Blue Smart IP65 Charger 12/15(1) 230V UK

My off grid Solar Panel setup has two 100ah LifePO4 Batteries with built in Battery Management Systems (BMS). The BMS protects the batteries, including the battery temperature, overcharging or the voltage falling too low/undercharging (Under Voltage Protection UVP). The problem is that when the voltage falls below the trigger level, the BMS UVP steps in and cuts off the battery voltage and from then on, the battery voltage reads as zero and most Battery Chargers that are 'supposedly' suitable for LifePO4 Batteries, will not recognise this scenario/state and as such, will not charge the battery, no matter how long you leave it connected. However, when the Victron Energy Blue Smart Charger is connected to the battery, it initially carries out a test and if there is no voltage, it will automatically reset the BMS UVP and start the charging process. For this reason alone, this battery charger is worth paying more for. This Victron Charger oozes quality, it is well designed and constructed and is simple enough to use straight out of the box. You just need to select the battery type and leave it to it. Once connected it carries out a quick battery test and within a minute, it is pumping up to 15 amps into the battery (if required). The Victron App is very useful in that you can view the charging process from a short distance and alter settings, but BE AWARE that you do need to be quite close to the Charger, i.e., you can't check it from a different location. It will reach from my house to the wooden garage but no further. An Added Bonus with this Charger, is that it can also be used as an adjustable Power Supply which is really useful for my Solar Panel setup (shown above), in that I can leave the Charger connected (in Power Supply mode) to my batteries whilst being plugged into the Grid Mains, and if the Batteries voltage drops below a pre-set voltage, say 12.90 volts, the Victron will step in and start supplying power but will then stop supplying once the batteries voltage is above 12.90 volts. To conclude, no major issues to date but I will edit this review if necessary. It works really well and I have no hesitation in Highly Recommending this upmarket charger.

It comes with a UK plug and not the standard European plug. That came as a surprise and it should have been mentioned; if it was I didn't see it. Anyway, I bought an adapter from UK to EU and that did the trick. The IP65 is very sturdy and I'm sure that it will function properly when I need it. However, at this time my problem now is getting the App on my Samsung to communicate with the IP65 which it doesn't recognize. I suppose my old phone and myself are part of the problem but it is disappointing not to have things fall smoothly into place without having to struggle to get a proper connection. In time I'm sure that it'll work out - otherwise I'll have to write another review.

Attention, bien que ça ne soit pas indiqué à aucun endroit dans la description, le produit livré est la version avec la prise UK! Aucun problème si vous avez un adaptateur, mais dans le cas contraire, il faudra vous en procurer un. Ca n'est pas normal que ça ne soit pas précisé dans le descriptif du produit.

Like everything Victron that I have bought it works perfectly without issues. It charges without overcharging the battery, can monitor within its blutooth range. And runs cool to the touch. It maintains battery voltage below the gassing rate after charging which is essentially as most batteries can’t be topped up with distilled water.

Victron are one of THE top rated brands in solar chargers. I was going to buy the Ctek 6Amp charger, after my noco failed (3 months after warranty). Having seen a huge quantity of "refurb/repaired" Ctek's/Noco's on 'the' auction site, I started to search for an alternative. My Cteck XS0.8 still works after 3+ years, but it's job is for trickle maintenance. I needed something for a stop/start car that can charge a lot faster. The Victron can do 4amps or 15amps and they have a great reputation. The build quality is great and the weight tells you that it will not stress out with that 15amp ability. It has the option to use custom settings within the smart-app, and it can also do dead charging - along with supply mode if you need to replace the battery but maintain power to the vehicle for memory retention, you also have the added advantage of charge history, very useful in the long run as it can give you an idea on the condition of the battery over time. You get what you pay for - well worth paying for this.