My battery charger, a Dytek OEM, charges at a minimum of 5 amps, even when the batteries are fully charged. I'd like to charge my batteries from shore power with this charger while I'm away from the boat, but I think 5 amps x 24 hours per day would eventually cook my batteries. I'm thinking about putting a timer between the AC input line and the charger, allowing me to charge the batteries for about an hour per day. The battery charger is rated for 10 amps AC input and max 30 amps DC output. All of the timers I've looked at are rated for 15 amps throughput. Does anybody see any problem with this setup? And if I do this, the green wire goes to a ground prong, but which wire goes to the large prong and which wire goes to the small prong on a grounded plug? Thanks.
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Bill Murray
color coded -sorta
If the timer is a standard houisehold piece of 110 volt equipment it should have a brass screw and a silver colored screw. white = silver, black = brass BTW I have one that is set to leave the charger on for a given number of hours after I leave and then shut off. I made it up into an extension cord - a real short one. When I want to use the timer to give the batteries a charge after I leave the boat, I plug the boat into this extension, and then plug the shore power cord from there to the shore power outlet. this not only puts the battery charger on a timer when I leave but, when it shuts off, the whole boat gets shut off too. Much better for piece of mind.
If the timer is a standard houisehold piece of 110 volt equipment it should have a brass screw and a silver colored screw. white = silver, black = brass BTW I have one that is set to leave the charger on for a given number of hours after I leave and then shut off. I made it up into an extension cord - a real short one. When I want to use the timer to give the batteries a charge after I leave the boat, I plug the boat into this extension, and then plug the shore power cord from there to the shore power outlet. this not only puts the battery charger on a timer when I leave but, when it shuts off, the whole boat gets shut off too. Much better for piece of mind.
Why not spend your money on a smart charger?
Ricky: Why not spend your money on a smart charger. You can leave it on all the time and it will maintain your battery at optimal performance. Statpower Smart chargers are available at reasonable prices for their 20 amp units. PS: do you live in Mass.? Was your mothers maiden name Amante?
Ricky: Why not spend your money on a smart charger. You can leave it on all the time and it will maintain your battery at optimal performance. Statpower Smart chargers are available at reasonable prices for their 20 amp units. PS: do you live in Mass.? Was your mothers maiden name Amante?
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jim oursler
battery cooker
I don't know the manufacturer,but my charger keeps both batteries topped off and tapers to zip amps. 5 amps min says that this charger is toast.. Deep six it, else one day it will finish cratering and you'll pay for 1-3 new batteries.. and whatever damage the acid boil causes.
I don't know the manufacturer,but my charger keeps both batteries topped off and tapers to zip amps. 5 amps min says that this charger is toast.. Deep six it, else one day it will finish cratering and you'll pay for 1-3 new batteries.. and whatever damage the acid boil causes.
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Bill Ebling
Theoretically dangerous ???
Is this a hard wired charger or the portable type? I've heard that leaving a "dumb" auto type charger attached to flooded batteries on an unattended boat with those allegator type battery post clamps can theoretically be dangerous... 1. Left on too long dumb chargers on flooded battieries WILL over charge creating hydrogen gas in a closed up boat. 2. The wake from a passing boat or rocking induced from a passing squall can potentially cause the clamps to snap off a battery post with a flashing spark or potentially short the other lead...Boom! I believe I saw a warning not to do this somewhere in a BOAT/US magazine I agree with Don. I would invest in a hard wired multi-stage charger that could safely be left on continously unattened. In this mode you don't need lots of capacity because you make it up in charge time. You can pick the bottom of the lime 10 Amp chargers for about $130. As an added bonus your batteries would be treated properly to achieve maximum capacity and life expectancy.
Is this a hard wired charger or the portable type? I've heard that leaving a "dumb" auto type charger attached to flooded batteries on an unattended boat with those allegator type battery post clamps can theoretically be dangerous... 1. Left on too long dumb chargers on flooded battieries WILL over charge creating hydrogen gas in a closed up boat. 2. The wake from a passing boat or rocking induced from a passing squall can potentially cause the clamps to snap off a battery post with a flashing spark or potentially short the other lead...Boom! I believe I saw a warning not to do this somewhere in a BOAT/US magazine I agree with Don. I would invest in a hard wired multi-stage charger that could safely be left on continously unattened. In this mode you don't need lots of capacity because you make it up in charge time. You can pick the bottom of the lime 10 Amp chargers for about $130. As an added bonus your batteries would be treated properly to achieve maximum capacity and life expectancy.
