Portable Battery Charger

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 09-06-2006, 2:27 PM

I have been using this battery charger for about 6-8 months now.

It's what I plug the boat into at night when it go's into the garage. Its a Smart Charger 2 , 15 and 30 amp charge rates. It has also has a Jump start mode.
It has adjustable charge programs depending on your battery type. Flooded, AGM, or Optima. The reason I use a charger like this is because it takes a long time to get the batterys to 100%. And lots of the time I dont run my boat for very long. Example. Roll out to a party spot and run the system all day long and then start up and roll home. The boat might have only run for a total of 30 min's all day long. In situations like this the over night battey charger will put my bats at 100% by morning. This is not a replacment for a heavy duty on board charging system it just helps it along. The biggest charge it will throw is 30 amp's and if you have a large battery bank and you have run it low it could take some time for this charger to get you back to 100%.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&classNum=683&subdeptNum=544&stor eNum=9&productId=248294

(brucemac) · (brucemac) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 09-06-2006, 2:43 PM

those are cool, i had something similar before i installed an on-board charger. now i just use it as an inverter. my onboard isn't very fast, but it's small, smart, ignition safe and all i have to do is plug it in.

those little buggers are also great for peeps to carry on board that don't have multi-battery setups.

(erik_c) · (erik_c) **Join Date: Jan 2005** 09-06-2006, 2:50 PM

You could get a solar panel charger and mount it up to the tower and just charge all day long.

(billthom) · (billthom) **Join Date: Apr 2005** 09-06-2006, 4:02 PM

That top link says not to charge batteries while they are in the boat or on the dock. I'm assuming you are leaving your batteries in the boat though...so do you think it's safe?

I have the same problem with not driving enough to charge my batteries - I'm mostly driving to and from the middle of the lake. Problem for me is that I live on the water and the boat sits on a lift so I need a charger that is safe to leave around water.

(95sn) · (95sn) **Join Date: Sep 2005** 09-06-2006, 4:02 PM

Solar power!! that is actually what i do. No electric outlet in my river garage. Solar is cheap and lasts a forever. After we are done for the weekend i plug it in and drive away. The following weekend everything is fully charged Upload

(mikeski) · (mikeski) **Join Date: Aug 2003** 09-06-2006, 5:10 PM

Bill,

My guess is that thier concern might be a ground fault or difference in ground potential? If that's the issue all you need to do add a GFCI protected outlet ahead of the cord feeding the power to the charger.

(cyclonecj) · (cyclonecj) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 09-06-2006, 5:33 PM

Get an onboard charger, I have a dual bank 20 amp smart charger. It is paralleled around my isolator and charges the starting and deep cell batteries independently. All I do is plug an extension cord into the jack in my walk through when I get home. 10 amps per bat is enough to get them completely charged by the next day.

(yosquire) · (yosquire) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 09-06-2006, 5:36 PM

Hey Grant, What charger size would you recommend for a pair of 6v Trojan T105 (220ah)?

Right now I depend only on a AC battery charger.

I have this POS:
Upload

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=02871226000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBV Cookie=Yes

I've had pleanty of problems with this Sears "smart" charger.
* 3 times I've come out the next morning to find that it's errored out and is not charging
* I've come out to find the display reads 15.7 volts and it's still charging (2A charge) so I check the batteries and sure enough they're boiling. (electrolites boil at 15.2v) A smart charger should have stopped charging long before 15.7v.

So, I'm looking for a new charger. Would kind of like an onboard one, so I'll I have to do is plug an AC extension cord into the boat and walk away.

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 09-06-2006, 7:24 PM

Im not sure how to pick out a charger for your golf cart batterys. I would look for a charger like the one I posted that has a charge program for you type of battery (Deep Cycle Flooded)

Each time I power my Charger up I have to choose the a. The charge program (type of battery) b. the charge rate (2,15,30 amp) c. The battery temp 35 65 or 95 degrees) It look like the one you posed has some options as well.

Like I said Im using this charger to top off my batterys. Not fully charge them. So it might not be that imoprtant what charger Im using. If your using this charger to bring your batterys back from the dead look for a real nice shore power charger.

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-07-2006, 1:30 AM

My guess on why they say to pull the batteries is that the charger is not ignition protected and therefore if there were fumes and the charger cycled back on causing a small spark internally where the fumes were...either gas or hydrogen...

