Battery chargers...

[Jeff80]

Ive done a search and found a little bit about battery chargers, but I just wanted to know what the best type to get are?

I dont use my cruiser that often and the batteries go flat. Now, I currently run 3 batteries, 1 D/C and 2 cranking but will probably change over to 2 D/C and 1 cranking. (not doing the amount of night drives with heavy winching anymore-mainly just weekends away) These will all be bought new and I will need a charger to hook up to 240v and leave on my batteries in the car at home while it is sitting there and forget about it.
So, with that said, AFAIK I will need a 3 stage charger? (boost charge, trickle charge and float charge?)

Is float charge the specific thing I will need to keep my batteries good - ie charge fully, then take a little out then charge again?

Will want to spend no more than $300 and would be happy with about 10amps.

Any help would be appreciated as I dont want to buy a super crap auto chinese 3amp charger and have it last a few months and potentially kill 3 new batteries.

[-Scott-]

If all you want to do is maintain batteries between drives, a float charger will probably suffice.

The fancy multi-stage chargers are great or batteries which are regularly discharged/recharged, where you want fast recharge time without damaging the batteries.

If you return home with all your batteries essentially charged, and you're only keeping them topped up, you may never use the faster rate modes of a fancy charger.

If you do weekenders, and deeply discharge your auxiliary batteries before a relatively short drive home (<4 or 5 hours), your aux batteries are possibly not being fully recharged. This is where the better multi-stage chargers are most useful.

If you want the multi-stage charger, you should look for one with a current limited "fast" mode and a voltage regulated float mode.

"Trickle chargers" are typically nothing more than a simple unregulated voltage source which will push trickle current through a battery for as long as it's left connected. They're cheap and nasty, designed to put enough charge back into a flat battery to allow the engine to be started. They are not designed to maintain batteries in the way you describe, and the cheap ones will kill a new battery very easily.

Good luck,

Scott

[Jeff80]

Thanks for your detailed response Scott. Makes alot of sense and I figure if Im going to buy one I may as well have a good one. Anyone in the industry or use them at work. Any brands better than others or does anyone know of any that are crap?