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Ricky Prevete
Response to Charger Timer Questions
I'm thinking about a timer because it costs about $25 versus well over $100 for a new unit. The charger is not a "dumb" charger. It varies the amperage based upon the state of the batteries, with 30 amp max output, but with 5 amp minimum output. It was the unit originally installed by Hunter on my 1994 boat. Other than the high minimum output, it works perfectly, so I hesitate to pull it out. About putting the timer on the dock to time-out power to the entire boat, I need continuous power to the boat to keep a humidity-reducing heater running. So I can't do that, but it is a good idea. And no, I'm not from MA. I live down south. Thanks for the input so far. Any other thoughts on this installation?
I'm thinking about a timer because it costs about $25 versus well over $100 for a new unit. The charger is not a "dumb" charger. It varies the amperage based upon the state of the batteries, with 30 amp max output, but with 5 amp minimum output. It was the unit originally installed by Hunter on my 1994 boat. Other than the high minimum output, it works perfectly, so I hesitate to pull it out. About putting the timer on the dock to time-out power to the entire boat, I need continuous power to the boat to keep a humidity-reducing heater running. So I can't do that, but it is a good idea. And no, I'm not from MA. I live down south. Thanks for the input so far. Any other thoughts on this installation?
May not be dumb, but it ain't smart!
Ricky: This is not a smart charger. If you look at the high quality units they can do many things to your batteries. They will actually run them thru cycles to help prevent sulfation of the batteries. If you end up burning up the boat you have also saved nothing. If you can make your batteries last two or three times as long it will pay for it self very quickly. Many owners will not leave their chargers on when they are not there. If a battery gets hot enough from over-charging it can/will explode. Check out the StatPower site or some of the others, there is a difference. www.statpower.com They have the low end unts for about $100.
Ricky: This is not a smart charger. If you look at the high quality units they can do many things to your batteries. They will actually run them thru cycles to help prevent sulfation of the batteries. If you end up burning up the boat you have also saved nothing. If you can make your batteries last two or three times as long it will pay for it self very quickly. Many owners will not leave their chargers on when they are not there. If a battery gets hot enough from over-charging it can/will explode. Check out the StatPower site or some of the others, there is a difference. www.statpower.com They have the low end unts for about $100.
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Jerry Smith
Is your humidity reducing heater 110v or 12v?
If your humidity reducing heater is 110v you can install a switch to disable your battery charger or remove the fuse. Most batteries do not require charging very often if you are not using them. I have a smart charger on my boat and still cooked the batteries about a year ago. Over the winter the water in the batteries got too low and caused the battery charger to think it needed to continue a high charge. The result was two exploded batteries. I checked the charger and consulted with the manufacturer and the battery charger was working properly. I now dehumidify with a 110v light bulb, which also produces enough heat to keep the water lines from freezing. I live in Mobile Alabama so the temp rarely goes below the 20s. You could even use a small electric heater with this method. About once every 2 to 4 weeks I turn my charger on and let it top off the batteries. I also run my engine at least once every 2 to 4 weeks even in the winter to keep everything operable. This also tops off the batteries.
If your humidity reducing heater is 110v you can install a switch to disable your battery charger or remove the fuse. Most batteries do not require charging very often if you are not using them. I have a smart charger on my boat and still cooked the batteries about a year ago. Over the winter the water in the batteries got too low and caused the battery charger to think it needed to continue a high charge. The result was two exploded batteries. I checked the charger and consulted with the manufacturer and the battery charger was working properly. I now dehumidify with a 110v light bulb, which also produces enough heat to keep the water lines from freezing. I live in Mobile Alabama so the temp rarely goes below the 20s. You could even use a small electric heater with this method. About once every 2 to 4 weeks I turn my charger on and let it top off the batteries. I also run my engine at least once every 2 to 4 weeks even in the winter to keep everything operable. This also tops off the batteries.