(rukie) · (rukie) **Join Date: Jan 2006** 09-07-2006, 10:52 AM

Darrel F-

Can you give me some more info on the solar set up you are using? Who installed? Model #? How many batteries it will trickle? etc. I have been thinking about researching this as my storage does not have power, but I run multiple batteries and I am wondering if solar can do the trick?

(rodmcinnis) · (rodmcinnis) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 09-07-2006, 10:58 AM

I bought one of those West Marine chargers a few months ago when they went on sale. Best charger I have ever owned! I love it!

The only thing that I don't like about it is that you have to manually start it. Enter the type of battery, battery temperature (cool feature) and desired charge rate. If it had sitches to set the default I would like it much better as it would automatically restart the charge sequence after a power fail.

The charger is very light, the cords store inside the case, it has a fan for cooling, display of current or voltage, signals when it is done charging, and does exactly what you want a smart charger to do.

The comment on the catalog page about removing the batteries from the boat for charging is just because the chargers are not rated for marine installation. I don't think any portable charger would be.

(peter_c) · (peter_c) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 09-07-2006, 11:26 AM

AGM's require a battery charger that does not go over 15 volts. Many of the cheaper battery chargers will go over 15 volts. Optima's are AGM's as are Hawker Odyssey's etc. AGM's hold less than a tablespoon of liquid, so it does not take much to destroy them.

Some of the battery chargers out there will not go to a trickle charge once the batteries are fully charged.

Everyone that has worked around batteries for long enough have seen them explode. Not only is it dangerous, but it makes one heck of a mess. Imagine your boat covered in battery acid.

GRANT! did you say 30 minutes of run time in a day? Try going wakeboarding to recharge the batteries.

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 09-07-2006, 11:39 AM

This is what I use to charge my Golf Cart batteries. I keep it in the boat. It does a good job, in the year I've had the batteries I've never had to add water.

http://www.autopn.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=212&idproduct=22358

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 09-07-2006, 11:43 AM

Peter:Yea like last weekend, Perfict conditions for wakeboarding. 3 foot swells all day long. I guess I should have gone out, Thanks for the heads up.

(peter_c) · (peter_c) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 09-07-2006, 12:13 PM

Grant that would be what the early mornings are for

(yosquire) · (yosquire) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 09-07-2006, 1:13 PM

Adam,

I think I'm going to order that one. Is it capable of bring the T105's back up to full charge in 12 hours?

The West Marine one looks good, but I really like the ease of plugging in the AC cord and walking away. (that's how I have my starting bat set up)

(grant_west) · (grant_west) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 09-07-2006, 1:22 PM

Peter: I can ride when ever I want now that I have a house at the lake, when you are used to mid week butter with no one around the weekends are kind of a joke. I dont plan on doing any wakeboarding on a 3 day weekned thoes are just for partying. My friend Mike said that he went out to wakeboard at 6am this weeknd and it was a joke. When he returned at 7am his next door neighbors were going out in the pontoon boat to TUBE. 7am Tubers LOL

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 09-07-2006, 1:28 PM

Craig,

Anytime I know I'll be running my stereo for an extended time (w/o significant engine run time) 1) I'm usually to hungover to care if it charges in 12 hours and will wait 15-20 before I take it off, or 2) bring my bigger 15/30 amp charger. You can probably do the math on what you take out and how long it will take to recharge. IT does claim to charge as fast as a 14 amp charger though. I've never had a time where it hasn't charged to 100% by the next day.

(Message edited by acurtis_ttu on September 07, 2006)

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 09-07-2006, 1:33 PM

their website may be able to tell you more.

http://www.battery-sentinel.com/

(peter_c) · (peter_c) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 09-07-2006, 11:13 PM

Ok tubing at 7:00 am is pretty dang funny

If you can't beat em join em. Don't you own a pimpin' tube?

We have gone out a few times and left the wakeboards behind. Three day weekends the only place to ride is the Delta.

(ghostrider_2) · (ghostrider_2) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 09-07-2006, 11:19 PM

what do you guys think about a float charger, to charge during the week then just keep them charged. Will a float work like that?

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 09-08-2006, 6:55 AM

Kenny, the charger I put a link to is a float charger.