Battery Charger (maybe inverter) Upgrade; Choices, Remotes, Options

[Maybe A Dancer]

Got a nice West Marine gift certificate.

Would like to upgrade the factory battery charger in my 1996 450DA

Has two banks of twin group 27 series and a single 27 for the genny.

I'm assuming the factory charger & wiring is for a 3 bank system.

Installed 5 gp 27 wet cells 2 years ago (that was all that was available)

Had Xantrex (lasted 15 years) then upgraded to Blue Seas systems chargers on the last boat.

We're in SW Florida and typically do run the genny & HVAC when leaving the dock, however there's that day when you don't want to/need to run the genny, yet need to keep things cold. Would consider a setup that would combine as an inverter to run the 2 refrigerators and icemaker circuits ONLY WHILE THE ENGINES ARE RUNNING. Otherwise, perhaps the KISS principle applies and that needs to be a separate item.

Seems like nearly everyone on CSR is running the Pro Mariner - Pro Nautic charger here. I installed one of those for the fwd thruster batteries with a remote and am satisfied with that setup.

Assuming they're available at the time, will likely upgrade to sealed batteries next time around.

Given the 3 battery banks and 5 group 27's, should I be looking at a 40 - 50 amp system?

Pro Nautic?

Victron?

Charles?

Separate inverter down the road for the fridges/icemaker?

The separate battery monitor is a requirement.

What say you ?

BEST !

RWS

 

[ranger58sb]

Previous boat, with AC/DC fridges, we installed a ProMariner Combi 2000W inverter/charger and fed AC output into the panel to service all of our "light" loads. Outlets (including for coffee maker, microwave, TV/stereo, etc.)... but not fridges. Added capacity to one of our main engine/house banks, and that worked well. Left the other main/house bank on the original charger.

This boat, AC-only fridges... and a relatively unused "thruster" battery bank that I could repurpose to also service an inverter/charger. Installed a Victron MultiPlus 3000W inverter/charger and fed output to the panel to service the fridges and all of our "light" loads. That meant no changes to the original charger for the two main engine/house banks. Victron installation accompanied by remote monitor and controller.

Both of these installations work at anchor, too... not only when engines are running.

Assuming your fridges are AC-only... your set-up is similar to our current situation, and you could install an inverter/charger using your extra bank as DC source... then service all your fridge and "light" loads through the panel. Automatic transfer, etc. Original battery charger would now offer slightly better/faster ops, since it'd only be servicing 2 banks.

I've read it's not great to parallel more than 4 batteries. Don't know why.

Were it me, I think I'd also look at replacing that 5xG27 bank with 4x deep cycle 6V GC2s or similar in series/parallel. If easy to water, flooded lead acid is great value. If service is difficult, Lifeline AGMs. If you have height in that space, taller versions (e.g., L16s) can add significantly more capacity.

-Chris

 

[Pirate Lady]

I really like my Pro Mariner. SR uses them as factory installed, so there is that endorsement as well.

 

[ttmott]

The last boat I installed six AGM batteries and a Pronautic 1250P. The first time hooked up it pegged the charger for hours and ended up damaging the charger. The fan would not turn off and it got smoking hot. They replaced it but I expected it to self-limit the current rather than overheat and fail.
I have grown to be a fan of the Victron equipment due to robustness, expandability, and adjustability. If I were to get only a battery charger then I'd look at the Victron Skylla series 3 bank.
If you desired to move to a charger/inverter then definitely Victron is the way to go but you'll be in a whole new world on re-wiring the boat to get it installed correctly and safely.

 

[Maybe A Dancer]

Standard Sea Ray setup:

4 group 27 starting batteries for the CAT 3126TA's + 1 Group 27 battery for the genny = 5 GP 27 batteries

40 AMP ...... 50 AMP?

Likely I'll keep it simple and add a separate inverter for the fridges & ice maker down the road. Just run the 120 volt of the inverter to a separate breaker that would tie into the applicable circuit(s) ahead of the factory breaker. (does this make sense)

Unfortunately, can't use those gift certificates to get the Victron at WM, as they don't carry that brand, but I can easily get the Victron for the inverter duties.

For now, as for the charger..... West Marine does have the Pro Mariner in 40 and 50 amp sizes.

suggestions are appreciated !

