Battery conditioners and fixed wiring

[TomE]

From a search through old posts it looks like several owners are using battery conditioners. Having returned from three weeks holiday to a flat battery I'm going to get one and I'm interested to hear how you've wired them in.

As I understand it you need to connect either direct to the battery or plug into the 12V socket in the boot, as the 12V sockets in the front footwell and rear passenger space aren't suitable.

Have people disconnected the boot lights and just leave the boot open or has anyone come up with a neat routing to an external connection that allows the car to be closed, locked and alarmed whilst connected?

Recommendations on a conditioner also appreciated - looks like CTEK ones get a lot of mentions?

[Whitey]

Hi Tom - I use a CTEK into the 12v boot socket. Just route the wire so it goes over the squishy bit of the boot seal which has plenty of give in it when you close the boot. Simples

[Al]

I leave my car for 4 weeks at a time with my job and use a simple (Porsche - last car) trickle charger thing that goes into the boot 12V socket. Cable just trails over the corner of the boot near spoiler join up point no problem. Car cover easily goes over that as well.

Never been a problem apart from the time I forgot to switch the damn thing on as it was a stretch over car and not easily accessible.........

[Jbee]

I definitely recommend Optimate, it charges, conditions and reports on condition.

I have run them for years on my ride on mower and motor cycles, the batteries last years with them. Lots of connection options too.

Cheers John

[SIMONRP]

I leave my car for 4 weeks at a time with my job and use a simple (Porsche - last car) trickle charger thing that goes into the boot 12V socket. Cable just trails over the corner of the boot near spoiler join up point no problem. Car cover easily goes over that as well.

Never been a problem apart from the time I forgot to switch the damn thing on as it was a stretch over car and not easily accessible.........

This.

I use the Ctek into the boot socket.

Can I also make a suggestion that you place something on the drivers seat to prompt you to unplug the charger before driving off.........Doh! I now place the battery conditioner bag on the drivers seat!

[TomE]

Thanks for the advice. I'd assumed passing the cable over the boot edge would just result in two pieces of unconnected cable!

And great tip about the warning on the driver's seat - my garage sockets are on the passenger side so I'd very likely drive off and rip the sockets off the wall

[MPx]

I use 2x optimate; 1x Accumate; 1xAirflow. Would say the optimate is best but there's not much in it. Not tried a Ctek yet. Two of them have a hard wired section directly to the battery and the loose plug is easy to connect/disconnect as required. the other two use simple crock clips on to the battery terminals. Not sophisticated, but effective and means its easier to use those devices on more of the various batteries I have around. Definitely the right thing to do if use is sporadic...but I still only get 5-6 years out of a battery.

[TomE]

The battery is fiddly to get to in the Evora (and the handbook misses out a key step of how to get to it), so hard-wiring direct to the battery and having a connector stowed in the boot seems like a good idea.

The Elise was also troublesome after 2-3 weeks lack of use. I'm surprised given the potential "weekend toy" status that the batteries don't hold charge better. MrsE's Volvo started first time after 3 weeks of sitting in the drive. Perhaps another example of the Chapman philosophy of using the lightest component that will just scrape through doing the job

[SIMONRP]

This is what I've got and should be all you need for using the boot socket as a charging point. No need to access the battery.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-Multi-Functional-4-Stage-Battery-Charger/dp/B004TLF4PC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347435326&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ctek-CTE-56263-Cigarette-Lighter-Connector/dp/B0016LA5O8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347435326&sr=8-3

[chandrew]

I've got the Lotus one (I think it's an airflow) for the Elise and had wires connected to the battery with the other end available to plug in in the the boot. My car typically isn't driven for 7 months of the year and it's never failed to start (unlike the main car which the children leave the car doors open meaning the internal light drains the battery)