Replacing battery charger/PSU

argoose

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My current charger/PSU is not suitable for AGM batteries. As I will be replacing the tired battery for next season and thinking AGM is a better option than sealed flooded.
Would I be right in thinking I can replace my current charger/PSU with any AGM compatible smart charger and still use pump, lights and 12V loads as I can at the moment.
I've seen recommendations for ctek and a few others which has lead me to think any smart charger, with AGM setting will be OK.
 
I think ok as only a point or two of voltage extra, but wildbus will know better than me.
Remember all agm are not the same and some have different voltages.
 
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My current charger/PSU is not suitable for AGM batteries. As I will be replacing the tired battery for next season and thinking AGM is a better option than sealed flooded.
Would I be right in thinking I can replace my current charger/PSU with any AGM compatible smart charger and still use pump, lights and 12V loads as I can at the moment.
I've seen recommendations for ctek and a few others which has lead me to think any smart charger, with AGM setting will be OK.
Generally a decent Smart Charger i.e. one with a multi-stage charging profile will work on most batteries. I see no reason why any 12V device you have working now will not continue to work if you switch chargers,

CTEK is a good brand. My own preference would be for Victron (no shock there!), but it is for a reason ....

Go for a Victron BlueSmart IP22 Charger (15A, 20A or 30A versions available) and you get:
a Smart Charger that is totally silent in operation (this is important for a camper where you are sleeping overnight and plugged into EHU at the same time. Some Chargers have noisy fans);
The IP22 charging profile is completely programmable, so whatever 12V battery you get, you will always be able to set the charger to match the datasheet of the battery for optimal charging;
you get a 5 year warranty (most chargers would be 1 year, the CTEKs are 3 years); and you get a product which still gets improved and you can get free firmware updates for.
 
Generally a decent Smart Charger i.e. one with a multi-stage charging profile will work on most batteries. I see no reason why any 12V device you have working now will not continue to work if you switch chargers,

CTEK is a good brand. My own preference would be for Victron (no shock there!), but it is for a reason ....

Go for a Victron BlueSmart IP22 Charger (15A, 20A or 30A versions available) and you get:
a Smart Charger that is totally silent in operation (this is important for a camper where you are sleeping overnight and plugged into EHU at the same time. Some Chargers have noisy fans);
The IP22 charging profile is completely programmable, so whatever 12V battery you get, you will always be able to set the charger to match the datasheet of the battery for optimal charging;
you get a 5 year warranty (most chargers would be 1 year, the CTEKs are 3 years); and you get a product which still gets improved and you can get free firmware updates for.
Many thanks for reply. I will definitely look into your recommendation, as I normally spend a while looking into pros and cons before I commit to purchase 👍
 
also, generally speaking, for AGM, a charge rate of 0.25C is preferred - so if you are planning on a 100Ah battery, a charger around 25A is the ballpark to go for. Go much higher and you are wasting money as it will not run at the higher rate for long anyway. Go much lower and you will not be getting as good a recharge rate of course.
 
Most of the time the solar will keep battery topped up and maintained. So smart charger won't need to charge at a high rate. Just keep up with 12V used in the evening and recharge overnight as we sleep. Only two phone chargers being used from 10pm until about 9am.
I will check what my current charger is rated, not wanting to go much higher as Amperage rating of current loom is unknown.
From what you say charger should be about 25% of battery Amp hour capacity.
 
Looked at the IP22, I assume the high mode, 14.7V, would be for AGM batteries.
Blerb says the 15A is good to a 150AH battery. As space is awkward and restricted I would max out with a 130AH.
Which would be ok for few days of light use before needing to hook up. And solar will help with charging too.
 
Looked at the IP22, I assume the high mode, 14.7V, would be for AGM batteries.
Blerb says the 15A is good to a 150AH battery. As space is awkward and restricted I would max out with a 130AH.
Which would be ok for few days of light use before needing to hook up. And solar will help with charging too.
You have the preset modes for ease of use, but you also have the ability via the Victron smart app to set ANY voltages you like, upto around 18V (which actually can be useful for some battery renovation). This is why it is such a handy charger - it will suit the charging parameters of literally any 12V battery you could buy.
It also works as a power supply. So for example, if you have a 12V compressor you would typically have connect it to a battery to use it, but you could just connect to the charger set in Power Supply mode instead.
And ..... A little bonus... If you have a battery that is really dead and at super low voltage, a lot of chargers will not work on at as they need a minimum voltage of around 9V or so. The Victron I have used on a battery where the meter reported it being about 4V.
 
Called into storage to check on van. It has a nordelettronica 143-s. Rated 14.4V 200W, which means 13A. The charger fuse by the battery + terminal is rated 20A.
So I would be happy connecting the 15A, but 20A might be upper limits of wiring loom.
 
Called into storage to check on van. It has a nordelettronica 143-s. Rated 14.4V 200W, which means 13A. The charger fuse by the battery + terminal is rated 20A.
So I would be happy connecting the 15A, but 20A might be upper limits of wiring loom.
I think 14.7 is the voltage, 14.4 is for lead acid batts
 
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Probably why it is not AGM compatible needs to be 14.7VIMG_20211103_203134.jpg
 
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