Xantrex Trucharge2 installation orientation

P

PKFK

.
Jul 12, 2004
206
Hunter 36 Ottawa
My shore power charger packed it in (electrolyte sprayed all over the inside from the capacitors) - so I am replacing it with a xantrex trucharge 2 60 amp unit.

The problem is that the orientation of the unit as per the instructions does not allow it to be installed with the terminals and wires to the right side (can be on left, top, or bottom). However the existing wiring of course is on the right side of the bulkhead where I am replacing the broken charger.

The manual is vague about orientation - possibly dictated by protectin from water drips - but my unit will be installed in the cabin of a hunter 36 - so water exposure is not a concern (unless the boat sinks - and then we have bigger issues !!)

I called xantrex support and they said no problem installing the charger with the wires on the right side - but I didn't get the feeling the support person really knew what I was asking - and English clearly was not his first language.

Do any of you guys have experience with this charger install ? Is this orientation a problem ? I am concerned about thermal issues as well - but the support person seemed to not even know what that concept was.

Paul.
 
C

CCHer

.
Jul 7, 2010
230
Beneteau 37 Cranes Creek, VA
Paul, I just replaced my fried Truecharge 2 with a new one the factory sent under the warranty. I moved the location from under the sole near the batteries up into the aft cabin locker so it would be more accessible and I think a little cooler The AC reached fine but added about 2 feet to each of the DC cables using Ancor butt connectors. Anyway, the way I interpreted the book was that it needed to be mounted flat or horizontally to meet ABYC drip protection but vertical was okay if otherwise protected from drip. I mounted it vertically for a better fit and rational similar to yours about drip protection. Looking it straight on the DC cables are bottom right and AC left. I don't think there's any issue with orientation other than to comply with drip protection so do it the way that it works best for you. (I agree on Xantrex customer service being tough to deal with but in the end they replaced it after sending me through some trouble shooting.)
 
woodster

woodster

.
Sep 15, 2009
6,244
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
CCHer said:
Paul, I just replaced my fried Truecharge 2 with a new one the factory sent under the warranty. I moved the location from under the sole near the batteries up into the aft cabin locker so it would be more accessible and I think a little cooler The AC reached fine but added about 2 feet to each of the DC cables using Ancor butt connectors. Anyway, the way I interpreted the book was that it needed to be mounted flat or horizontally to meet ABYC drip protection but vertical was okay if otherwise protected from drip. I mounted it vertically for a better fit and rational similar to yours about drip protection. Looking it straight on the DC cables are bottom right and AC left. I don't think there's any issue with orientation other than to comply with drip protection so do it the way that it works best for you. (I agree on Xantrex customer service being tough to deal with but in the end they replaced it after sending me through some trouble shooting.)
Click to expand
they were very helpful last year when my true charge went south....all i needed was a proof of installation ei a work order with the date installed on it ...sent me a new
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
CCHer said:
Paul, I just replaced my fried Truecharge 2 with a new one the factory sent under the warranty.
Click to expand

woodster said:
they were very helpful last year when my true charge went south....all i needed was a proof of installation ei a work order with the date installed on it ...sent me a new
Click to expand
Read and absorb this!!! ^^^^^ Not at all uncommon!!!

Consider a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra or a ProMariner ProNautic P. These are the same chargers jointly developed. Very good chargers....
 
C

CCHer

.
Jul 7, 2010
230
Beneteau 37 Cranes Creek, VA
Roger that Maine. If not for the warranty I would have looked at something else and will when this one dies. What do you think of the US made Charles 5000?
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
CCHer said:
Roger that Maine. If not for the warranty I would have looked at something else and will when this one dies. What do you think of the US made Charles 5000?
Click to expand
Not a fan at all antiquated and far outdated design that is not at all "smart"... I can talk more in PM if you are interested.

The two chargers I listed are the ones I install because they are SMART, compared to just about everything else out there. For inverter/chargers I like the Magnum's..

How smart are those two chargers? I am charging a multi-thousand dollar LiFePO4 bank with one. You could not pay me to do that with any Xantrex, Charles, Guest, Promariner (other than the ProNautic P) etc. charger....

