Battery Chargers

[voltzwgn]

I'm getting ready to purchase a battery charger (A/C plug in) and see there's a number of brands out there. My setup is I'm running a 24v 75lb. thrust Motoguide. So I have two 12v batteries there and then a 12v house battery for everything else. So I need a charger capable of doing three batteries at once, which is not a problem. My real question is that I see a number of brands out there Motoguide, MinnKota, Guest, NoCo and others. Anyone have experience and can recomend a good one or one to stay away from? I'm going to build some mockups of batteries and start working on placement any suggestions on how best to construct battery racks? Or method of creating the attachment point to the hull?

thanks,

[RobertB]

I bought the Proffesional Mariner ProTech 1230i - mounted it below the galley table. It independantly monitors the condition of three batteries. I have it wired thru a GFI as a shore power setup.
I decided on this one because it appeared to be one of the more advanced units out there and affordable.
West Marine sells the 1240i (40 amp, i is for the monitoring feature) but I found the 30 amp version elsewhere for a whole lot less.

[Divecoz]

Battery Choices are all over the board .. i.e. Choices that is.. Lead Acid, AGM, Gell...
I am changing boat the batteries to AGM.. I already did the motorcycle. Yep a few dollars more but they are proven to take a severe beating and keep on ticking.. I am Sick And Tired Of Replacing Cheapo Batteries.. Yep I am one of THOSE..... who every so often, rare but happens .. I leave a battery on or lights on etc etc You get the picture.... That Cheap Lead Acid is SHOT! Pay me now or pay me later YOUR choice.. Pay me later For Me? Was always a PITA! I want it to work NOW not after I go and get a new battery or batteries.. I want to just charge the dang thing enough to start and Goooooooooo
I am Done With cheapo batteries and IN FACT Cheap everything.. I have been for awhile buying Good even Dang Good and having less to fewer to NO ISSUES anymore..
I as well have The Marine Protech Onboard 3 - battery - charger.. Check around for prices .. West Marine, Defender, Cabela's.. no doubt others.. who sell them . GO! Read ! About Protech charges so you have an idea what you want.. I wanted the ability to charge any battery made .. Marine Protech will do just that..

[windypatrick]

I went to AGM for several reasons. 1.) they will function when wet and. 2.) they don't significantly off-gas. For those reasons I could 3.) leave the batteries where they were originally, at the foot of the aft berth. If lead acid I would have felt it necessary to move them ("Yes Dear, there is a sloshing box of sulfuric acid at your feet, don't let the smell bother you!" ). I chose to go two batteries only, it occurred to me that with careful power budget planning (LED lights, yadda yadda....), one house battery would be adequate for my current draw needs. I went Optima red-top (high demand loading but low draw down) for the engine and Blue-top for house (slow but deep discharge) and bought a spendy two battery charger.

Something I learned in case you weren't already aware. AGMs are charger sensitive and require an intelligent charger or you will shorten their life. You will need a diode splitter from the engine alternator to use engine charging. Apparently it will be unevenly distributed if you connect them in parallel to the alternator. I haven't installed the diode gizmo yet so I am only charging the red top currently, and I shore power maintain the other. I will install one before I do longer outings.

I hope this is useful

[PlanetExpress]

Hey There,

Our setup sounds similar.

I use this one:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... ?locale=en

I I mounted it to the inside wall under the long bench beside the galley, then ran 2 sets of wire to two batteries under the forward seat at the table and the other connection to the starting battery in its original spot under the radio. It works great and it can be programmed for any type of battery, also, you can use three different types of battery at the same time.

Aaron

[Boblee]

These have been top of the pile for a few years here now and the price is down to half what it was, when travelling I feed 12v from the tow truck into an inverter and charge the boat batteries from the 25 amp model which means the batteries are getting the full charge while travelling but switch over when on mains power.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CTEK-MXS25-2 ... 19d5ab2a2d
You will probably find them over there too I would imagine

[bartmac]

We run a 12v to 12v charger to charge our Mac and camper...takes 9-15 volts and depending on settings will charge AGM,gel etc etc.Fitted near the batteries to be charged any voltage loss in the supply wiring then doesn't matter as long as the amperage (20 amp) is taken care of....various ones available on Ebay...quite expensive but then so are batteries.We have voltmeters for both the tow vehicle and battery bank to be charged to keep an eye on things...we can see our fridge cycling ie voltage drops while it runs. All our refridgeration is 12v hence the importance of a good supply....and my CPAP machine.The only problem I can see is a possible conflict with solar panels on the same system ie both the solar reg and the staged charger reading the battery voltage

[yukonbob]

I bought the Proffesional Mariner ProTech 1230i - mounted it below the galley table. It independantly monitors the condition of three batteries. I have it wired thru a GFI as a shore power setup.
I decided on this one because it appeared to be one of the more advanced units out there and affordable.
West Marine sells the 1240i (40 amp, i is for the monitoring feature) but I found the 30 amp version elsewhere for a whole lot less.

