Your generator is useless if it doesn’t start. Small though it is, the generator’s battery charger is one of its most critical components. It’s the inexpensive and often-ignored widget that makes sure tens of thousands of pounds worth of generating capacity works as specified. Battery chargers are the tiny cogs that keeps your business operating.

IPU battery chargers suit a variety of environments. Our expert assistance makes sure you get the perfect fit

At their most basic, battery chargers are permanently connected to your generator’s battery, trickle charging it to ensure the generator starts when required.
IPU supplies two ranges of generator battery chargers to suit different environments. We can help you select the correct one. You can either

• download and use the product selector; or
• use the questions on this page to guide your choice; or
• phone our expert team who will talk you through the selection process: +44 (0)121 511 0420

Which battery charger is right for your generator?

The following questions should help you decide which charger you need:

• Do you need 12V or 24V output or both? Your battery determines this. If you’re buying for mobile field engineers you may need chargers that would suit both battery types.
• How will you mount the battery charger? If you may want to mount it on a DIN-rail, bolt it to a panel or leave it loose.
• How fast do you need your batteries charged? Generator batteries can be charged slowly in most cases. This is safer for the battery and lets you buy a less expensive charger with a lower output current (measured in Amps). Higher output devices charge the battery faster.
• Do you need to charge ‘exotic’ battery types? If you always use standard lead-acid batteries you have a wide choice of chargers. If you want to charge VRLA, AGM, gel or NiCad batteries you need a charger from the ComAp range.
• How expert are your fitters? If there’s a chance they’ll connect the charger the wrong way round (you may laugh but it happens) you need a ComAp battery charger with reverse connection protection.
• Will you disconnect the charger before you start the generator? The answer is invariably “no” but we ask anyway! If the charger stays connected during start-up you need short-circuit protection.
• How often are your batteries and battery chargers checked? If they’re in a remote location or rarely inspected you need a charger with a fail alarm. This feeds an alert to your generator’s controller which relays it to your management systems.

The difference between generator battery chargers

We all have budgets and a battery charger might not seem like a top priority. If you can skimp on a battery charger and get a cheaper model, problem solved, right?

The principle is sound but you still need to make sure you buy the right sort of charger. In general, the higher the charging capacity (the current, Amps), the higher the cost. The fast chargers are the more expensive chargers.

The other factor that affects price is intelligence. Smarter chargers stress the battery less, extending its life. The price difference between ComAp controllers (which are towards the smart end of the scale) and Datakom (less so) is £10 to £20, a fraction of the cost of a new battery.

If you have a battery in an inaccessible location, low maintenance is especially important. You might want ComAp’s InteliCharger 500 for this site. Its microprocessor control means stresses the battery less than other chargers.

All IPU’s battery chargers include overload protection so they cut out when the battery is fully charged to reduce stress on the battery.

IPU’s service

IPU offers far more than simply sending you a box containing a new charger:

GM 800 LAN Gateway

The GM 800 SNMP unit converts the private ComAp communication protocol to a fully fledged SNMP network node. The unit can be interfaced by any standard SNMP master software to integrate gen-sets into a top-level supervision system allowing pre and post mortem (high resolution) analysis of plant and application failures. GM 800 is well suited for telecom applications to enable remote monitoring of gen-sets operated by ComAp controller units. The ComAp unit is connected by means of a standard RS232 port whereas the SNMP client is available on a standard LAN interface.

• We will make sure you get the right charger for you. We won’t just sell you what we have and hope it works.
• We understand the environments chargers are placed in. IPU’s Engine Control division has decades of experience working with all aspects of gen-sets and power-generation equipment. We can answer the follow-on questions that would baffle box-shifters.
• The money you save on a cheaper brand is tiny compared to the money you could lose replacing defective chargers.
• Powerful reports and service forecasts
• Maintenance and service logs
• Rent-out contract handling with customer login and alerting