Jerry, what brand of "Smart Charger"?
What brand of Smart Charger did you have. We all know that any product can fail. There have been numerous reports of Guest chargers failing, so I was just interested.
What brand of Smart Charger did you have. We all know that any product can fail. There have been numerous reports of Guest chargers failing, so I was just interested.
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Jerry Smith
Problems with Guest???
The brand is a Guest. After the failure, I consulted with the Guest technical help people and ran a test on the unit. Everything on the unit tested O.K. I replaced the batteries with two deep cycle batteries and now regularly check the water level in the batteries. This happened over a year ago and I have had no more problems. I sometimes let the charger run for a week or so during certain periods and it does not overcharge. I also installed an ampmeter on both batteries when this happened so I could monitor the charging. They have never overcharged. According to all research that I was able to do, the water level in the batteries caused the amperage to drop in the batteries, thus causing the charger to automatically send more amps. The batteries were not able to take the charge due to the lack of proper water and the death cycle began. The charger sent more amps and eventually "fried" the batteries. My batteries set for a couple of weeks sometimes without being used or charged and the charge level barely drops. I turn the charger on and leave it for one night to a week (depending on my ability to check on the boat) and everyting is fine. What type of failures are Guest chargers known for? The people I consulted with in the Mobile, Alabama area all had good things to say about the Guest chargers. I had asked around because I planned on purchasing a new one if the unit had not tested to be O.K. Thanks, Jerry
The brand is a Guest. After the failure, I consulted with the Guest technical help people and ran a test on the unit. Everything on the unit tested O.K. I replaced the batteries with two deep cycle batteries and now regularly check the water level in the batteries. This happened over a year ago and I have had no more problems. I sometimes let the charger run for a week or so during certain periods and it does not overcharge. I also installed an ampmeter on both batteries when this happened so I could monitor the charging. They have never overcharged. According to all research that I was able to do, the water level in the batteries caused the amperage to drop in the batteries, thus causing the charger to automatically send more amps. The batteries were not able to take the charge due to the lack of proper water and the death cycle began. The charger sent more amps and eventually "fried" the batteries. My batteries set for a couple of weeks sometimes without being used or charged and the charge level barely drops. I turn the charger on and leave it for one night to a week (depending on my ability to check on the boat) and everyting is fine. What type of failures are Guest chargers known for? The people I consulted with in the Mobile, Alabama area all had good things to say about the Guest chargers. I had asked around because I planned on purchasing a new one if the unit had not tested to be O.K. Thanks, Jerry
Numerous problems like yours.
Jerry: If you search the archives, you will find the exact symptoms as yours. Many of these were factory installed by Hunter and replaced under warranty. The replacement units had the same problem. On-line Marine (www.onlinemarine.com) has the Statpower 40 Plus for about $350. Statpower has them Refurbed for about $400 with a 90 day warranty. These are great units with lots of features. They will do 3 stage charging and will work on Flooded, Gel and AGM technology with the flip of the switch. They have a 2 year warranty. I purchased one at the recommendation of my repair guy. He said he has never had a problem with one.
Jerry: If you search the archives, you will find the exact symptoms as yours. Many of these were factory installed by Hunter and replaced under warranty. The replacement units had the same problem. On-line Marine (www.onlinemarine.com) has the Statpower 40 Plus for about $350. Statpower has them Refurbed for about $400 with a 90 day warranty. These are great units with lots of features. They will do 3 stage charging and will work on Flooded, Gel and AGM technology with the flip of the switch. They have a 2 year warranty. I purchased one at the recommendation of my repair guy. He said he has never had a problem with one.
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Jerry Smith
Steve, Thanks for the advice...
I printed your advice and will keep it in mind if I have any additional problems. I have quite a want list and if the charger is working fine I probably will not replace it until I notice a problem. I keep my boat docked in my back yard so I keep a pretty close eye on it(although I did loose the other two batteries). Again, thanks for the advice... Jerry
I printed your advice and will keep it in mind if I have any additional problems. I have quite a want list and if the charger is working fine I probably will not replace it until I notice a problem. I keep my boat docked in my back yard so I keep a pretty close eye on it(although I did loose the other two batteries). Again, thanks for the advice... Jerry
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