Most chargers out there SUCK. There are only a few decent ones that are actually "smart" enough to be called "smart". The ultimate smart charger has yet to be made but the Pro Charge Ultra and ProNautic P come the closest.....;)
 
M

mitiempo

.
Sep 28, 2008
922
Canadian Sailcraft CS27 Victoria B.C.
Maine

I agree on the Pronautic P - great charger and my first choice.

What do you think of the Blue Seas chargers now that they are available?
 
P

PKFK

.
Jul 12, 2004
206
Hunter 36 Ottawa
Ugh - Maine - the charger I am replacing was a Pro Mariner unit ! Maybe they all suck ?

Paul
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
PKFK said:
Ugh - Maine - the charger I am replacing was a Pro Mariner unit ! Maybe they all suck ?

Paul
Click to expand
The ProNautic "P" is TOTALLY different. It was jointly developed between Sterling Power in the UK and ProMariner in NH. Prior to that charger I was not a big fan of ProMariner..
 
P

PKFK

.
Jul 12, 2004
206
Hunter 36 Ottawa
The unit that fried was a Pro Mariner Protech 4 model 1230 charger. I'm not sure if this company is suddenly making better quality units or not.

I work for Ericsson (cellular telecom radio design for LTE). I am completely underwhelmed by the piece of **** Pro Mariner on my boat. Totally under-designed for the job. We design radio hardware that will survive earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear blasts. So maybe I have too high expectations for my chargers.

I suspect that the the xantrex will be equally crappy as the pro mariner.. 500 bucks for more crap. Ugh.

Boat = bring out another thousand.

Paul
 
M

mitiempo

.
Sep 28, 2008
922
Canadian Sailcraft CS27 Victoria B.C.
I too dislike the Promariner chargers with the exception of the Pronautic P. I have installed many and have had zero issues - excellent charger co-designed by Sterling in the UK.

I have given up on Xantrex.
 
berner73

berner73

.
Jul 26, 2009
291
. . .
Will preface this by saying it's not marketed as a marine charger and has no ABYC certification, but we've had good luck with the IOTA DLS charger. The IQ4 option provides some 'smart' charge control but it's not on par with the Sterling units.
 
Bob 04 H260

Bob 04 H260

.
May 16, 2007
1,509
Boatless ! 26 Ottawa, Ontario
Paul, I installed a Trucharge2 on my Hunter260. It started giving trouble after about a year. I replaced the original charger on our H356 with the Sterling 50 Amp unit. I like it much better. I hope it lasts longer.
Good luck, Bob
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Bob 04 H260 said:
Paul, I installed a Trucharge2 on my Hunter260. It started giving trouble after about a year. I replaced the original charger on our H356 with the Sterling 50 Amp unit. I like it much better. I hope it lasts longer.
Good luck, Bob
Click to expand
Sterling ProCharge Ultra = 5 Year warranty (temp sensor standard equipment)

TrueCharge 2 = 2 Year (temp sensor OPTIONAL)

Any company that actually takes charging seriously, that does not include a temp sensor, is simply not taking charging seriously....:doh:

Sterling at least puts three additional years of warranty. I have not yet had a single failure of a Sterling PCU or ProNautic P charger. This is not to say they can't or won't happen, anything and everything electric in the marine environment is prone to failure, but they have proven far more reliable than "X" brand...

I doubt the new "switch mode" chargers will last thirty years, like some of the old dumb ferro chargers did, but they also won't eat batteries for lunch like the old ferro chargers did... It is all a trade off...
 
P

PKFK

.
Jul 12, 2004
206
Hunter 36 Ottawa
Thanks for the additional info.

I guess the comment about compromise really nailed it.

We are headed into Canada day long weekend NOW - followed a week later by a 1 week club flotilla - so availability time ended up deciding for me. I could get the xantrex here right away, but the sterling was going to have to be mail ordered - and miss having the batteries full to start the 4 day weekend.

So in the end I installed the xantrex Thursday to get things topped up before the weekend. If I had a week or so to blow off with shipping etc I would have gone with the sterling - but not willing to go with warm beer. ?

I did connect up the heat sensor BTW.

We have a 450ah bank of Trojan T105's but just have the stock alternator on the yanmar - and the H36 we have has both a fridge and freezer (plus lots of other energy hungry stuff) - so I like to start the weekend with a full "bank" since refilling it with the diesel is tough to do. Have just added a yamaha propane 2kw genny - so topping up now when away should be better.

Cheers,
Paul
 
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