Battery Choices are all over the board .. i.e. Choices that is.. Lead Acid, AGM, Gell...
I am changing boat the batteries to AGM.. I already did the motorcycle. Yep a few dollars more but they are proven to take a severe beating and keep on ticking.. I am Sick And Tired Of Replacing Cheapo Batteries.. Yep I am one of THOSE..... who every so often, rare but happens .. I leave a battery on or lights on etc etc You get the picture.... That Cheap Lead Acid is SHOT! Pay me now or pay me later YOUR choice.. Pay me later For Me? Was always a PITA! I want it to work NOW not after I go and get a new battery or batteries.. I want to just charge the dang thing enough to start and Goooooooooo
I am Done With cheapo batteries and IN FACT Cheap everything.. I have been for awhile buying Good even Dang Good and having less to fewer to NO ISSUES anymore..
I as well have The Marine Protech Onboard 3 - battery - charger.. Check around for prices .. West Marine, Defender, Cabela's.. no doubt others.. who sell them . GO! Read ! About Protech charges so you have an idea what you want.. I wanted the ability to charge any battery made .. Marine Protech will do just that..

I second both these. I have two blue top optima and have had them down well below what any normal LA battery would take and they bounce right back. I also have a Pro mariner Prosport 20 plus combined with a Blue Seas auto combiner/discharger. The pro will fully distribute 20 amps to any one of three batteries or split it up to which battery needs it more/less. The Blue Seas auto-combiner automatically combines both batteries when charging and separates for discharge so the house will not drain the starter. Have it and love it! The only battery maintenance I have is taking them out for the winter so they don't freeze solid.

[Boblee]

Yeah Bartmac seen them but by using the 240v one it's just a matter of plugging the 240v into the back of the boat and switching over from battery to mains on the switchboard and then if I want to charge the truck batteries or someone elses easy but a bit more mucking around also have heaps of batteries here when not travelling I don't think the charger has been off for three months.
The Ctek's have 8 charge settings including a recondition and will work on any battery were $700 aus but really cheap now, that particular one on ebay is a bit more expensive because it has MARINE in the specs but it's also weatherproof.
Still have my original battery in the boat it makes a difference if you can keep them charged.
As for solar I feed solar, motor, vehicle , charger, or 12v generator together into 3 batteries might not be supposed to but works and have had no problems for 12 years doing it.
We had a 70l evercool which does take a fair bit of power especially in the tropics freezing fish down to -18c so you need plenty of power at times when the sun doesn't shine but the solar (120w) will handle it with about an hours running if the sun works found we can freeze two 80mm barra a day sadly the old evercool passed away but won a little 40l engel which I will sell or swap for something better.

[robbarnes1965]

I recently had to change a burned charger. I now have a Genius charger that works well. I also have made many mistakes with battery charging over the last few years.

In doing the research for the new charger I did come across one reason my batteries have been under performing and another one needs to be changed. I have always left my waeco fridge on while plugged in at the dock. It seems that this is not a good idea as it runs off the batteries. When charging, it creates a drain which seems to chronically under charge the house battery and thereby eventually rendering it useless. I am looking for a 12v adapter (has to be at least 7amps) that will allow me to plug the fridge into the AC when at the dock. If you are running anything off the battery continually while charging you are probably having a similar issue.

As for winter storage, I have a very small solar panel attached to each battery over the tarp. They really keep the batteries fresh and from freezing. We get temps in the minus 30's Celsius occasionally during the winter and I have not had a problem.

