Xantrex XC series chargers

Has anyone used these chargers?

From their web site..."The XC is the first smart charger that can charge up to 3 different battery chemistries simultaneously. This unique multiplex design means that boaters can choose the optimal battery type for each application on their boat without concern about battery damage from either under- or overcharging."

This would mean you could mix different battery types (deep cycle/start) and chemistries (acid/gel/mat) and not need to worry.* Do these work?* Interested in hearing experiencees as I'm thinking of installing one of these as a winter project.

I don't have any experience with them.* I did find some very good pricing on the internet for a factory refurb.* Sounds like a great charger for the price.

I have no clue either. I do know that Xantrex is the industry leader and have used their products before and was very pleased with them. There is a memeber here that used to work for them. He hung around the first few days but haven't seen him(Arild) since. He would be the one to ask although I don't know how current(hey there is a pun) he is on their newest stuff.

Arild (in Vancouver, BC) is very knowlegeable on all things having to do with marine electrics. If someone wants to get hold of him, probably the best way is to get his e-mail address from the Trawlers & Trawlering forum. If all you want to do is contact Arild and not subscribe to T&T, go to http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering and open the archives. Select the current month and scroll down until you see a post from him. His user name is Arild Jensen.

-- Edited by Marin at 12:31, 2007-10-30

Usually the same batt charge tech is in the inverter line.

Since most folks will eventually want an inverter , you MIGHT save some bucks with an inverter that is also a quality charger.

FF

I do not have the xc charger, rather I have the Xantrex Marine 30 charger/inverter. With three 8ds as house bank, two 8d dedicated to the bow and stern thrusters, and seperate starter batteries for the engine and genset (all wet cell), it keeps all of them in tip top charge. It also allows for automatic equalization and automatic transfer between shore power and batteries.

I just installed one of these in a friends boat Monday night. Obviously I don't have any long term performance info, but it is a very nice unit. It fired right up and was easy to program. He has 3 batteries on it, and a couple of them were run down to some extent when we turned it on. He has the 50 amp model and right away it was putting 30 amps in one bank, 14 in the second and 5 in the third for a total of 49 amps. The display rotates through the batteries so at a long glance you can see what all your batteries are doing.
I've used the older Statpower 40 chargers in several boats and always had good luck with them. I sort of get the feeling that this new line will eventually replace the Statpower line.

I do agree that once you get above the 50 amp range, you may as well spend a couple of hundred more and get an inverter.

The real test of a chargers quality is how well it heavy charges on gen set "power".

Many smallish gensets (under 10 -12KW) put out really weak power.

Power is the area under the sine wave curve , and small gen sets make so little power that a charger will frequently only produce 60 % of its rated output.

No problem with almost dead batts , but a larger problem with a BIG bat set that can handle 50 or 100A at 14.4V

One HUGE advantage to going to an inverter charger is the ability to install a Link 1000 , and actually know the state of charge in the house set , easily.

FF

Thanks to all that have responded.

I guess my real question is does this series charger really charge mixed battery types/chemistries and how well does it do it. Just because a company claims something doesn't always make it so. Call me skeptical but over the years I've learned to be very cautious of marketing claims.

FF, I do have a small generator and I was concerned about what you brought up; so I contacted Xantrex support about it. They claim that the XC5012 (50A model) will work at full capacity with an input as low as 120VAC and 8AAC. Even my small genset will meet those demands easily.

And this thing comes with a removable (remotely mounted) display that sounds like a Link1000 clone. Is that right, Brent, or do you need to get the optional "easy shunt" to know charge level and amps used/left? If you have the time, an update on how well your friends charger is working would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Gary

I've ran the Statpowers and my inverter on genset power, from 4 to 10 kw with no problems at all. I've never known anyone who has a genset of a decent size have that kind of problem.

The display on the XC is indeed a lot like the Link 2000 that I have on my boat. I doesn't have all the info, but sure the improtant stuff. Volts, Amps in or out, Amp Hours used. The Links have time remaining and that sort of thing.

And yes, you can remote mount it, but you have to buy an extention as the cord that comes on it is about 18 inches long.

I won't be around the boat, (unless something goes wrong) to give long term test results. All the info I'll get from the boat owner is it works, or it doesn't.

Based on my experience with installing this unit, and the past history with owning several of their chargers and an inverter, I'd buy it if it fit my bill!

The only time a high quality "smart" charger is needed is when a boat sits a lot at anchor while cruising, or a boat kept at a mooring.

For shortest noisemaker times the gell cell batts would be the best as they can absorb a Large charge rapidly . If the charger can maintain the required amps at 14.1 , youre home free.

Some are "rated" at their ability to charge a dead battery , which means 12.8V output into a 10.8v battery , A LOT less power !!

This takes a good noisemaker AND a charger that can maintain the voltage to reduce charge times.

For folks that cruise long hours with the main ,usually stay in a marina or run the noisemaker to cook , refrigerate or for air cond . the old style wet lead acid batts will prove cheaper in the long run.

Before purchasing ANYTHING for cruising , a E Meter , Link 1000 or 2000 or Bogart Engineering meter should be installed.
Probably the best investment for a NON M>M (marina to marina ) used vessel.
Road tested in Practical Sailor.