BEST !

RWS

 

[Strecker25]

I don’t know this from any experience or research on the boat but I’d assume you need some sort of interlock kit to prevent back feeding line-in (shore or gen) from the inverter? Same thing I had to do for our whole home genset setup

 

[ranger58sb]

Standard Sea Ray setup:

4 group 27 starting batteries for the CAT 3126TA's + 1 Group 27 battery for the genny = 5 GP 27 batteries

40 AMP ...... 50 AMP?

Sorry, in my earlier note I thought I understood you installed a whole separate 5xG27 bank... in addition to the main start/house and genset bank.

So to the less complicated question about 40/50A... you're probably limited by your wiring. If the wiring is big (fat) enough for 50A for the round-rip distances, then you could upsize. Wire size charts are online, you can find those...

OTOH, I suspect it's probably not... and rewiring would be painful just to make that upsize from 40A.

Remember your start batteries are also your house batteries, so increasing battery capacity for all your DC loads can be useful if you anchor out for any length of time. Sometimes you can do that close to within the existing/original footprint. G31s instead of G27s for at least small improvements, some specific G31s for slightly better improvement if you can pop for the extra $$$, etc.

-Chris

 

[Pirate Lady]

On same topic.
I have 2 deep cycle batts on boat (winter storage). I have 1 trickle charger. Instead of going to the boat every so often and swapping charger from 1 batt to the other, is it possible to run the leads fron the charger to both batts at the same time?
I have never tried this, figured I'd ask first.
This is not some super duper fancy charger. Its a simple trickle charger I used on my motorcycle battery before I sold the bike.

 

[quality time]

I went from a factory 50A to a Promariner 40A due to the wire size on the 480DB and never had an issue.

 

[ttmott]

On same topic.
I have 2 deep cycle batts on boat (winter storage). I have 1 trickle charger. Instead of going to the boat every so often and swapping charger from 1 batt to the other, is it possible to run the leads fron the charger to both batts at the same time?
I have never tried this, figured I'd ask first.
This is not some super duper fancy charger. Its a simple trickle charger I used on my motorcycle battery before I sold the bike.

Not a good idea to combine the banks. You've got a lot of energy potential between the banks but just the tiny wiring on the trickle charger between the banks. Get a couple of those little trickle chargers.

 

[ttmott]

SR tended to install pretty robust wiring for the charger circuits. On my 400DA the original charger was a 30 amp but the wiring was 8 gauge, the wire lengths were about 20 feet, and the circuit breakers were 50 amp. So, I could install the 50 amp charger that I did.

 

[Maybe A Dancer]

So to the question, the factory charger is adjacent to the main battery banks, (two pairs of group 27's) but quite a distance from the single group 27 genny battery.

Photo below was provided by broker, BEFORE purchase.

 

[Maybe A Dancer]

WHAT AN IDIOT I AM - It shows the factory charger as a 60 amp

SORRY ABOUT THAT !

BEST !

RWS

 

[Maybe A Dancer]

I now have tool boxes stacked on top of those battery boxes and that label has been hidden for nearly 2 years now.

Guess I need to get the 60 amp version.

BEST !

RWS

 

[Pirate Lady]

Not a good idea to combine the banks. You've got a lot of energy potential between the banks but just the tiny wiring on the trickle charger between the banks. Get a couple of those little trickle chargers.

Thx, will swap between the two like i been doing.

 

[ranger58sb]

I now have tool boxes stacked on top of those battery boxes and that label has been hidden for nearly 2 years now.

Guess I need to get the 60 amp version.

BEST !

RWS

I didn't think to mention it earlier, but we eventually added a ProMariner ProNautic 60 on that previous boat... along with the remote. Worked well.

Some functions had to be programmed right on the charger, not from the remote. Wasn't a huge problem; those were mostly one-and-done set-up decisions.

So to the question, the factory charger is adjacent to the main battery banks, (two pairs of group 27's) but quite a distance from the single group 27 genny battery.

If you make your genset battery a decent AGM, and if your genset has an alternator that's working, you could just leave that genny battery off a charger altogether. It'd just be like a car battery, very little self-discharge, very little load discharge during starting, immediately recharged. Or you could even do that with a decent flooded battery, if you start the generator often enough to deal with self-discharge.

-Chris