[C320-list] Battery Charger

Mon Dec 18 15:00:15 PST 2017

More on sources of information. 
As I've reported before, the guy known as "Maine Sail" or "RC Collins" on "Compass Marine," has moved his Panbo blog to: https://marinehowto.com/ Where you will find an encyclopedia of marine electrical/mechanical information. 

For more than you (certainly me,) wanted to know about battery chargers, check this out: https://marinehowto.com/installing-a-marine-battery-charger/ Good stuff.

Warren and Pattie Updike
1994 C320 "Warr de Mar" #62
Middle River, Chesapeake Bay

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Swanson [mailto:kswanson123 at comcast.net] 
Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2017 5:52 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Battery Charger

In my research on charger type, brand and output.  I recall sizing the charger to have about 10% of your battery bank size.  My new set of 4 trojan T105 GC batteries have 20-hr rate of 450Ah, so I sized my new charger to be 40A.  It works well.

Dave

> On Dec 17, 2017, at 12:25 PM, Mark Cole <boatnboot at q.com> wrote:
> 
> Cosby;
> 
> One thing to consider is charger output.  I’m guessing from the model number (12.30P) you mentioned that this is a 30 amp charger.  Depending on the size of your battery bank, in amphours, and the type of sailing you do (spend a couple of days at anchor with high DC demand), a 30 amp charger may take quite a while to recharge your battery bank.  I currently have a Xantrex 20 amp charger and it takes up to 10 hours to top off my 230 amphour house bank, after discharging it to around 40%.  This usually works fine while I’m out cruising, but I’ve run into a couple of times when I wanted to unplug early and my batteries weren’t completely recharged.  Nigel Calder’s book talks about how to match the output of your charger to your battery bank.  I think it is also important to be able to add a temperature sensor, if not included, plus be able to do an equalization or conditioning cycle if you have lead-acid batteries.
> 
> Mark Cole
> Fiddler’s Green, #8
> Tacoma, Washington
> 
>> On Dec 17, 2017, at 9:53 AM, Freedman Arthur <saltyvet at mindspring.com> wrote:
>> 
>> John,
>> 
>> What is your  Solar Panel set up?
>> 
>> Art  Freedman
>> C310 #227
>> 
>> On Dec 17, 2017, at 12:28 PM, sail-ability sail-ability <sail-ability at sympatico.ca> wrote:
>> 
>> If Ur thinking about a Xantrex I wouldn't bother. I've had two and both
>> failed, company policy is that they are not repairable, ie. they are
>> throwaways if they fail! Apparently Xantrex were not a bad company when
>> they were Canadian owned out of BC?? I need to replace my shore
>> charger; been three years since it failed and batteries are charged
>> from a 180W solar panel, so I'm not in a rush.
>> 
>> Cheers
>> 
>> JohnM
>> 
>> 1999#574
>> 
>>   ---------- Original Message ----------
>>   From: JONVEZ at COMCAST.NET
>>   Date: December 17, 2017 at 7:15 AM
>>   Great advice Dave.
>>   The Sterling and ProNautic are the same under the hood. I currently
>>   have a
>>   Charles but will be proactively replacing it this season. The
>>   Charles does
>>   not have battery temp sensing (only on board), no option to equalize
>>   and
>>   rarely gets up to proper bulk with larger banks....
>>   Reading through the Compass site is very worth while when making a
>>   decision
>>   (full disclosure I know him personally)
>>   -----Original Message-----
>>   From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On
>>   Behalf
>>   Of DAVE Swanson
>>   Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2017 8:19 PM
>>   To: C320IA List Server <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
>>   Subject: Re: [C320-list] Battery Charger
>>   Crosby,
>>   I replaced my Charles Charger with a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 40A
>>   just a
>>   couple of years ago. I believe it is made by the same company that
>>   makes
>>   the ProNautic Charger. I received the best price on it from a San
>>   Diego-based marine electronics retailer, Bay Marine Supply.
>>   https://baymarinesupply.com/ <https://baymarinesupply.com/> I paid
>>   $310 for
>>   the charger and $72 for the remote control panel (April 2015). They
>>   are
>>   located near Rosecrans and Sports Arena Blvd. I believe that they
>>   are mail
>>   order only.
>>   I have been super happy with the new Sterling Charger. I also
>>   upgraded our
>>   house bank to 4 6V Trojan T105 GC batteries and instaled a flexible
>>   Solbian
>>   Solar Panel on our binmi. Great setup.
>>   Compass Marine has a ral nice writeup on the Sterling Pro Charger. I
>>   basically follwed his advice.
>>   http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/installing_a_marine_battery_charg
>>   er
>>   <http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/installing_a_marine_battery_char
>>   ger>
>>   See my Owner Photos on the C320IA website to see more of what I did
>>   on my
>>   2007 C320 MK II.
>>   Good luck with your upgrade!
>>   Dave
>>   David Swanson
>>   S/V Emily Ann
>>   2007 C320 MK II, No. 1107
>>   Mukilteo, WA and San Diego, CA
>>> On Dec 16, 2017, at 11:18 AM, Crosby Roper <VMDatSEA at hotmail.com>
>>   wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi all,
>>> 
>>> My Charles 5000SP spontaneously combusted inexplicably last weak.
>>   When I
>>   called Charles about it, the seemed to think this was not unusual- a
>>   Chinese-made part was to blame they said. Fortunately, the fire was
>>   limited
>>   to the unit itself and aside from some smoke residue in the port
>>   settee,
>>   there is no apparent damage. Charles cannot ship to California
>>   anymore (CA
>>   EPA rules) so I am looking for a replacement charger. So far I have
>>   settled
>>   on the Promariner ProNautic 12.30P. Does anyone have any experience
>>   with
>>   this charger? I seem to remember an article in Practical sailor
>>   several
>>   years ago that touted the Xantrex chargers. Any thoughts or comment
>>   on those
>>   would be helpful.
>>> 
>>> Thanks, and happy holidays
>>> 
>>> Crosby Roper VMD
>>> s/v Tethys (#1054)
>>> San Diego, CA
>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> Arthur Freedman, DVM
>> Hawthorne Animal Health Care
>> 978-741-2300
>> saltyvet at mindspring.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 