About $150-$200 , plus a bit of wiring , but it will allow one to baby the batset anf operate it properly , the difference between 3 years and 6 from even medocer Sam's Club batts.

FF

-- Edited by FF at 04:31, 2007-11-04

GNS-
THe boat I bought has the Heart Freedom 30 Charger/Inverter (now owned by Xantrex). Its a 3000 watt inverter and a 140amp battery charger. THe boat also had a Link 10 monitoring system installed.

Both systems work very well and I am really glad to have them. If I needed an inverter or charger, I would get the same model again. THe Link 10 monitoring capability is really helpful and lets me always know what is going on with my batts and charging system. I'm a believer !

My batteries are 6 golf carts plus one start battery. They can take the high charge amperage easily.
R.

"My batteries are 6 golf carts plus one start battery. They can take the high charge amperage easily.'

They can if down to 50% , the problem with all wet batts is from 85% full to 100% takes a Loooong time.And they cant accept 140A then.

Cruising most folks will never get to (100%) on a noisemaker , unless doing all day air cond.

Underway it takes the SAME loooong time , unless you upgrade to a "smart regulator" as created for the Sailors.

A weekend cruise followed by a week at dockside is fine , but for a cruised vessel a solar panel or two gives a better shot at seeing 100% full.

100% full is necessary , to not have the bat set permanently begin shrinking in capacity.


FF

Try to have a look at Victrons systems. They are leading the way in Europe and are really good quality with lots of features.

I must admit that I am not an expert on "electrons" so I don't know how they compare to Xantrex.

Regards Singleprop

Hi all-
The Xantrex XC chargers are truly a breakthrough in technology.* Each of the three outputs can be programmed to support a different battery chemistry depending on the battery connected to that output.*

It works by cycling through each of the three outputs sequentially and applying the proper algorithm to the attached battery.

This gives us the flexibility to use flooded batteries for the starting service and AGMs for the house bank.

Hope this helps.

Charlie
JTB Marine Corporation
St. Petersburg, FL
www.jtbmarine.com

Thanks, all, for your answers/opinions. I think I'll go ahead with this project (I'm also going to re-wire the entire charging system according to Calders suggestions) using the XC unit.* Now I just need to find the best prices.* Maybe there'll be a deal at the Seattle show in January.

-- Edited by gns at 17:48, 2007-12-01

Hi Group,* Arild Jensen here.* *John Baker sent me an email askinng me to check this thread.*
Admittedly*I no longer have ready access to insider information on Xantrex* product development.* A colleague who still works at Xantrex tells me the new charger does* have separate and distinct algorithms for each battery type.* I have not had personal* and direct experience with this new model.**
I think it was FF who mentioned the fact some products are advertised as**capable of charging a dead flat battery. *In my view this is often crucial. I have had pesonal experience with trying to fix a boat which killed its batteries and dragged the voltage below the normal restart voltage threshold of 10.5V in a 12V system.**The boat was only a couple of years old but had a new electronic controlled Volvo, and *a Xantrex* (Trace SW2512)* inverter. this particular model wil not recharge*the battery once the voltage drops to less than 10.5V* A persistent leak had caused the bilge pumps to run continuously* and someone carelessly forgot a compartment light being on.* Result, the battery system* died.*The generator fired up, but to no avail since the*only charger on board was the 120Amp Trace SW2512.***The owner was bringing the boat round to winter storage and spent a few*very cold* hours waiting for a tow to come and get him. The engine simply stopped running when the voltage died.* Fortunately it happened in a relatively sheltered area. Hate think what would have happened to him if the boat had died out in the open on a lee shore.

Something else that popped out at me. A poster mentioned that GEL cells can take any amount of recharge curent.* NOT SO!!* Its AGM technology that can handle a fast recharge.* Gel technology is designed for deep cycling, but at moderate current levels and cannot stand a fast recharge. Typically it should be C/4*or C/5.*

Someone mentioned* wanting to re-use the old Heart* technolgy since it was so* reliable.** Well the Heart products also suffered from the same problem of not being able to recharge a totally flat battery.
Had to fix that as well using a 12V True Charge* on a 32V system.*Took time but it* worked.

Remember; lights,*fans and bilge pumps will continue to run till the battery voltage is way down to 8V *or even less.*
Lastly, there is more to making a purchase decision than* simply price or the technical spec sheet.*How about the customer service* and warranty follow up? *Oh sure they will give you a replacement;* once it arrives from China.* But they will not repair anything.* They can't; because there are no service facilities when the product is fabricated overseas in batch production.* Once a batch is done, all the parts are gone until*the next batch is ordered.* You can't order a spare board replacement even when you know exactly which board needs replacing.* You get a whole new unit or nothing.* The china factory only preoduces complete units . Not spare boards for repairs.

Some independent and resourceful service shops have found ways to repair the older Heart models.*Don't know if they cannibalize other defective units or know the actual part numbers*in the parts list.

Arild,

Glad you found your way back!!!!!

Arild---

There used to be a factory authorized Heart repair facility here in Washington. Or maybe it was Heart itself that was here in Washington. Don't know if this repair capability is still here, though.....

Actually Heart - Xantrex is in Arlington about 30 miles north of Seattle. 800-670-0707.