Car batteries
There are many different types of car battery available today, including wet cell, calcium and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) . Each needs to be maintained in a slightly different way, but all of them can be charged and maintained with a CTEK 24V or 12V battery charger.
For car batteries, a 12V battery charger such as the MXS 5.0 will charge and condition the battery through a series of stages. First it removes the sulphur from the internal plates, then breaks it down and mixes it back into the acid solution to give the battery a new lease of life. For trucks and other larger vehicles, CTEK’s 24V battery chargers will perform the same task.
Wet cell, calcium and AGM are all different versions of the lead-acid battery, and have their own advantages, disadvantages and maintenance requirements.
Wet cell car batteries, or flooded batteries as they’re also known, still dominate a large part of the car battery market. The first wet cells were typically fragile glass containers with lead rods hanging from an open top. Now, developments in manufacturing techniques and safety have seen the wet cell progress to an affordable, reliable and – if recharged and maintained correctly – long lasting vehicle battery.
Calcium batteries are also a big part of the battery market and have the same generic make up of wet cell batteries, except both the positive and negative plates are replaced by calcium alloy. This means that fluid loss is about 80% lower than a normal wet cell battery and the self discharge rate is also considerably lower, so there are huge advantages to these units.
AGM – or ‘dry’ batteries – are the latest step in the evolution of lead-acid batteries. Instead of using water or a gel, an AGM uses a fibreglass separator to hold the electrolyte in place.
Gel batteries use a gelified acid. Gel batteries can withstand deep discharging and are generally used in vehicles with demanding electrical equipment, electric wheelchairs and on boats.
All of these batteries use different technologies to suit the different needs of the vehicle. But they all have one thing in common – they need to be carefully maintained to ensure they always provide the energy needed. None of them are free from self discharge so they’ll all require a charge at some point and a CTEK 24V or 12V battery charger will see to that.
Unlike many battery chargers on the market, a CTEK 24V or 12V battery charger will react only to a battery’s specific needs, so every CTEK charger will charge, condition and prolong the life of all types of car battery.