Battery chargers

[RussGW270]

Okay, in adding something to my future lists, I was curious.

I was researching, prior to this, and someone mentioned they added a Genius 4 battery charger, to replace the Quest 2722-B.

That looks to be a 40-amp.

Now, in a perfect world, I would want to add a 2nd house battery, eventually... ..and add a charger that is smart enough to distribute the charging where needed, not just all at once.

So, I would rather spend a little extra to get a little extra.

I also do not care if I need to install an outlet specific to the charger, vs going through the onboard system, but would be nice.

So, those that have altered, upgraded, enhanced your battery charging.....what did you go with?

aaaaaannndd just looked at the manual. The Guest 2722-B is plugged into a GFI inside the battery well? Well, that makes swapping it out easier.. lol. I had not looked, now, gonna have to go check that out. My last one was a promariner and hadan adapter for a thru-wall so I did not have to open the door to plug it in.

Thank

R

 

[Hookup1]

When my Promariner ProSport Plus 3-bank 20 amp charger quits this is what I'll install. I'm currently using a single bank NOCO for my 4th battery (bow thruster).

NOCO GEN4 4-Bank 40 Amp On-Board Battery Charger

NOCO - 4-Bank 40A On-Board Battery Charger - GEN4

The GEN3 is a 4-Bank 40 Amp Waterproof On-Board Battery Charger for charging marine and deep-cycle 12-volt batteries and rated at IP68.

no.co

 

[RussGW270]

I saw that and it looked nice, but shore power is only 30amp so was curious why not get the 30 amp version? I mean, the 40amp would have 4 leads, but.. eh.. guess it is just me.

R

 

[wspitler]

Remember not to confuse amps with power. 30 amps @120 volts is roughly equivalent to 300 amps @12 volts. (3600 watts) The DC system normally uses much higher amps than the AC system due to 1/10th the voltage. Most main DC breakers (house loads) are 50 amps. My windlass breaker is 70 amps.The newer chargers are distributed on demand and theoretically could charge one battery at 40 amps and not charge the others at all. The number of charge leads is mostly independent of the max charge capacity. Newer chargers can act as rectifiers and provide DC amperage to loaded batteries to minimize the drain. I've found that it is best to charge each battery separately, even if they are connected in the same bank. In other words, two batteries in the same bank (parallel) would each have their own charge leads.

 

[RussGW270]

gotcha.. so.. not a problem to has it on a 30amp max... just will not draw 30 amps.. each lead gets a connection. I get it.. I would add it so 4 batteries all get their own lead, was just curious if there was a 30amp version.....with 4 leads

Either way, it would max out at 30 amps which would be fine. I agree that each having their own lead and letting a smart charger pick which gets what is preferred.

 

[wspitler]

I have a 30 amp 4 bank charger by Promariner and when I first turn it on I normally see < 5 amps AC load at 120V AC (shore or genset). It is not 100% efficient so it is probably charging at 15-25 amps total.

 

[PNW_Drifter]

I sure love my Bluetooth model from victornox. I set my living room and look at the status of my charge. As a ton of other features too.

 

[TortugaBob]

Just replaced my old OEM, and decided on the Pro Charging System, US company, supposedly US made. Heavy Duty, went with the Dual 15A, each leg, didn't care about bluetooth etc. has LED's, Smart Charge.

 

[Flot]

gotcha.. so.. not a problem to has it on a 30amp max... just will not draw 30 amps.. each lead gets a connection. I get it.. I would add it so 4 batteries all get their own lead, was just curious if there was a 30amp version.....with 4 leads

Either way, it would max out at 30 amps which would be fine. I agree that each having their own lead and letting a smart charger pick which gets what is preferred.

I just want to clarify how this works...

A 40 amp charger as you describe, will put out 10 amps @ 14v on each of the 4 leads, to charge the batteries. Four, 10 amp charging circuits. That's where they get "40 amps" from.

However

Your shorepower cord/breaker/inlet is 30 amps at 120v.

---

A better way to look at this is watts:

- Your 40 amps @ 14v = 560 watts being output by the charger
- Your shorepower setup, 30 amps @ 120v = 3,600 watts of capacity

So you could plug in six of those "40 amp" chargers on your shorepower connection without issue.

 

[TikiCharterFishing]

Minn-Kota Precision will not cook your batteries. I‘ve had good luck with these on my two boats with 4 batteries each.

https://minnkotamotors.johnsonoutdoors.com/battery-chargers/board-precision-chargers?id=13971

 

[seasick]

Remember not to confuse amps with power. 30 amps @120 volts is roughly equivalent to 300 amps @12 volts. (3600 watts) The DC system normally uses much higher amps than the AC system due to 1/10th the voltage. Most main DC breakers (house loads) are 50 amps. My windlass breaker is 70 amps.The newer chargers are distributed on demand and theoretically could charge one battery at 40 amps and not charge the others at all. The number of charge leads is mostly independent of the max charge capacity. Newer chargers can act as rectifiers and provide DC amperage to loaded batteries to minimize the drain. I've found that it is best to charge each battery separately, even if they are connected in the same bank. In other words, two batteries in the same bank (parallel) would each have their own charge leads.

