Adding a 115V outlet

[Crusty Ol Salt]

As I am working my way thru the survey and making repairs..... I need to replace the 115V battery charger.

My question is, can I add an outlet in the instead of cutting the plug off the new charger?

The battery charger is wired into a stand alone 15 amp breaker at this time?

Thank you

 

[Ward H]

What brand/model is the new battery charger you are installing?
I believe most marine battery chargers are wired directly, not plugged into an outlet. A plug in charger indicates a temporary setup. Marine chargers are usually permanently installed.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

I was looking at the ProMariner ProSportHD series. I downloaded the users manual from their web site and it looks like they have a standard plug.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

The same manufacturer has a ProNautica series that has one the matches the amperage (20 Amps) of the one that I am replacing. It is hard wired but it also has 3 outputs? At the point and time I do not need to charge 3 banks of batteries.

 

[Ward H]

I stand corrected.
I believe that charger may be a lower quality on-board marine charger than one directly wired.

To answer your initial question, yes you can add an AC outlet. A marine AC outlet requires different type wire and connections than a household outlet.

 

[Ward H]

The ProNautica is a very good battery charger. You don't need to use all three battery connections.
Check out this article on installing a marine charger. I believe the charger in the article is a "sister" of the one you posted.
Installing a Marine Battery Charger - Marine How To

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

Thx Ward. I will read that next.
Big picture I am shopping on the West Marine site. I just finished looking at the third brand of 2 bank chargers they stock. It is from no.co. It is completely water proof and salt water tested. It plugs in too. Freaking crazy.

 

[dlochner]

Thx Ward. I will read that next.
Big picture I am shopping on the West Marine site. I just finished looking at the third brand of 2 bank chargers they stock. It is from no.co. It is completely water proof and salt water tested. It plugs in too. Freaking crazy.

First, shop somewhere else for a charger unless you particularly like paying higher prices. Defender.com, PKYS.com, the SBO store are all good alternatives.

The charger size should match the battery type and size. Using a charger that is too large is a waste of money and using a charger that is too small will undercharge the batteries. For standard Flooded Lead Acid batteries the charger should be rated at a little more than 10% of the bank's size. For 2 Group 24 or 27 batteries this would be a 20 amp charger.

A charger with multiple outputs divides the maximum output between the outputs, thus a 20 amp 2 battery charger will provide 20 amps to one battery or 20 amps to both batteries with the amperage divided between the batteries. It will not put out 40 amps.

Chargers should be hardwired into the circuit. This is a more secure way of connecting the power source and it will be easier than adding an outlet and box. Plugs can come loose and they offer another place for corrosion to rear its ugly head. A hardwired charger with proper heat sealed terminal connections will be safer, more trouble free, cheaper, and less prone to corrosion.

The ProMariner ProNautica (also branded as a Sterling) charger is a great charger, it is "smart" and provides the proper charging profiles for your batteries. Charging batteries properly will extend their life.

With the money you save by not shopping at West Marine, consider adding a battery monitor like the Balmar SG 200. A good monitor will help you avoid over discharging your batteries thus extending their life.

Maine Sail's site has more information about them. While visiting, consider a small donation to help Rodd out. There is a message on his site from his brother. Rodd has generously given of his time and knowledge to the DIY Boating community, now is the time to pay him back.

Marine How To - DIY for Boaters - Marine How To

For DIY boaters in an attempt to try and keep the sport as affordable & safe as possible. How To articles for sailboats and powerboats.

marinehowto.com

 

[shemandr]

I think I did add an outlet for my Promariner battery charger on the Slickcraft. If I remember correctly it came with a plug and to cut the plug off to hardwire it would have voided the warranty. The PO's charger was hard wired and I had less confidence in it than a plug. It was too long of a run to hard wire it with the power chord it came with. So there had to be a connection somewhere.
And, if you offered the extended warrantee, I would definitely consider it. Those units go bad all the time.
Regarding the number of banks there are one, two and three bank chargers. You may need to buy the two bank charger to get 20 amps. You'll pay more for the "Waterproof." It's not supposed to be in the water.

 

[dlochner]

Reading between the lines on the ProSport series of chargers, I believe these were designed for trailerable boats, such as bass boats, ski boats, etc. where the charger would be exposed to the weather and would be operated when it can be plugged in to a shore connection. Fishing boats often use electric trolling motors and this would be the kind of charger appropriate for that purpose. If you look at the ProTournament and ProSport models they look like the same device with a different color scheme.

While adding an AC plug would work, it would not be the way l would choose to wire this as the risks are higher than with a hard wired charger. In particular the fire risk from corroded connections at the plug or from the plug becoming loose. The risk is greater because the plug would probably not be located in an easily accessible place so it would be inspected less frequently and it would be in use when the boat is unattended.

 

[Joe]

You should consider installing a shore power system. Study your guides in the West Marine Advisor.. ( I like West Marine, get on their mailing list and watch for the many sales and promotions. Electrical gear is always mentioned in them. Plus... they have stores that you can actually see and feel the product.)
Anyway, a proper shore power systems with a small panel for fused circuits, just like you have in your home (except marine rated, of course) will be a nice upgrade for your boat and adding new items like power outlets and lighting will be simplified.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

With the money you save by not shopping at West Marine, consider adding a battery monitor like the Balmar SG 200. A good monitor will help you avoid over discharging your batteries thus extending their life.