[bartmac]

The need for shore power or 110/240V has never been in the forefront of our minds when designing our electrical system.Everything on board including laptop which doubles as a TV and DVD & music runs on 12V and don't even have an inverter.I guess all this stems from the electrical design of our camper which also does not have anything but 12V.....probably because low voltage can be DIY...no need for a certificate or expensive pro to install.A few years ago when camping in a caravan park near the beach I realised whilst I live where the nearest neigbour is 500 metres away and out of sight...when I went on holidays the park where we traditionally stayed for our annual holidays was sooooo densily populated which was not really what I wanted....so when the kids grew up and left home....well we haven't stayed in any caravan park again and really like getting away.........long story but our Mac is to be used the same way....getting away and no need for anything but 12V.Once gone from home we don't really expect to be anywhere near shore power or the like so the system has to work ...on solar panels and until I blew our charge circuit the outboard
When reading the challenges of a cold climate...well thats another kettle of fish....the only time I have seem -30 is in our local icecream factory and thier blast freezer....good luck with that
One thing though doesn't matter where you are ...the art of getting the battery and charging system right especially if you want to rely on it for prolonged periods is expensive and if short cust are taken it will bite you in the bum....either it won't work or it will cost OR both

[Boblee]

robbarnes1965
The only reason I can see why having your fridge running would cause your batteries to stay undercharged enough to cause a problem is that either the fridge is faulty and runs continuosly or the charger is too small to pick the battery up between cut ins.
Our fridge is used as a cooler for some of our trip but as we go further north (tropics) it will run a bit more but once we start using it as a frezer/fridge and pulling the main compartment down to -18c it will run from 20mins an hour at night to 40mins an hour during the day when it could be close to 50c inside the boat on land but lower when on water, when actually freezing fresh or warm fish it runs almost fulltime drawing 4.2 amps.
With the freezer running at -18c during the day without fresh fish in the tropics the solar panels regularly will get the batteries to float charge but if cooling warm fish down we will need to run the boat motor for about an hour to bulk charge in the mornings or run the Christie 50 amp dc generator for an hour to give the panels a headstart.
Bartmac
Yes everybody does things different and there is no right way or wrong way in your setup or mine, it really gets under my skin when someone says you should do something the way they do it when they are in reality trying to acheive two different results, eg the bus nomads stick their noses in the air when someone in a tent camper talks to them but each method of travelling and camping is better in different ways.
Exactly the same with boats yes a cruising keel boat is better for cruising but not racing and neither can go they go where we can go as quick if they want go from Sydney to Cooktown in bad weather it will take the a lot longer and be far less comfortable than us, just like the bus or winnebago owners in your state wanting to go eg from Marble Bar to Mt Tom Price they have to go back to Port Hedland then down to Karratha then out if the road is not wet but a camper trailer or tent can go across country and see much more at a leisurely pace even if the road is a bit off.
Re all 12v rarely do we use a caravan park when travelling but occasionally eg Darwin it is just not safe to leave anything outside so we stay at Robbie Robins Reserve which is next door to the gaol (jail ) as it is the only place we know of that caters to long rigs we don't actually use power there but do run the genny, Mt Isa is another place it is unsafe to stay out but we do use the power there as generators aren't allowed.
Also when camping on water we could be stationary for days or a week if the fishing is good so must use the genny because we only use the dinghy for fishing and exploring or as they call it here gunkholing due to tides and shallows.

[yukonbob]

lol fridges! I find the idea hilarious! Where do you fit a fridge on a Mac if you don't mind the asking. Its only funny cause we usually don't even put ice in the cooler except for June July and August (or sea ice on longer trips). After that it stays plenty cold! and the beer goes in the cockpit for the night and stays cold all day!

[Divecoz]

I had my fridge on the "seat" across from the head on my .. It was a 110 V. Ac. Unit.. Now that we will be in Florida Full Time.. I will look at other options as the need arises.. We wont need that 110 V fridge any more.. The trip to my new slip is about a 3 minutes walk from the pool at worst..
Then another 10 to 15 minutes of Open water .. Even better.. I like sailing in warm weather.. I gave away all my ski gear and cold water dive gear.. Never again for me.. I'll take those warm balmy breezes..I'll take Sailing in a T Shirt Shorts and flip-flops over Sea boots and Hooded Gloved Foul-Weather Gear, any day of the week..

[yukonbob]

For sure! Nothings better than barefoot on the boat for sure (only a handful of times up here). How fast do those things drain the batteries though? Bigger bat bank too I'd imagine? Guess theres not too much salt ice available down there. That stuff lasts for weeks even in a cheapo cooler. My Mac will never see a warm climate…thats for the bigger boat; sell everything and take to the seas lol