In looking for a very economical wat to care for the 12 volt DC system in my Oday 240, I came up with the following; Use a portable smart charger to care for and recondition my two batteries. My set up is 1 starting battery for starting, and one house battery for ...light duty cabin lighting, runnning lights and VHF. Both batteries have switches. sooo..... I bought a Vector 3 stage portable smart charger. 2/6/12 amps with desulfication settings. Anyone see any problem with this? I have an outboard engine alternator, and a 2 stage older Guest charger built in. The desulfication setting has already improved the condition of my sears deep cycle battery Thanks for any feedback, Eric
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desulfication???
Do you mean equalization? If so, your idea has merit. Use your on-board engine output to charge your batteries and "fill 'em up" with the charger when plugged in. Recommend and energy budget, because the output of the outboard alternator isn't very much, so you need to know how much you're using. Only equalize periodically, not all the time. Read the Ample Power Primer, download it from www.amplepower.com -- learn all about what batteries NEED and to care for them. Stu
Do you mean equalization? If so, your idea has merit. Use your on-board engine output to charge your batteries and "fill 'em up" with the charger when plugged in. Recommend and energy budget, because the output of the outboard alternator isn't very much, so you need to know how much you're using. Only equalize periodically, not all the time. Read the Ample Power Primer, download it from www.amplepower.com -- learn all about what batteries NEED and to care for them. Stu
yup, De-sulfication and equalization are the same thing according to what I have read. I have read the Amplpower primer, and thus decided to get some kind of 3 stage smart charger to help maintaining my 12 volt system. I just couldn't handle the expense of a smart charger that was integrated. thanks for the feed back. Eric
I applaud your choice but ...
I would be reluctant to leave the boat unattended as the Vector is not water proof and also them alligator clips could come off both causing a short. Those Guess chargers are usually 3 cycle Bulk (red), reduced (red and Green) and maintenance (green)and they are water proof. We have a Starwind 223 Trailerable with dual batteries with the output controlled by a switch. We have not put an inboard charger and our outboard, a Nissan 9.9HP does not have an alternator. What we did is cut off the alligator clips to a Guess 6amp three cycle and tie in a two point male/female connector. To each battery we attached the opposite connector and this way we can wire to one battery or the other as needed. The boat does not have a 120V installation so we run an extension to the dock. With the charger being water proof and the conectors being secure we have no problem leaving the boat unattended. We also wired a connector end to the alligator clips so we could connect the back on if the charger when needed.
I would be reluctant to leave the boat unattended as the Vector is not water proof and also them alligator clips could come off both causing a short. Those Guess chargers are usually 3 cycle Bulk (red), reduced (red and Green) and maintenance (green)and they are water proof. We have a Starwind 223 Trailerable with dual batteries with the output controlled by a switch. We have not put an inboard charger and our outboard, a Nissan 9.9HP does not have an alternator. What we did is cut off the alligator clips to a Guess 6amp three cycle and tie in a two point male/female connector. To each battery we attached the opposite connector and this way we can wire to one battery or the other as needed. The boat does not have a 120V installation so we run an extension to the dock. With the charger being water proof and the conectors being secure we have no problem leaving the boat unattended. We also wired a connector end to the alligator clips so we could connect the back on if the charger when needed.
12 volt
Hi Benny, I have no plans to leave the Vector Charger un-attended. With the alernator on my Yamaha 9.9, the bulk charge happens when I motor up and down the Mystic River. The float charge takes only a few minutes with the Vector. I have a very sparse energy budget. The most demanding piece of equipment is my auto pilot. The Guest Charger has a float function if needed. Just trying to take care of my batteries. Thanks for the feedback. Stu, am I still on the right track? Eric
Hi Benny, I have no plans to leave the Vector Charger un-attended. With the alernator on my Yamaha 9.9, the bulk charge happens when I motor up and down the Mystic River. The float charge takes only a few minutes with the Vector. I have a very sparse energy budget. The most demanding piece of equipment is my auto pilot. The Guest Charger has a float function if needed. Just trying to take care of my batteries. Thanks for the feedback. Stu, am I still on the right track? Eric
12 volt
Anchors Down...De-sulfation? Is that the correct spelling? May I have the definition? What is the language of origin? Can I have the definition again? Can you use that in a sentence? D-e-s-u-l-f-a-t-i-o-n? de-sulfation? Yes, battery recondition is easier to spell....
Anchors Down...De-sulfation? Is that the correct spelling? May I have the definition? What is the language of origin? Can I have the definition again? Can you use that in a sentence? D-e-s-u-l-f-a-t-i-o-n? de-sulfation? Yes, battery recondition is easier to spell....
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