FWIW http://www.sailmagazine.com/gear/electronics-and-navigation/charging-it-not-all-battery-chargers-are-created-equal/?utm_source=sail-enewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=textlink&utm_campaign=enewsletter
Tom Buscaglia S/V Alera 1990 C&C 37+/40 Vashon WA P 206.463.9200 C 305.409.3660 > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 00:01:51 +0000 > From: Josh Muckley <muckl...@gmail.com> > To: "C&C List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Subject: Re: Stus-List Battery Charges and an ACR > Message-ID: > <ca+zacrb18vtf340betypq+_6vbqq3rqqcdrcvpe8jzwl15m...@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > What do you mean the ACR kicks on and lets the volts keep climbing? ANY > charger should work just the same as your alternator. With your higher > power/current chargers you'll start having the option of multiple charge > banks. You can use these, or not. If you use the multi bank option then > both your banks will receive charge from the charger all the time. If not > then the ACR will control when the second bank gets charged. > > With a large enough charger it is possible to exceed the recommended charge > current of the start battery. As I recall you have AGMs all around. So > 30% or Ahr should be your charge limit. A 100Ahr starting battery would be > limited to 30 amps. Theoretically if you discharged your starting battery > far enough and had lets say a 60amp charger then 60 amps would be pumped > into the starting battery until the 13.4-ish volts was reached and the ACR > "kicked on". At this point the 60 amps is being shared with all of your > batteries. IIRC you're pushing upwards of 500Ah? So 150amps max charge > rate? Now your 60 amp charger is well within the margins. The real > question is, how often are you going to be discharging your starting > battery to the point that it can receive 60 amp of current before it > charges to 13.4v? I would say it is extremely rare. > > So now you are at an impasse. Do you stay safe and prevent the remore > possibility of exceeding the max charge rate by getting a smaller charger? > Or do you size the charger according to your wallet (because you're not > gonna exceed the rate of your house batteries)? Or do you double your > wiring and run a double bank setup and forget about the ACR? > > I have ProMariner pNautic 1260, 12v, 60 amp, up to 3 banks, and I'm very > satisfied. It is absolutely bomb proof. A single exception to my > satisfaction is that the remote display panel is not capable of programming > the charger or initiating an equalize charge. The need to program is rare > and usually only happens during install or battery change out to a new > chemistry. The equalize shouldn't be a concern for you since you have > AGM. They make equally high quality lower power units. > > Another way to consider you power needs is when you take a slip and shore > power, how long do you have to wait before the batteries are fully > charged. Lets say you have 600Ah with the house and starting batteries > combined. Lets say you only discharged them to 50%, 300Ah. You'll need no > less than 30 amps for 10hours. That's really rough math considering that > it doesn't properly account for the absorption phase. If you're cruising > and pull in around 7 or 8pm but need to get an early start in the morning > at 5 or 6am then you'll only just barely be full charged. Probably not > done with the absorption phase. > > YMMV > > Josh Muckley > S/V Sea Hawk > 1989 C&C 37+ > Solomons, MD > > On Nov 9, 2016 5:30 PM, "Edd Schillay via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: > >> Listers, >> >> Finally coming out of my depression (about the boating season being over ? >> not the election) and am seeking a recommendation for a good on board >> battery charger. >> >> Here?s the rub ? I?m learning that most of the smart chargers out there, >> like a ProSport, won?t work with my system because I have a house bank and >> an engine bank ? and when over 13 volts is detected, the ACR kicks in and >> charges both banks, throwing off the ProSport and letting the volts just >> keep climbing. >> >> Anyone now of a good wall-mount charger that will just kick in 13-14V or >> so when operating? It won?t be used often ? just the rare occasions when >> I?m plugged in to shore power. >> >> >> All the best, >> >> Edd >> >> >> Edd M. Schillay >> Starship Enterprise >> C&C 37+ | Sail No: NCC-1701-B >> City Island, NY >> Starship Enterprise's Captain's Log <http://enterpriseb.blogspot.com/> >> >>
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