I am not sure I get your point. If the batteries are separated from each other when charging, then I agree you need to have a separate charge lead to each. If the batteries themselves are wired in parallel all the time (bridged to each other) then only one charge feed would be appropriate.

 

[wspitler]

I talked to electrical engineers at Promariner about their chargers and they said the newer smart chargers, using the pulsed DC, can tell the difference between paralleled batteries and ideally each battery should have it's own charge lead. Apparently it is not as simple as V=IR and takes into account capacitance and maybe even inductance. I don't fully understand the computerized charging system, but I've had one charger lead on paralleled batteries and a lead for each battery seems to work better, anecdotally anyway.

 

[seasick]

I have been retired from electrical engineering for a while so my skills are probably not up to date. I can see that the charger may be able to determine that there are two batteries in parallel but I don't see how a separate charge feed to each battery makes a difference. If batteries are wired together, whatever charging algorithm hits one, also hits the other (assuming there is no isolator).

 

[wspitler]

I too have been away from modern aero engineering for too long. Could be the Promariner guys were just trying to sell me a more expensive charger, but they sounded unlike salesmen.

 

[RussGW270]

Personally have not stayed at a Holiday Inn Express lately so, I could be way off...but I like the bluetooth aspect....jes sayin...lol

 

[dogdoc]

A string or bank of batteries can be effectively charged/maintained by a single source and I do believe most of the discussion here really pertains to maintaining batteries not charging them. Certain conditions must be met however to properly do this. The batteries must be of the same voltage, state of charge and capacity or problems could ensue. There is also a proper way to attach the pos and neg leads so that the charger sees the bank of batteries as a single battery and not a string of batteries. To get a better picture of that I suggest a quick look at how charging leads are hooked up to a bank of batteries in a solar array. Those banks are typically larger and the problem of single vs string is greater. As batteries in a bank age some of the variables above may not be the same, for that reason if possible each battery should be charged with a separate lead if possible. With the onboard chargers available today that is very feasible in our relatively small marine battery banks. Proper charge/maintain will give the best battery longevity. I am amazed at how often I read in some post how many owners change batteries every 3 years. A properly cared for flooded lead acid battery should easily last twice that. I have some that are 9 and still have over 95% capacity.

 

[dogdoc]

Link below explains the reason for proper wiring of a string of batteries

SmartGauge Electronics - Interconnecting multiple batteries to form one larger bank

 

[ayacht]

I talked to electrical engineers at Promariner about their chargers and they said the newer smart chargers, using the pulsed DC, can tell the difference between paralleled batteries and ideally each battery should have it's own charge lead. Apparently it is not as simple as V=IR and takes into account capacitance and maybe even inductance. I don't fully understand the computerized charging system, but I've had one charger lead on paralleled batteries and a lead for each battery seems to work better, anecdotally anyway.

So if I read what ProMariner said on my 282 Sailfish I could connect a 3 bank charger like in this image. Currently I have this old 2 bank Guest charger that is connected with one leg to each bank verses a leg to each battery and one leg does more AMPs than the other. I would see an issue with the two batteries that are connected for the House/STBD Engine legs conflicting with each other but the guy said they will not and can sense properly if I read this correctly. That is blowing my mind but learn something new everyday. I need to replace my charger and a lot more due to a lightning strike.

 

[dogdoc]

Sorry not liking that set up at all. I have a 3 battery, 3 bank, 3 battery switch system set up on my Grady. Bat 1 and 2 are for engines and set up with a 1-2-both switch each. Bat 3 is the house battery and separate from engine batteries and only has a on-off switch. All are connected to a negative buss. Primary charge lead from each engine charge the corresponding battery, the aux charge lead from one engine charges the house battery and the second aux lead from other engine does nothing. My charger is a Pro Mariner 3 bank 30 amp charger with a lead going to each individual battery. It is a distributive charger, meaning it can put all 30 amp to one battery if needed or divided up as needed, somehow it senses who needs what. I went from 2 house bats to one because I do not have any large draws on the system with my set up.

 

[dogdoc]

The previous post concerning the different amperage levels on the ac and dc side of charging is very important. This is the basis for sizing wiring, fuses and connectors when setting up your system. The dc current may not electrocute you but faulty wiring or connections will sure arc or heat up and burn down your boat. I know a very handy farm boy in North Dakota that made a very functional arc welder from 3 old car batteries in parallel and some cable and clamps.