Battery charging.

[snapseller]

Is it safe to trickle charge the battery while it is situ, i.e. & connected to the car?

I have done this previously, but with cars not so electronic as the Citigo, & I don't want to blow some vital bit electronic gear.

Thanks in advance for any helpful, not too technical, suggestions.

[rum4mo]

Yes, as long as you buy/use a modern charger suitable for that type of use.

 

I tend to use CTEK smart charger/maintenance unit, but I've also used a newish "RAC" branded, ie Argos special charger that automatically drops back to trickle charging after the bulk charging has raised the battery voltage up to the correct level.

 

I think that I've moved on to less discerning users any older crude chargers, maybe kept one for quickly charging a DIYer booster pack/portable 12V DC thing.

[snapseller]

Thanks. It is rather as I thought. My old 'crude' charger is best consigned to the 'it may come in useful sometime' box.

Do you have details of the ones you have experienced? Thanks.

[rum4mo]

I'd think that if you go out nowadays and buy a car battery charger, if you buy via Halfords, ECP etc and pay £50+ then you will be buying a smart charger, although some cheaper ones will be safe to use in the way you intend, but only if you have been able to work that out from the description etc.

 

CTEK chargers all cost a bit of money but it can be money well spent - check up on the CTEK site for the model that suits your car(s) if you want to try a CTEK charger, they tend to be grouped in battery capacity and probably not Stop/Start or Stop/Start and will include EFB and AGM versions of batteries. As these CTEK chargers should keep working for many years, maybe try to work out what your next car will need as well.

 

Edit:- the trouble is, while I have used the RAC charger that Argos sell for £55 while the battery has still be connected to at least 2 cars on many occasions, the wording in the Qs and As for that item does say to disconnect the battery from the car - maybe covering their backs in case a silly user does not use it correctly.  Spending almost £15 more would get you a CTEK charger from Halfords that does confirm that the car can be left connected to the battery being charged.

Edited 10 December, 2018 by rum4mo

[Snaefell]

I believe one of the reasons the manufacturer suggests disconnecting (the earth lead) from the car prior to charging, is to prevent the driver from driving off with the charger still connected.

 

From a safety angle, I'd recommend disconnection prior to charging.  It's so easy to damage the vehicles delicate electronics. 

 

Same goes for jump starting.  Most manufacturers suggest charging the battery remotely instead of via an independent 'boost' pack.  Connect the terminals up the wrong way around and say an expensive goodbye to the alternator diodes.

 

[Gerrycan]

Wouldn't disconnecting the battery  result in reset of certain electronic items? Infotainment, DSG 'learnt driver characteristics'?

[Emil]

Just connect negative cable anywhere else than battery negative terminal and you will be fine. Cylinder head for example. This way car get the information that it's been charged by battery charger. 

[Breezy_Pete]

10 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

Wouldn't disconnecting the battery  result in reset of certain electronic items? Infotainment, DSG 'learnt driver characteristics'?

 

Doubt it. Non-volatile memory tends to be widely used for anything significant. Disconnecting battery tends to only lose stuff like one-touch window operation.