Went to the boat today and took a pic of the charger. Looks like it is no longer made. Is this model a 3 stage unit?
Charging system question
- Thread starter Hydro Therapy
- Start date
I just googled the definition of a 3 stage charger. It appears that mine is a 3 stage unit. I’m sure there are better ones on the market since this appears to be a older, discontinued model.
Since the unit was designed and sold, chargers have really advanced. They no longer rely on time cycles (like a stop watch) to switch from one stat to the next. They are sampling the charge current and acceptance of the battery to move between states. This helps to better charge the battery.
MaineSail has some great information about the old and new design chargers.
MaineSail has some great information about the old and new design chargers.
@Hydro Therapy
John's right. Maine Sail's article on battery chargers includes this:
The Sterling ProCharge Ultra uses a number of factors to adjust and adapt the duration of the absorption cycle to what it believes the battery needs. In terms of charge algorithms it works pretty well. A simple explanation is that the ProCharge Ultra examines the duration spent in bulk and can then add or subtract time spent in the absorption stage. This type of algorithm is certainly smarter than a simple egg-timer. While not perfect, it does a better job at keeping the batteries healthy than do many egg-timer based chargers.
You can read Maine Sail's entire article here:
Wiring a new charger From Maine Sail:
Marine Battery Chargers - Installation Tips & Considerations
and
Installing a Marine Battery Charger - Marine How To
While these new units (ONLY the Sterling or Ultra - same units different labels, do this. All the rest of them on the market are still egg timer units.
Bill good question. The original post questioned if it was working. Should the charger be on, and is there a switch. As we explored this we exposed some of the other elements that implied that systems was not working as expected. Can you really enjoy life if the refrigerator is not working because the batteries can not keep it on to chill the beer?
On the other hand if you got cold beer, then share one and sit back to enjoy the experience.
The ProMariner ProNautic series are the same as the Sterling Chargers, same charger, different label.
Yes, cold beer when you arrive at the boat is a good thing. And not schlepping all kinds of refrigerated goods back and forth each week because you can keep the refrigerator running all week is a good thing.
The other reason to upgrade is the Sterling/ProMariner chargers are kinder to your batteries and they will extend the life of your batteries. For some of us, replacing a battery bank is pricey. We have 4 Dekka Golf Cart batteries and a Group 27 reserve/start battery, replacement cost is around $550. Getting an extra season or two out of them is worth the expenditure on a new charger.
My fridge runs on DC all the time, as well as lights, stereo, etc. The fridge is always on.
I have a switch on the AC panel for the battery charger, but it is (almost) always on. Might turn off the power if I am running an extension cord to the AC side to run lights when on the hard, etc.
Greg