Battery Charging Brands

[VMocco]

I've got a serious current draw problem on my engine battery banks and house banks. I've just replaced my two isolators (one from each alternator) with a 2 alt - 4 battery ProMariner Isolator. I've still got to locate where I'm drawing current and killing my batteries. But regardless, I need to get separate chargers for each starting battery. I have a Xantrex charger/inverter for my house bank, and it has an echo charge funtion other banks, but that doesnt do the trick. I used to have a Guest charger, but that thing went bad pretty quickly. Does anybody have good experience with a particular brand for engine starting battery charging? (charging 8Ds 1400 CCA)

[davidwigler]

Your starting batteries are 12 volt? What is your house bank? Has the whole boat been converted to 12 volt? More information is needed to help.

[VMocco]

Yes, 12 volt starting batteries and house bank is 12 volt as well. The charger would ideally provide a smart trickle charge to the starting batteries as I'm docked.

I'm really just looking for a recommendation of brands that other people have found reliable and work well for charging starting batteries? (that is 12 volt 8D batteries)

Any recommendation would help as I start shopping around for some chargers.

[REBrueckner]

As you likely realize, you need to find and correct the troublesome current drain, then add new charger(s).

You don't really need separate chargers for each battery bank, but maybe you want that redundancy. Chargers with separate outputs or a single charger used in conjunction with your new isolater will keep all your battery banks charged and isolated.

If you typically return to dockside with depleted house batteries, it could be argued a charger for house bank and a separate one for your start batteries might be ideal.

Depending on how you use your boat, you generally don't need big charge capacity for start batteries. A typical start uses maybe 1% of a start bank capacity.

Guest, Charles, Statpower.Newmar are names that come to mind. My first Statpower 40 burned up in the first two weeks; West Marine replaced it, I added two more from other sources...all three are working fine after 11 years.

"Smart charger" and "trickle charge" don't go together. Generally you don't want a trickle charger, but rather a smart charger that shuts off entirely when the batteries are fully charged.

[bobk]

Do you really want a batery isolator in there? You lose maybe a volt that way. The usual recommendation is a battery combiner. Check the Yandina web site.

Bob

[GJH]

First suggestion is to avoid anything under the Xantrex umbrella, which now includes Statpower. They have become a throwaway brand with poor support. I have one of their top of the line XC chargers courtesy of the PO that charges the 2 8Ds in my thruster bank. It's not all that (very regular watering still required) and when I had a technical question not covered in the manual, the tech support was awful.

NewMar and Charles are two high quality US owned, manufactured and supported brands. I'd start and probably end with those. I also have a little Pro Mariner for the generator battery that has been fine and when I had an installation question they were quite responsive.

[REBrueckner]

"Do you really want a batery isolator in there?"

Good point.

BobK correctly means that there are diodes used in ISOLATORS and that MAY seriously affect battery full charge capability. But if you have a SMART charger and alternators with external (separate) voltage sensing, just connect that voltage sense lead to the battery side of the isolator....so it measures actual battery voltage.

COMBINERS use more expensive relays to make/break connections and they do NOT introudce any voltage drop. And while we are at it, if you get a smart charger, consider a temperature sensing lead also....it will adjust the charge rate for battery temperature....that means for both ambient engine room temp and heat from charging itself.

[davidwigler]

I had a Xantrex 3012 inverter/charger on my last boat and the echo charging circuits worked great to keep my starting battery and generator battery fully charged. My starting battery was 5 years old when I sold the boat, acted new and almost never needed water.

I would not buy another Xantrex unit because I also had reliability problems, but when it worked, it worked fine. Since you already have one, keep it until it quits.

I recommend you solve the battery draw problem first. As I recall the Echo charger puts out up to 10 amps to each battery. If you have that much current draw on your charging batteries there is something seriously wrong that a new charger will not fix. As someone else said, it takes very little current to charge and maintain a good starting battery.

You haven't supplied much information about your needs, but if you are looking for an inexpensive charger, I have a ProMariner charging my generator battery and it works well.

[VMocco]

Thanks all.

I've already got that Isolator in there and as you said REBrueckner am now looking to find my drainage problem first.

Once I find what's causing my drainage, it seems like the best bet would be a dual output "smart charger" with a temperature sensor connected to the battery posts to get actual battery voltage, not voltage through the Isolator.

I had to replace six 8D's last season (they were completely fried, acid leaking, not holding charge, bubbling), so whatever it takes to keep healthy batteries and for as long as I can.

[davidwigler]

I also agree, get rid of the isolator. You shouldn't need it anyway with the echo charger, but this looks like a good reasonably priced combiner:

http://www.boatfix.com/shop4/store/v...idProduct=6222

I wish I could find one of these for a 32 volt system.