Dave

[hockeyedwards]

In addition to the one for my F, there are 3 other CTEK's in long term use in the family, all without issue.

However, I have read very good reviews about the Noco and would consider one, but have been served well by CTEK, so why change...

[ColinBarber]

2 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

I also get the impression that permanent connection could lead to shortening of battery life.

It shouldn't do, if done properly. You need a float charger and not a standard or trickle charger. The CTEK and Noco both switch into a float mode once the Battery is charged.

[LenT]

10 hours ago, Plasticrat30 said:

Can I just connect it up without disconnecting the battery?

Yes, just order the connectors with the eyelet terminals that are fitted permanently to the Battery posts.  The other end of the lead has a connector that plugs into the lead from the charger.

Better still, get the Indicator eyelet version which has a traffic light array of leds.  These give you an immediate indication of Battery charge level at a glance.

[Barry14UK]

One of the comments in above referenced link. 

"Magic Smoke

6 months ago

 @MikeB  Mike, the answers are in the other batter charger test videos especially the NOCO. They are right charging at a slightly lower voltage will increase Battery life but reduce Ah capacity and reduce peak current. However 13.8 is too low as the plates will get covered in sulfate that would be difficult or impossible to shift. If you charge at the higher end of the voltage (14.35- 14,4V @25 deg) then you get more charge and higher performance but Battery life is reduced due to increased plate erosion. If you want to shoot for the latter and don't mind iffy reliability then the CTEK is the best option. If you want to travel the fine lines and eek out the longest life then accuracy and temperature compensation is required. What is the model and make of your Battery? I will take a look at the datasheet. Some of the cheap smart chargers I have tested go up to 14.7V on standard charge but this is not intentional as the charger spec says 14,4V. (i.e. lack of accuracy). AGM mode if supported should charge to a higher voltage but the profile is wrong for sealed PbCa"

 

You really need to read all the comments.

All of us that have commented on this forum seem to have had good experience with CETEK but clearly there are those that have not. 

 

[Plasticrat30]

Afternoon all.

Many thanks for all your comments and advice, they are much appreciated.

I've decided to go with the CTEK, currently charging a slave Battery before it goes on the RCF.

Cheers and seasons greetings

William

[LenT]

24 minutes ago, Plasticrat30 said:

I've decided to go with the CTEK,

I’m sure you’ll not be disappointed William.

But one thing to consider is that, excellent though they are, they are trickle chargers.  So what do you do if you climb in one cold morning and the battery’s dead flat?

Well one answer is to get a NOCO lithium Battery power pack.  They claim it’ll hold enough of a charge to jump start your car four times in a year.

I have one that I have yet to use, But it’s reassuring to know that I have it.

[Plasticrat30]

Thanks LenT.

My lad has been car racing for a good while so we have quite a bit of kit including a NOCO Boost Sport for starting up cars with no charging circuit.  It's been really good, always got things going.

Before that I had a Pitking which it think was better, I swear it had more power than my baby grand daughter's lungs. Sadly it had no polarity protection, someone wrong connected it and fried it........

Cheers all

[LenT]

On 12/12/2021 at 10:18 AM, Plasticrat30 said:

Thanks LenT.

My lad has been car racing for a good while so we have quite a bit of kit including a NOCO Boost Sport for starting up cars with no charging circuit.  It's been really good, always got things going.

Thanks for this, William.  As I say, I’ve never had occasion to use mine - but I feel even more reassured now.

On 12/12/2021 at 10:18 AM, Plasticrat30 said:

Before that I had a Pitking which it think was better, I swear it had more power than my baby grand daughter's lungs. Sadly it had no polarity protection, someone wrong connected it and fried it........

Polarity protection was one of the features that attracted me to the NOCO.  It’s not an error I would expect to make, but you only have to do it once!