aldi charger

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Stephen saying something like:

Ttbomk, the Aldidl chargers (and others of their ilk costing more for the same charger in a different case) sit in a desulph mode for an indeterminate while, but it's nothing like the same effect a proper desulph unit would have. It's fine for keeping a battery in fairly good nick in fairly good nick, iyswim. I used a dedicated pulse desulphator on a couple of batteries I thought were fit only for the bin, and both recovered astonishingly well. Another couple were still shit, so you takes yer chances.

Regarding your other point about trickle charging - only do it for a half-hour per day via a timer [1] if you intend to leave the vehicle unattended and check the electrolyte level every couple of weeks. It's surprising how much can be lost. That's the main good point about the Aldidl units- they get to the fully charged state and keep it there, but without bubbling off the electrolyte.

[1] For years I used a current limiting resistor of an old headlamp filament in series with the battery - limits charge current nicely. Cheapskate solutions 'R Us.

Whereabouts are they? In the main store or in the tyre centre? I've not seen any batteries in our local costco but I've never been in its tyre centre. Is it only tyres in there as the name suggests, or are there other automotive goodies?

Thanks, Stephen.

I think you've gone one stage further and put the charger in the car. Is the spare wheel in the well too, or don't you use one any more?

The way I had read it, IIRC, the charger was kept out of the car and the connector in the bumper carried the DC from the charger to the battery. I suppose the advantage of this is that the unit is accessible for you to press the on/off switch. OTOH you then have a long lead carrying high current and so I think you would need a fat cable to overcome the losses I^2R and all that.

Thanks, Stephen.

Thanks for all the replies to this thread, I have learnt a lot. I shalln't spend lots of money on a *mate, I'll pick up the same unit in a different box for half the cost at aldidil. Are the *mate units manufactured abroad? If so, they really could be the same units in a different box. I naively thought that *mate made their own. TBH I think the desulphate cycle may be a bit of a gimmick; as others have said, once a battery gets that far, it doesn't always recover.

Thanks, Stephen.

Still have the spare wheel - but the well also contains the tools etc so has plenty space. It could also be mounted under the bonnet - but there's more space at the back of this car and it has easy access to battery volts.

My car lives outside, so the charger would need protecting from the rain. Before, by just dumping it under the bonnet and closing that. Which also protected the mains connection. So it was easier to fit it inside the car. And at that price you can buy a second one for other uses.

I'd be very surprised if anything like that was made other than in China, etc.

You might find a very expensive pro charger still made outside there.

they have moved batteries about over the years, but at present they are in the tyre bay.