Why does Hunter not hook the battery charger directly to the battery? Previous posting have noted that Xantrex, and I have instruction manual from ProTech that clearly state that charger(s) should be connected directly to battery(ies)? So before I re-wire my new charger directly to the battery, will someone please tell me why Hunter does not wire boats from the factory per charger instructions? Can it save them that much money on wire? Safety in transit issue? Why? Why Why?
- Status
not through the switch
When they say "directly to the batteries" they mean (elecrically) in front of any switch. Actually Xantrex says (said when I installed mine) to put circuit breakers or fuses between the battery and the charger to protect against excessive amps if you loose a cell on one of the batteries. Wiring the charger to the battery side of an "A-B-Both-Off" switch is the same as wiring them directly to the battery (provided you keep the contacts good.) This is what I did, since my charger is fairly far from the batteries, and was running VERY large cable from the battery to the switch. (Much lower resistance and voltage drop over large cables.) The voltage/amperage/power consumed by the charger does not pass through the switch.
When they say "directly to the batteries" they mean (elecrically) in front of any switch. Actually Xantrex says (said when I installed mine) to put circuit breakers or fuses between the battery and the charger to protect against excessive amps if you loose a cell on one of the batteries. Wiring the charger to the battery side of an "A-B-Both-Off" switch is the same as wiring them directly to the battery (provided you keep the contacts good.) This is what I did, since my charger is fairly far from the batteries, and was running VERY large cable from the battery to the switch. (Much lower resistance and voltage drop over large cables.) The voltage/amperage/power consumed by the charger does not pass through the switch.
I believe they do
On our 40.5 which is 10 yrs old, the original charger was connected directly. On a new 38 I was looking at today, it was also connected directly. Both were properly fused. As Debra said, connecting it to the battery side of a switch , if that's easier, is the equivalent albeit a longer cable run.
On our 40.5 which is 10 yrs old, the original charger was connected directly. On a new 38 I was looking at today, it was also connected directly. Both were properly fused. As Debra said, connecting it to the battery side of a switch , if that's easier, is the equivalent albeit a longer cable run.
Still not convinced
I'm still not convinced. With the switch on, the charger would be pumping amps to the 12 volt system even if the battery was NOT connected? This would be convenient if you did not have a battery because you would still have 12 volt power. I'm waiting to hear what Hunter says on this.
I'm still not convinced. With the switch on, the charger would be pumping amps to the 12 volt system even if the battery was NOT connected? This would be convenient if you did not have a battery because you would still have 12 volt power. I'm waiting to hear what Hunter says on this.
Power Supply
I noted in the Xantrex 20+ manual that the unit has a "Fixed Voltage Mode" which they say can be used as a power supply or battery eliminator. This would be useful only if the charger was wired through the switch as Debra B and Andy suggest. On my H340 the charger is wired thru the switch but has no fuses or breakers on the charger output leads.
I noted in the Xantrex 20+ manual that the unit has a "Fixed Voltage Mode" which they say can be used as a power supply or battery eliminator. This would be useful only if the charger was wired through the switch as Debra B and Andy suggest. On my H340 the charger is wired thru the switch but has no fuses or breakers on the charger output leads.
Hunter's reply
This is Hunter's reply to the wiring plan used with the Pro Mariner charger "Either application will work okay. Having it wired to the battery switch eliminates extra wires going to the battery, we have Pro Mariner come in and sign off that this application is acceptable. Thanks, Don Martin Hunter Marine Customer Service customerservice@huntermarine.com" Whats a guy to do??????
This is Hunter's reply to the wiring plan used with the Pro Mariner charger "Either application will work okay. Having it wired to the battery switch eliminates extra wires going to the battery, we have Pro Mariner come in and sign off that this application is acceptable. Thanks, Don Martin Hunter Marine Customer Service customerservice@huntermarine.com" Whats a guy to do??????
Does not make any sense to do it that way.
Andy: You can do anything you want, but it is not logical to do it that way. ProMariner may do it that way, but Xantrex DOES NOT! I want to know what is going to happen when you turn your battery switch to OFF and leave for the next month? You are not going to get very much power from this setup without a battery either. Typically these chargers only put out the max rated amps divided by the number of legs that you are trying to feed. 20 AMP output on two legs would be 10 amps!
Andy: You can do anything you want, but it is not logical to do it that way. ProMariner may do it that way, but Xantrex DOES NOT! I want to know what is going to happen when you turn your battery switch to OFF and leave for the next month? You are not going to get very much power from this setup without a battery either. Typically these chargers only put out the max rated amps divided by the number of legs that you are trying to feed. 20 AMP output on two legs would be 10 amps!
- Status