Battery Tender

[betzhunter]

Any advice on a Battery Tender to buy. We have a Hunter 34 and plan on living on it for 2-3 nights a week once we get her sea worthy so we can move it to Biloxi. With that said, we would be using shore power for some lighting and tv but would also like to use the lights on the boat. I guess I would need something that could recharge rather quickly since i would using the boat lights. What you recommend?

Thanks , Bub

 

[Steve Dion]

Bob:

We spend anywhere from 2-5 days at a time on our Hunter. The standard battery charger (Xantrex XC3012) works just fine in keeping everything going.

 

[betzhunter]

Bob:

We spend anywhere from 2-5 days at a time on our Hunter. The standard battery charger (Xantrex XC3012) works just fine in keeping everything going.

Thanks, Steve

 

[Bob Poff]

I second the XC-3012.

I've pulled out the humming ferro-resonant beast out, and will be installing my 3012 tommorrow.

Also moving the house bank to the dinette aft bench.

 

[betzhunter]

Its looks like that model (Xantrex XC-3012) has been discontinued. Is there another model that has taken its place?

 

[Ivan]

Bob Poff:

I recommend not to put batteries inside the cabin. Regular flooded batteries generate hydrogen gas when overcharging, which can easily happen if the battery charger hiccups of develops a fault, and hydrogen is the most flammable gas nature has yet invented--and it cannot be smelled and is invisible. That is not something you want inside your boat at any time.

I believe, but I am not sure, that AGM batteries may be better at not outgassing or perhaps do not outgas at all in which case putting them in the cabin may be OK, but since the chemistry is similar I am not sure. If someone can give an authoritative answer to that question we would all appreciate it.