original battery charger and it seems to be cooking the batteries

[Lunatica]

Having to add 3 to 7 gallons of water every 2 weeks to the two 32v battery bank. I have the original battery charger and it seems to always be cooking the batteries. When I’ m in the vessel I turn off the charger but noticed the lights starts to dim after 3 to 4 hrs.

It seems that the port side batteries are always fully charged and are hot, the other side warm and not fully charged.

Minor charger component changes, I did change the capacitors and the control board a few months ago but I’m still having issues with boiling. I had to install new batteries as well, but I seem to have the same issues.

Should I change this legacy charger and any recommendations on what to change it for? Is there a way I could calibrate my unit to perform better and hold on for a season. I am in the process of changing the heads at the moment fairly pricey project and would like to hold on for this season.

Price of a new unit is $2,100? .


Recommendations and ideas will be appreciated.

[MikeP]

It's pretty common with these old Ferro chargers to put them on a timer so that when the boat's at the dock on shore power it charges for maybe 4-5 hours/day. That will reduce the water usage. We did that on our 53MY years ago and it dropped the total batt water usage to about two gallons every other month.

Another thing you should check if you haven't already, is the condition of each battery cell. If you have one bad cell in one battery in one of the banks, it will cause overcharging of all the batteries in that bank and excessive water usage, eventually destroying the other batts.

A modern smart charger is a great improvement. I don't know who (if anybody) makes a modern stand-alone smart chargers for 32V systems. We replaced our LaMarche Ferro charger some years back with an Outback Inverter/Charger and it does a superb job but does not have connections/capability of charging separate battery banks.

One thing to remember is that if any batt has a bad/dead cell, it doesn't matter how smart the charger is, it will still overcharge the rest of the cells/batts in that bank.

[GJH]

It would help to know what charger you have. The Sentry chargers (and it sounds like that is what you might have), for instance, are field serviceable and can be recalibrated. I had this same issue as you and it was simpler to pay about $300 for a new control board than all the time involved in trying to recalibrate, I kept the old board as a spare. You shouldn't be having any boiling problems so it sounds to me like you should have a tech look at it. Most CruiseAir factory authorized techs are also Sentry trained. In the approximately two years since my doing so, the two banks have consumed very little water, maybe a gallon combined (?) and pass hydrometer tests with flying colors. I now check the water every couple of months rather than very two weeks.

Have you checked to see if you have something drawing these down heavily?

[SKYCHENEY]

I see this same charger complaint every few weeks or so on this site. As stated, if you want to eliminate the problems, get a smart charger. Here is one:

http://www.wmjmarine.com/bcd1000-250-32.html

Or spring for the inverter/charger:

http://www.wmjmarine.com/vfx3232m.html


If you do, you won't regret it. Very little watering of batteries. Just sit back and enjoy!

[GJH]

Personally, knowing what I know now, I would have regretted spending $1400 extra. I was all ready to float test my Sentry (after bad mouthing it a few times here) and put in a NewMar or Analytic, until Steve Pooler and then his local equivalent set me straight. In my opinion, the OP should find out what the root cause of the problem is first.

[SKYCHENEY]

Personally, knowing what I know now, I would have regretted spending $1400 extra. I was all ready to float test my Sentry (after bad mouthing it a few times here) and put in a NewMar or Analytic, until Steve Pooler and then his local equivalent set me straight. In my opinion, the OP should find out what the root cause of the problem is first.

I completely disagree. $1400 is not that much when compared to the price of premature battery failure. The new chargers also have an equalize function to extend battery life even further. Out with the old and in with the new!

I don't think I've heard anyone that has purchased a smart charger say that they wish they had their old one back.

[holtcl]

I'm going through this issue now with Cinderella. Cooked the entire stbd battery bank inside the span on one month, and I check the water religiously every month. As Mike P said, the root cause may have been a bad cell. Rather than throwing good money after bad, I am waiting to install a new smart charger as I still have the original Sentry, then will replace the stbd bank, then the port probably will need replacement shortly after. My electrical person indicated the charger was working ok, but it's been on my wish list and I think it is a good time to upgrade/update.

Waiting now for a recommendation from my electrical person on a charger, I think he's identified one but I'm not going to pester him on July 4th week. Will pick back up next week... it's always something.

Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY

[Angela]

The 32v. Analytic charger with remote, with shipping, can be had for $1,032. I recently bought one, but do not yet have it installed. Ed will be here next month, so maybe he can do it then.

I’m with Sky on this one - out with the old; in with the new. I’ve had my share of battery cooking already.

[bobk]

Analytic is a new name to me. How long have they been around? Good history?

Bobk

[Boatnut]

I started to look into Analytic chargers for marine use, and got side tracked on another project. I am going to try and give them a call. My main concern is are they isolated for marine use. I have a feeling they are, but it's good to be sure.

Being that the subject charger is quite old, in with the new out with they old is a pretty good idea, based on the technical improvements in todays state of the art units.