Charger and Shore power

[Sea Shift]

Hello all. I am about to replace my dual battery charger on the Express 265. I ordered a new pro mariner dual bank charger similar to the on in it. However it showed up and when unboxing I noticed there is a three prong plug on it. Since I cant get to the boat at the moment I thought i would ask, has anyone replaced one of these? So i have the correct tools and equipment for install, does the charger actually plug into the backside of the shorepower outlet (it actually called an inlet i guess....)? Or will i just cut the prong off and wire it in to the back side somehow? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[seasick]

How is your old charger wired? Is it spliced or directly connected to the AC bus panel? Take a look first at what is there and see if your job is a simple plug in.
If not there are several ways to connect the charger. The charger should be connected to a breaker position on the AC panel.
You can cut off the plug and crimp connect it to the existing wires. No wire nuts here!
The down side tis that if you have to remove it you have to cut and re crimp wires. Option 2 is to install a standard 120 volt outlet with a plastic box and just plug in the charger. Down side is that you my not have the room for the outlet. This approach is not acceptable for wet areas.
Third option ( not 100% code compliant) would be to buy a short extension chord that has one three prong socket. Cut off the plug end and hard wire the leads to the AC panel. If the run from your AC source to the charger is longer than a couple of feet, the last solution is iffy. To meet the code standards, all AC cabling should use marine certified AC cable.

The third prong is the ground and you should connect it to AC ground. Do not eliminate it.

 

[SkunkBoat]

The old charger was hardwired going to a breaker on the AC panel in the cabin.
You can cut off the plug on the new charger and crimp but...

I just put on a replacement 3 prong AC cord receptacle and plug the charger in. That way I can also use an extension cord in my driveway over the winter.

 

[Hookup1]

Wrap the plug and cord connection with a quality electrical tape to make it waterproof.

 

[kirk a]

Proper way will be to use a good wire splice, with marine connectors and heat shrink.

 

[Hookup1]

I removed my original charger and battery wiring harness. I used all the wiring the ProMariner came with and spliced the power cord in.

I'm on my third ProMariner charger over the years. I eventually spliced in a short molded extension cord and finished with adhesive heat shrink. Then I plug the molded male/female power cords together and wrap the connection with 3M electrical tape. My connections is not in a wet place and this has worked well for me.

 

[Sea Shift]

Excellent! Thanks for the guidance. When I get to the boat it sounds like I need to have the equipment/tools to cut and splice the line that heads to the AC panel. I would guess that is how the old charger is wired. We will see.

 

[Harrysea]

I spliced my 4-bank Pro Mariner AC cord since there is no existing receptacle to plug into. I think the only drawback to doing it that way is that by cutting off the plug I probably voided the warranty.

 

[Hookup1]

I spliced my 4-bank Pro Mariner AC cord since there is no existing receptacle to plug into. I think the only drawback to doing it that way is that by cutting off the plug I probably voided the warranty.

Don't cut the plug off. Splice a short female cord in and tape it up.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Don't cut the plug off. Splice a short female cord in and tape it up.

Just put a female receptacle right on the 3 wire AC feed

 

[seasick]

The receptacle is OK as long as the area it is in does not get wet. It's may not not up to abyc specs though depending on what type of cable is used to connect it to the AC panel

 

[Sea Shift]

On the 265 my charger is in the battery area on the port rear corner ( i.e. wet location) Seems like a splice might be more protective to water intrusion "IF" i can seal it. Hookup1, why do you say "do not cut the plug off"? Besides the warranty issue wouldn't that allow more weatherproof connection?

 

[SkunkBoat]

If you cut the plug off and hardwire it, you are forced to only use the Shore Power cable to charge your batteries. If you leave the plug on and add a female receptacle to the AC wire, you have the option of using a standard extension cord to charge.

I have a 265. I have a female three prong plug on the "Charger" AC cable. It is tucked back under the gunnel safe and dry and I can plug/unplug through the lower door.
It worked well from SHore Power.
However, I have not used Shore Power cable in years. I have no fridge or microwave. If I don't use the boat for a long time I can run an extension cord to charge.
I mostly use the charger when the boat is out for the winter. Stays plugged in all winter using an extension cord.

Yes, the prongs will "green up" over time if left unplugged but they clean up.

 

[Fowl Hooked]

Lot of options already listed but if your charger is already hard-wired to the AC panel as mine is and you want to keep it that way, you are limited to using the shore power connection as mentioned. However, you can still use a regular extension cord if you want, just need to get an adapter to convert the female end from normal 3-prong to the shore power plug style. I do this when I bring the boat home for the winter so I can keep the batteries on a trickle charge; when I'm in the slip I run a regular shore power cable. When I replaced my charger I cut out the old one and spliced in the new one with marine grade, adhesive lined, heat shrink connectors with a second 'overwrap' of heat shrink tubing just to be doubly sure that the connections are sealed.

 

[DennisG01]

If your current charger is hardwired, why not just return that one and get a hard-wired one?

If you stick with a plug-in style, be sure to mount to the receptacle out of the bilge since inside the bilge is a big no-no and could result in an explosion.

 

[Sea Shift]

Lot of options already listed but if your charger is already hard-wired to the AC panel as mine is and you want to keep it that way, you are limited to using the shore power connection as mentioned. However, you can still use a regular extension cord if you want, just need to get an adapter to convert the female end from normal 3-prong to the shore power plug style. I do this when I bring the boat home for the winter so I can keep the batteries on a trickle charge; when I'm in the slip I run a regular shore power cable. When I replaced my charger I cut out the old one and spliced in the new one with marine grade, adhesive lined, heat shrink connectors with a second 'overwrap' of heat shrink tubing just to be doubly sure that the connections are sealed.

I too have the adaptor for home use and it works fine. Ill look for some of the marine grade adhesive shrink wrap. Sounds like a great product. Thank you.