Well my batteries finally FRIED. 8 yrs old. I have a Charles which I think I should replace when I get new Trojan 105's. Is this Pro Mariner Pro Nautic 1250 12 Volt 50 Amp 3 Bank Charger a good replacement? When it stipulates 3 Banks does that mean 3 batteries?
I will be installing 4 of the Trojans. If anyone here has photo & diagram of installation it would be much appreciated. Wire size gauges would help also. I'll be putting this together over the winter on the hard.
Cheers
2 Old Pirates
Either the ProNautic or Sterling charger is an excellent choice. I was a little confused about the terms they use (each uses different words for the identical mode), especially the BC and PS modes, so I put together this description of how they work, based on information here and talking to Sterling tech support:
Assuming the battery starts at 50% SOC and the charger is in Flooded (Preset 1) profile.
Stage 1 (Fast, Bulk, Charging). Constant, (max) amps; voltage is based on battery resistance (low R for 50% SOC), and slowly rises (as SOC increases to 80-90% and battery resistance increases) until it reaches Absorption/Conditioning/High value of 14.8V. Now it switches to:
Stage 2 (Absorption, Condition, High). Constant V of 14.8V. Amps decrease as battery resistance continues to increase, and SOC rises. At some point the unit decides that the SOC is about 98% (based on time and amps?) and it switches to:
Stage 3 (Float, Auto Maintain). Constant V of 13.6V. Amps as required.
After some time, if in BC mode, it switches to standby, turns off charge and monitors the battery voltage. If it drops to the Maintenance voltage, 12.8 V, the unit switches back to Absorption (Stage 2).
In PS mode the unit should stay in Stage 3. If DC load goes up (frig, bilge pump, etc.) the unit will supply enough current to cover the load.