Reading between the lines on the ProSport series of chargers, I believe these were designed for trailerable boats, such as bass boats, ski boats, etc. where the charger would be exposed to the weather and would be operated when it can be plugged in to a shore connection. Fishing boats often use electric trolling motors and this would be the kind of charger appropriate for that purpose. If you look at the ProTournament and ProSport models they look like the same device with a different color scheme.

While adding an AC plug would work, it would not be the way l would choose to wire this as the risks are higher than with a hard wired charger. In particular the fire risk from corroded connections at the plug or from the plug becoming loose. The risk is greater because the plug would probably not be located in an easily accessible place so it would be inspected less frequently and it would be in use when the boat is unattended.

Thank you for all the great information.

I would like to clarify I did use the term shopping not buying from west marine. The charger I am replacing is the one below.





So I went to west marine to see if they had a bolt in (in this case screw in) replacement. Unfortunately they do not.

The good news both ProMariner and ProNautica have matching remote battery monitors.

Back to saving money. My hunter has a 2 batteries. I really have no need for 3 three bank charger which costs an additional $50.00 to $100.00. Just seems like more than what I need. The internet is a huge marketplace these days.

I am taking your advice and I will continue and narrow my search for a 2 bank hard wired charger.

Again, thank you for the help and guidance.

PS added these to my bookmarks = Defender.com and PKYS.com

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

I think I did add an outlet for my Promariner battery charger on the Slickcraft. If I remember correctly it came with a plug and to cut the plug off to hardwire it would have voided the warranty. The PO's charger was hard wired and I had less confidence in it than a plug. It was too long of a run to hard wire it with the power chord it came with. So there had to be a connection somewhere.
And, if you offered the extended warrantee, I would definitely consider it. Those units go bad all the time.
Regarding the number of banks there are one, two and three bank chargers. You may need to buy the two bank charger to get 20 amps. You'll pay more for the "Waterproof." It's not supposed to be in the water.

Mine appears to be factory wired from the breaker to the existing charger. That said I "DO NOT" have a very high trust factor in those who proceeded me. Just saying... There are other reasons I will be tracing the wiring back to its source.

I was wondering about "Waterproof" because were the exiting charger is mounted there would be about 24" of water in Prometheus. I may have bigger issues than the charger getting wet.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

You should consider installing a shore power system. Study your guides in the West Marine Advisor.. ( I like West Marine, get on their mailing list and watch for the many sales and promotions. Electrical gear is always mentioned in them. Plus... they have stores that you can actually see and feel the product.)

I do not know if it is a good thing that I have 2 stores within 6 miles of my home. It is nice to walk thru and window shop. It is nice grab something off the shelf that I need right now.

 

[dlochner]

I do not know if it is a good thing that I have 2 stores within 6 miles of my home. It is nice to walk thru and window shop. It is nice grab something off the shelf that I need right now.

My recent experiences with WM are terrible. I only shopped them because living on a boat and traveling limits other options.

In Stamford CT I needed 5 feet of sanitation hose. WM had it for about $8 a foot and they had 8' feet. Told them I needed 5 feet so they cut me a 4' piece. Fortunately I had a rental car, so drove to Norwalk CT to an independent shop where I bought the same hose for under $4 a foot cut to the right length.

In Annapolis I needed some split rings. Fawcett's didn't have them in the size I needed. So I walked over to WM. They had them at twice the price of Defender. It was cheaper to buy a set of 66 cotter rings most in the size I didn't need to get enough of the size I did need.

In Solomon's I needed to replace a pull lift for the refrigerator lid. On Amazon the lift ring was $16 at WM $35.

Brick and Mortar stores do have higher overhead and do offer the here and now convenience, paying a premium for this convenience is fine. However, doubling the price is ridiculous and dealing with incompetent and inexperienced help is just adding insult to injury. [/rant]

 

[BigEasy]

Regardless of the battery charger manufacturer, be sure that is microprocessor controlled (most are by now) and that it has settings for wet cell, gel cell, and AGM batteries. I think that a remote is a must have feature to get a quick visual as to the battery bank(s) state of charge and output of the charger. One can also control the settings of the charger from the remote. Another good feature is to have a battery temperature sensor that feeds back to the charger.

 

[Ward H]

Crusty,
In the article I linked to earlier it explains that even though the charger has connections for three batteries, you do not need to use all three. As dlochner stated, the charger amp rating is for the total output of the charger, not to each battery. Being able to connect to three batteries is more a marketing thing.
I have one connection from my Sterling charger going to my house bank. Per the article I jumpered the three battery connections together.

You won't be wasting your money on that charger. Shop around for price.

 

[Jaxn]

FWIW, I have a Blue Sea charger/ACR combo that is hard-wired to the battery, but plugs in to AC via a standard plug. The AC outlets on my boat are provided by shore power. It also says that cutting the AC plug off would void the warranty.

 

[Ward H]

Crusty,
Is this your first boat? Are you day sailing? Will you be plugging into shore power on a regular basis?
If yes, nothing wrong with getting a more basic, lower cost battery charger and putting the dollars saved into other projects. The difference may be your batteries last 3-4 years instead of 5-7 years or longer. If your batteries are standard flooded lead acid and not expensive AGMs or other premium battery types, the payback of a higher quality charger may not be realized in your sailing scenario.

 

[Bob J.]

This isn't complicated. If your battery charger comes with a plug, plug it in. Just be sure the receptacle is a GFI. If the charger is meant to be hardwired, hardwire it. FWIW, all the chargers on my boat came with plugs.