FAO Rob_jax

[annierich]

Further to your reply about our problem leisure battery - we have now bought a CTEK battery charger. We talked to the dealer who sold us the caravan in an attempt to find out whether or not the battery was a sealed one - verdict it is a sealed 100AH battery. However the battery's magic eye is showing clear which suggests it needs charging. So we connected it and charged it up and within a very short space of time the charged green light and red maintenance lights were lit suggesting that the battery is now fully charged. But the magic eye remains clear. Any answers / suggestions please?

 

[rob_jax]

Annie,

Please check that you've set the CTEK to operate in sealed mode - not normal battery charging.

The difference is a few fractions of a volt, but that's all that is required to take the battery from approximately 80% to 100% charged.

Robert

 

[annierich]

Robert

WE can't see anywhere on the battery charger to switch to sealed mode. Thinking the battery might be charged we reconnected it to the van and engaged the motor mover - it moved on the flat and climbed up a levelling block but dropped like a stone to 8 on the readout. It recovered to 12.9 when the motor mover stopped moving. Do we have a dying battery?

 

[rob_jax]

Hi,

I assume you bought the CTEK XS3600 or one of the other XS model range of leisure battery chargers? These have a button that enables you to cycle through the various modes.

And you probably do have a dying battery.

Robert

 

[SteveW77]

The most likely reason that the magic eye remains clear,is that the electrolyte level has fallen below the end of the plastic rod, if it is a sealed battery, the only option is to replace it. If it can have distilled water added, do so and recharge.

Steve W

 

[PCVDave]

Just a point for Annie,

A ctek xs3600 is capable of charging to 75Ah and conditioning to 120Ah if you read the blurb . you may req the xs7000 to charge a 100Ah battery , ask rob jax.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Dave,

I don't believe the CTEK documentation - there shouldn't be a problem using a lower rated charger, other than they will take longer to reach the 100% charge point.

Robert

 

[annierich]

To all those who have helped with our battery problems - many thanks. We were sold a ctek xs3600 by our local caravan shop and were told that it would charge a sealed 110 AH battery. The user manual says its for batteries up to 120ah and for starter and deep cycle batteries but there is NOT a setting for sealed batteries. Have we bought the wrong battery charger and despite Rob_jax's very technical reply does anyone have a preference for sealed or unsealed batteries?

If anyone can help us on this we would be VERY grateful indeed.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Annie,

Yes there is - because I have a CTEK XS3600 too - the "mode" button has three settings:

Bike icon - special low current setting for the small capacity batteries fitted to bikes - ignore

Car icon - the normal charge mode for car batteries and non-sealed caravan batteries - you probably used this mode

Snowflake icon - the mode for AGM sealed batteries - and this could be the mode for your battery...

Robert

 

[annierich]

Thank you once again Rob_jax - someone needs to write the instruction manual more clearly!!!

 

[SteveW77]

To be honest there is very little advantage to a "Sealed battery"as it isn't actually sealed at all, It just means that you cannot access the cells to top up. A built in charger/power unit does not charge a battery to its maximum capacity, so should not boil off the electrolyte, but if charged on the wrong type of independent charger it can. As your battery shows a clear magic eye this has probably happened to yours in the past. With an unsealed battery you can replace the missing electrolyte, thereby extending its life.

Steve W