Reddit reviews CTEK 40-186 D250SA 5-Step, Automatic DUAL 12 V 20 A Battery Charger
We found 8 Reddit comments about CTEK 40-186 D250SA 5-Step, Automatic DUAL 12 V 20 A Battery Charger. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Automatically selects best and most efficient source of up to 2 that are connected to the charger for charging batteryFully automatic 5 step charger adjusts the charging voltage and current according to the state of charge and temperature of batteryGreat for "off the grid" applications with its multi-step charging from alternators and solar panelsCan be connected directly to solar panels without the need for a regulatorAmbient temperature: -20˚C to +50˚C (- 4°F to +122°F)
In short... yes. Unless you want to replace the battery in a year or so.
A CTEK DS250 (https://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-677-Automatic-Battery-Charger/dp/B005LBCVL4) is designed to charge the Dual-battery set up properly. I really don't know of many others that do the same thing. There's also the "Smart pass" from CTEK that combine the solar charging into the mix as well. I think it'll also charge your start batt when the house is done also.
You're most welcome! I bought the following:
4x100W Panels
Panel Mounting
Solar Panel Connectors
Tool Crimper
Assembly Tool
Panel Connectors
Power Information
CTEK Charger
CTEK SmartPass
200ah AMG Battery
Fuse Block
300W Pure Sine Wave Inverter
LED Strip
Dometic 35 Fridge
I bought all these items with research into my solar needs and following the advice from here in the vandwelling subreddit and also information I gathered from Amazon. I am probably doing a bit of overkill on my solar setup but I thankfully have the money to do it and don't want to mess with adding anything later.
I will have to do research myself on how to combine the four panels into the battery but that will be a few weeks away so I haven't done much in that area. I do plan to buy 10GA wire from Lowes and use the crimping tool and connectors to form my own wiring harness so it will be clean looking. \
EDIT: Adding info.
This device charges your house battery from solar panel(s) and alternator
https://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-677-Automatic-Battery-Charger/dp/B005LBCVL4
I'm doing exactly this, and I've decided on these two devices...
CTEK D250S
This can server as your alternator to Battery bank charger, as well as your MPPT controller for Solar, its basically a two in one product for the isolator and solar charge controller. /u/brutimus also uses this, and when I asked them the other day, they said they liked it and its working well.
AIMS 1000W Inverter-Charger
This inverter is a beast. It works as a AC to DC 3-stage smart charger, 1000W inverter, AC-passthrough (so that when you are hooked up to AC, you can just use it like normal without draining battery), and has lots of other nice features. There is one feature where if you are out away from an AC hookup and have a generator, once your batteries are drained, it can send a signal to the generator to turn on, keeping your power going, but only after your batteries have been depleted.
You still have to pay close attention to the battery use. If you run down the second battery and don't get it charged right away then it soon needs replacement. Now that I have added a fridge I got a low voltage disconnect
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EQRL22C/
With two batteries you need either a fat short low resistance wire or a DC-DC charger like this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005LBCVL4/
Buy this, it's what you neeed. Get solar panels, 2 batteries, and this.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LBCVL4/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Lost a huge reply so I'll just say this:
I have this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LBCVL4/
Downsides: expensive, 20A charging limit
Upsides: MPPT controller, smart charging, can add on the SMARTPASS for 80A more of charging
Panel I got on sale:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BMNGVV3/
If you want the cheap option, search the sub for isolator. I don't recommend them since they don't charge batteries properly.
We're getting ready to install some/most of our electrical setup. The plan is to charge the house battery via shore and alternator, with the option to add solar in the future. Are these essentially the only charging components I would need? Does the Ctek replace the charge controller? I just found out about it recently.
Samlex Smart Charger (Shore Power)
Ctek D250SA (Alternator/Solar)