Battery Charger

Moonstruck wrote:Keith wrote:
I'm with you on the ice maker, and don't have one for the same reason. However, I've found that just for drinks, we just pick up a bag every once in awhile, and it lasts long enough*in the freezer. In rare cases we have 8 ice trays on board, which will keep you in drink ice forever as long as you refill one when you empty it. 4 would probably do.

Now if you're icing down fish or bait, that's a different story.

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*Nothing worse than 4 hours left to run* and just 45 minutes of ice left!

*You don't mean that you adulterate that good JD with frozen water?

dwhatty wrote:
*You don't mean that you adulterate that good JD with frozen water?

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*The Gentleman Jack comes out when the anchor is down and all is secure!* Ahhhhh!

The main fridge on my boat is a 3 way propane unit. It works very well keeping things cool especially with the additional 12v muffin fan to help vent the heat out from the coils - I run this fan constantly when the fridge is on, it uses less than .1 amps. The fridge is installed per ABYC with proper pan and 'drain' overboard. I carry 3ea. 20# propane cylinders which last the entire summer, also cooking and heating water with propane. Just had a full, out of water insurance survey last May and everyone is happy.

Additionally, I have a WAECO 12v/120v Danfoss cooled 'freezer/refer' which is kept on the cockpit during the summer's cruise, usually 60 days. We run this on 'freezer' mode and pack it with less expensive food from the states before venturing into B.C. where all food is more $$. As we use the food, the empty space is filled with ice cubes for drinks etc. The freezer is pretty big at 2.8 cu. ft. and this unit will consume around 80-100 amp hours at 12v.


So, we have both cooling methods aboard - 'scary' propane and electric - both do a great job keeping the ice cream cold.


On the original posters question on battery charger size, you need to determine what the normal daily amp hour use is on board. This will tell you exactly how long your house bank can get you before needing a recharge.

Whether you recharge with your main engine alternator, or a genset or solar panels or windmills is a different question and requires some thought on how you actually use your boat while cruising.

In our case, we may be dockside during the 60 day summer cruise 3 or 4 nights, so it is important to me that we can live on the hook for a long time. Actually my house bank is sized to allow up to 6 nights at the same anchorage before needing to initiate a recharge cycle. I don't have a genset, instead the engine alternator is a large frame 200A unit that does a super job of replacing used amps in a surprisingly short period. Since we drive the boat anyway, why not use the main motor to recharge the bank?

In practice, we often stay 2 nights at the same anchorage, and regularly 3 nights, but have not yet stayed more than that. I suspect the holding tank would fill up before 6 days would pass anyway.

good luck

What most people neglect to look at is how a particular charger works, if it is a cheap analog style with a fixed absorption time then you can run the risk of chronically under charging because the amps are reduced in the absorption phase and you might not replace the required amount. the best chargers are fully adjustable but cost more.

Has anyone used the Fischer Panda DC generator? It seems that with the reliable efficient inverters we have there is no neeed to generate AC unless you have*air conditioning*or an electric stove.

http://fischerpanda.com/marinegen/dc-generators

Bill

Many of the most modern small units create DC and invert it as required.

For cruising boaters I have long been a proponent of using a big (say 4000W) inverter and a 200A -300A DC alternator on both the main engine and on the noisemaker.

Biggest advantage is 200A-300A of DC will be the most rapid charge rate for a LARGE house bank.

For real silence enthusiasts it might even justify AGM batts to lower the charge time even more.

With light loads the noisemaker RPM would be low (and the noise) , but the engine would be fully loaded for that RPM, increasing engine service life , and burning fuel more efficiently.


Small Honda gas units work this way for years.

What is the big deal with running a genset for an hour or*two a day? One gallon of fuel burned per day, c'mon. If you really want to be quiet get a 24' O'Day sail boat and a cooler.

What is the big deal with running a genset for an hour or two a day?

The cost is far beyond the gallon of fuel the noise and stench for the other boaters to enjoy.

The price of the noisemaker , its installation and replacement as well as routine and emergency maint must be considered.

All this adds up to weight and far too many extra tasks for the joy of ice cream.

Esp when it can be had for a month for $12 tank of propane, in silence.

Looks like I am going to have to revive this thread. *My Xantrex 40 amp charger seems to have packed it in. *It will not go into float mode. *What is the best (and why) 50 to 60 amp 3 bank charger that can be programed *for flooded and AGM batteries? *I have looked at the Promariner 60 amp, but know nothing about them.

Moonstruck wrote:
Looks like I am going to have to revive this thread. *My Xantrex 40 amp charger seems to have packed it in. *It will not go into float mode. *What is the best (and why) 50 to 60 amp 3 bank charger that can be programed *for flooded and AGM batteries? *I have looked at the Promariner 60 amp, but know nothing about them.

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Are you sure your batteries are all ok and you have nothing drawing on the batteries?* Light left on somewhere maybe?*

If they are flooded cells, turn the charger and batteries off, then check each cell with a hydrometer.* Be sure and double check the*switches on the charger, that it didnt get bumped.* I've done that more than once.

LB**

thanks for the suggestions. *I have done all that including pulling the fuse between the charger and the house bank. *Still won't go into float. *It is charging at over 14 volts. *The batteries are AGMs so thay can take that. *I am just having to turn it off at the breaker when the batteries are showing full charge voltage. *

"It is charging at over 14 volts. The batteries are AGMs so thay can take that."

I always heard overcharging was death to AGM as there is no way to add water.


???????

FF wrote:
"It is charging at over 14 volts. The batteries are AGMs so thay can take that."

I always heard overcharging was death to AGM as there is no way to add water.


???????

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*You are right. *There is no way to add water. *I have been turning the charger off manually when the batteries are charged. *Sill won't go into float mode, so I will see about getting it changed out today. *That's along with several other stops at the trim shop and canvas shop this morning. *Is this yachting, or what?

Is your Xantrex hooked into a Link type device? Mine is and at times the Link interferes with the charging cycle, I turn off charge on the Link and turn on charge on the Xantrex and all is well, for awhile. It always goes to float OK though.

sunchaser wrote:
Is your Xantrex hooked into a Link type device? Mine is and at times the Link interferes with the charging cycle, I turn off charge on the Link and turn on charge on the Xantrex and all is well, for awhile. It always goes to float OK though.

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*No link type device. *We are going to load test the batteries to see if something is going on with them. *Has anyone used the Charles brand charger?

Have had Charles 30A and 50A chargers newer style. These worked well enough for flooded 8d's when we had them aboard.

Having switched to AGM's, also changed the charger to an IOTA 70A w/3stage for dockside charging.


I isolate the house bank normally at dockside after a full charge. Since AGM's do not self discharge very fast, I will run a float charge once or twice during the winter months for a few hours.

The IOTA works well as a power supply for 12v needs at the dock, even with the house bank isolated.

Both Master-Volt and Pro Mariner are getting very good reviews. Xantrex has been getting heat because of warrenty problems. Seems they are not backing up product to well. Also the slower and with less Amps that you can recharge your Batts. the longer they will last. High amp charge rates shorten batts. life. I think AGMs need 14.8 VDC to take proper charge. Please check before you buy.

Well, maybe it is not the charger after all. *I talked with Lifeline the manufacturer of the batteries. *They said to do an equalization charge of 15.3 volts on all the batteries. *Did that, and gues what? *The charger is operating normally. *Everything is in float mode now.

Thanks for the input. *I did learn probably what charger to buy next. **