Battery Charger: Leave On?

[Bensjoy]

The 110 volt function on my 12v/110v Tundra TJ80 fridge stopped functioning. Rather then replace the power unit (about $300), is there anything wrong with leaving my battery charger on continuously while at the dock and running the fridge on the 12v function?

 

[rochepoint]

When we replaced our old Norcold fridge/freeze we used a 12 volt only Nova Kool model. That was probably 8 years ago, the units has been running 24/7/365 without a problem since. The only time it is turned off is a couple of hours when we defrost it twice a year. Batteries are 4 golf carts and are replaced every five years. After all the boat has to have cold coke and ice at all times for the rum...........

 

[mahal]

The 110 volt function on my 12v/110v Tundra TJ80 fridge stopped functioning. Rather then replace the power unit (about $300), is there anything wrong with leaving my battery charger on continuously while at the dock and running the fridge on the 12v function?

The one negative I can think of is that you risk draining your battery bank if something were to happen to your shorepower connection. I don't think it is worth doing what you propose just to save $300. Batteries are way more expensive.

 

[LaBomba]

Our fridge installed in 1981 is only 12 volt and runs nearly continuously in the summer months. We also use 4 golf cart batteries and the battery charger does a good job to keep them charged. You may notice though that you will have to top up the batteries with water a little more often. Go for it, you might as well get your moneys worth out of it and it may last for years.

 

[jukesy]

What Roche Point said! Ours is on 24/7. It's the only 12v item we leave on. I have had times when we lost power due to storms knocking out the hydro and I have 660ah house bank so I have yet to have any issues. Having said that, I live 8 minutes from my boat. I'm on it it at least twice a week and every weekend. I might not be that comfortable if I lived hours away. And my batteries are agm.

 

[rochepoint]

What Roche Point said! Ours is on 24/7. It's the only 12v item we leave on. I have had times when we lost power due to storms knocking out the hydro and I have 660ah house bank so I have yet to have any issues. Having said that, I live 8 minutes from my boat. I'm on it it at least twice a week and every weekend. I might not be that comfortable if I lived hours away.

I should mention as well that we only live 3/4 mile from the boat with visits to the boat 3-4 times a week. Yes the batteries will need water more often but it gives me a reason to check the boat and is part of my routine checks.

 

[mahal]

I see my boat only once to twice a month. One time I inadvertently left the battery switch on and somehow my shorepower cable was disconnected (not by me). So my fridge went from 110v to 12v dc and killed my batteries. An expensive lesson.

I would spend $300 just to avoid having to add water to my batteries more frequently.

 

[MurrayM]

Our boat came with an old school Heart Interface Freedom 20 inverter/charger. It has a function where if power to the marina gets cut, it'll turn off everything plugged in, like winter heating devices. This saves the batteries for bilge pump duty.

Being a 10 minute drive away is great for my peace of mind.

 

[psneeld]

I leave my battery charger on 24/7/365 when tied up...have not added water to the batteries in 3 years.

Depends on your charge and how much you use your batts while tied up....

 

[Baker]

Hey folks, out of respect to the OP, I deleted all of the crap in between....as amusing as it was. So please keep on topic and watch the personal attacks.

Thank you for your cooperation and participation!!!!

 

[FF]

The Worst a modern charger on 24/7 will do is require more watering of the batts.

The best it can do is power the bilge pumps till you return to the boat.

Your choice.

 

[gwkiwi]

There are only two things I leave on when away from my boat, one is the Fridge and the second is the battery charger for bilge pump purposes.

Sometimes I have been on the other side of the world from my boat plugged in and alot of other times I have been on the other side of the country.

The key is to have a good liveaboard near by who doesnt mind keeping an eye on your vessel when they walk by, give them your phone number and keep your insurance up to date.

Just last week a liveaboard here noticed a 35' leaning over in one of the slips and the bilge going, he called the marina staff who hauled the boat and found a leak with 8" of water in the boat.

Thats why its important to be nice to your dock neighbors..

 

[SeaMoose]

Indeed. Good neighbors can make or break your peace of mind.

During reconstruction I ran the medium size inefficient old NorCold on a single starting battery & charger the first season. With a single AutoZone battery all season and the refrigerator on 24/7, often thick with frost, had to add a little water - once. The battery was connected to a 30A charger designed to charge dual banks.

So under maximum abuse, yes, you need to watch the water ;-)

 

[markpierce]

At berth, I'm always "plugged in" and charging. There is continuous draw for tiny indicator bulbs on the inverter and its controller, the battery-state display, and the propane-gas monitor. Also, the refrigerator runs frequently. The batteries are kept between 95 and 100% charge. Some chargers seem to be smarter than others.