we just bought a boat with a Charles marine charger. Is this a quality unit?
It is a 5000 model 30 amp. This is our first boat with all these systems a/p, fridge etc. I am not sure what to expect, what kind of issues or concerns should I have running fridge while away from boat? The boat is a Catalina 35 2005.
What I like:
Made in the USA
UL Marine Tested
5 Year Warranty
4 Hour "Egg-Timer" Absorption (better than most
dumb so called smart chargers)
What I Dislike:
Only three voltage choices (dip switch)
Ambient temp sensing (at the charger)
No on battery temp sensor
Absorption voltage not adjustable to fit YOUR batteries
Float voltage not adjustable to fit YOUR batteries
Absorption time not adjustable
Lack reabsorb cycle to prevent electrolyte stratification
Lacks an equalization cycle
Not suitable for charging many AGM batteries in a healthy manner
Not suitable for charging many flooded batteries in a healthy manner
Cooling fan not variable speed and simply turns on at 50% of output
Temp compensation (ambient "at-the-charger" based) is not adjustable
Not "world voltage" ready
I have really grown to dislike
over-priced chargers that call themselves
smart when they are so far from smart it is laughable. There are some pretty serious deficiencies in this product and unless your batteries fall into one of three available voltage settings:
Flooded 14.5V Absorb > 13.6V Float
GEL 14.2V Absorb > 13.6V Float
AGM 14.2V Absorb > 13.4V Float
Then it is not the charger you should be using.
Dip switch chargers, in this day and age, are a
joke and we certainly should
not be paying a premium for them so they can mistreat our batteries. For example:
*What AGM Battery Makers Want to See:
Lifeline AGM's = 14.4V & 13.4V
Odyssey TPPL AGM's = 14.7V & 13.6V
Firefly AGM =14.4V & 13.2V
Mastervolt AGM = 14.4V & 13.2V
Full River AGM = 14.7V & 13.7V
Rolls AGM = 14.7V & 13.7V
East Penn/Deka = 14.6V & 13.6V
US Battery AGM = 14.4V & 13.4V
Trojan AGM = 14.4V & 13.5V
Not one charge profile that matches or will be optimally healthy for AGM batteries in deep cycling use.
* Every one of these battery makers wants to see
on-battery temp compensated charging.
How about the flooded setting for the very popular Trojan batteries?
Once again the Charles charger fails to give you a "dip-switch" profile that charges Trojan's properly or in an optimally healthy manner..
Any charger that does not offer
physically on the battery temp sensing is simply not a "
smart" charger.. Beware that many charges that claim "temp compensation" are doing this via ambient temperature at the charger, like the Charles SP-5000. If the charger is in a cool spot and the battery in an engine bay you will cook your batteries. This is simply
not smart....
Sadly the term
smart charger is bandied about these days like a ping pong ball. I think Deka / East Penn, one of the largest US battery manufacturers, cautions well on "
smart" chargers.
Quote = Deka / East Penn
"Unfortunately, many chargers on the market claim to be gel/VRLA “friendly” or “OK for sealed batteries”, but are not. Some overcharge the batteries, while others may not fully charge the batteries. Some chargers claim to be “smart”. Some “smart” chargers do a good job, others do not. The best choice of charger often depends on the application.
Almost all applications require temperature sensing and voltage compensation. Beware, many chargers measure the ambient temperature which could be significantly different from the battery’s internal temperature."
The bottom line, if a charger claims to be "
smart", and it does not have a temp probe that can be physically mounted to the battery bank, IT IS NOT A SMART CHARGER.
You already own this charger so use it until your batteries die then consider a better charger for the new bank. Any charger in this price range, that does not offer a "custom charge profile" to be created, and a on-battery temp sensor, is simply a rip-off.
Here's the bottom line when buying a charger:
Just say no to dip-switch chargers!!
Just for grins here is a competitors 30A charger that also has a 5 year warranty and comes standard with on-battery temp sensor. It sells for $150.00 LESS!!!
It has 13 different pre-set choices, as opposed to just three, including equalization, plus the ability to create a custom absorption>float charge profile to match your batteries exactly. The charger is PFC (power factor corrected) and extremely efficient, about 90% and the AC input is also fully automatically
auto-ranging and it will tolerate low voltage or crappy dock power with ease as well as 50 or 60 Hz.
