Battery charger

[Pat C]

Has anyone used this battery charger from Canadian Tire?
Motomaster Nautilus Intelligent Battery Charger.
We have a Nautilus deep cycle battery and this battery charger was recommended.It seems to have very good consumer ratings...... Thanks,Pat.

[Raymond Brodeur]

Has anyone used this battery charger from Canadian Tire?
Motomaster Nautilus Intelligent Battery Charger.
We have a Nautilus deep cycle battery and this battery charger was recommended.It seems to have very good consumer ratings...... Thanks,Pat.

Yes. I bought one for last summer season. It has been connected to shore power for a long time at home without using any electical device, and it has maintained 13.2 volts without overcharging. I am totaly satisfied.

[Al V]

It looks just like a a re badged Schumacker charger. if it is a Schumacker then it is a great charger.

I just completed a little research Motomaster is made by Schumacker

[Loren G. Hedahl]

I have one of the Vector units. It charges max at about 10 amps, then drops to about 6, then to about 2 amps. The only thing I dislike is the internal fan. It is a bit noisy.

During storage, to keep the batteries up, I have a small solid state trickle charger I bought from Wal-Mart for about $20. It doesn't have a fan, so I'm more comfortable using it long term.

[Doug Mager]

The Trailer Goddess an I have been using a battery maintainer (Battery Tender) now for over a year. We have two, one is 'hard wired' into our hot-rod and the other on a shelf beside where we keep the trailer battery during off season. These things charge up to required amont, then shut off and come back on when they sense voltage has fallen (from standing idle). Relatively cheap (...read INexpensive) to buy, and very compact in size too.

[Joseph Domingos]

I installed a small trickle charger in my trailer shortly after I bought it. It did not have a charger at all when I got it, which I thought was odd. It was VERY inconvenient to have to pull the battery out of it's compartment and put it on the charger. So I rigged it into the trailer itself. I'd bet that it's the same one that Loren mentions above, cause I got it from Wal-Mart for about $20. It is a trickle style, puts out like 1.5 amps or something, and will 'float' so that it maintains the battery without cooking it once fully charged. I periodically pull my battery out to check its fluid and so far it has been perfect.

Joe

[Pat C]

Thanks for all the imput on my question about the Nautilus Battery charger.We purchased it on Sat.I am sure it will do a great job keeping our batter topped up over the winter.Have not hooked it up yet because I am a bit confused about one part of the connection instruction.It states that if you are charging the batter out of a vehicle,car, boat, rv, etc. that you must connect "a 24'' long 6 guage (AWG) insulated battery cable to the Neg.battery post .You then connect the Negative output clamp to the free end of that cable."....Stupid question but where do I purchase the 6 guage cable?I asked at Crapy Tire and they don't seem to know what I am talking about...Thanks,Pat.

[Pete Dumbleton]

That's a safety procedure to prevent a spark at the battery terminals that might start a battery explosion when connecting OR disconnecting -- If you make the connections very securely BEFORE plugging in the charger, you shouldn't have a spark.

BTW, some large, smart chargers are NOT self-starting; when they finish the charge cycle, they turn off and don't turn back on when the battery drops over time or load -- If the Nautilus is like that, then either run it monthly or get one of the inexpensive float/maintenance chargers for storage.

PS: If you wish, you can get the wire by the foot/meter at Home Despot, Lowers, etc., and some clamps for the end at Radio Shack.

[Doug Mager]

Pete!! Just fyi, Canada NO LONGER has Radio Shack!!

Replaced with "The Source".

....SAME 'high class' merchandice (??) WE have come to know and respect, LOL!!

[Pat C]

That's a safety procedure to prevent a spark at the battery terminals that might start a battery explosion when connecting OR disconnecting -- If you make the connections very securely BEFORE plugging in the charger, you shouldn't have a spark.

BTW, some large, smart chargers are NOT self-starting; when they finish the charge cycle, they turn off and don't turn back on when the battery drops over time or load -- If the Nautilus is like that, then either run it monthly or get one of the inexpensive float/maintenance chargers for storage.

PS: If you wish, you can get the wire by the foot/meter at Home Despot, Lowers, etc., and some clamps for the end at Radio Shack.

Hi Pete.
The Nautilus is a float maintence battery.It shuts off when the battery is charged and turns on to charge again when needed to return battery to full charge.Thanks for the info on where to get the wire and clamps.I think I will utilize them just to make sure.....Pat.

[Kent I]

I have this charger and used it this past summer. I have noticed that it charges the batteries quite quickly and I have found on occassion that it did not shut off automatically. It would show 85% charge and charging. After awhile I decided to unplug the charger and start it up again and it would show completely charged. I took it back and had it checked out and they did not see a problem. So what I do is plug it in first,not hooked to the battery and make sure that it is showing zero, unplug, hook to terminals, and then plug it in again. I follow the directions and it seems to be doing the trick. It is good to rememember the voltage of the fully charge battery as sometimes the display based on percentage is not on the mark.

[Wilder]

I've been using the CTEK battery charger on my motorcycles for years.

http://www.ctek.com/EN-US/Buy-US-Charger.aspx

I use the US 800 for the bikes, but am thinking of getting the MULTI US 7002 for the Scamp and permanently wiring it from the A/C outlet under the sink to the battery. Then whenever I'm plugged into shore power, the battery will be maintained. Any thoughts on this setup?

[Thelma & John]

but where do I purchase the 6 guage cable?I asked at Crapy Tire and they don't seem to know what I am talking about...Thanks,Pat.

You could go to auto wrecker and get a battery cable from there.

[brendadave]

I've been using the CTEK battery charger on my motorcycles for years.

http://www.ctek.com/EN-US/Buy-US-Charger.aspx

I use the US 800 for the bikes, but am thinking of getting the MULTI US 7002 for the Scamp and permanently wiring it from the A/C outlet under the sink to the battery. Then whenever I'm plugged into shore power, the battery will be maintained. Any thoughts on this setup?

I bought a CTEK Multi US 3300 last winter, it has worked great for me, keeps battery topped up without any worry, mounted it under the front bench. This one only works for batteries up to 90Ah, which is fine for my battery, and it works with AGM batteries which mine is.