Adding on board charger - help/advice

[KAR37922]

Does anyone have any advice on adding on board battery charging to my 2001 Searay 245 Weekender(Poorman?s Sundancer). I looked at the ProTournament 100 2 bank 10Amp charger, I am afraid to put this in the engine compartment ? fear of explosion ? since the unit is water proof I thought of putting in near the battery switch in the fender storage. Also ? what should be done on isolation?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Adding on board charger - help/advice

You can mount them just about anywhere, even upside down on lids.
Can't answer your question on isolation though I don't think it matters much since it is hooked straight to your battery/s and only hooked to power when you are not going.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Adding on board charger - help/advice

"Marine" on-board chargers are water tight and exposion protected. Mount wherever it fits and where you can see any indicators if it has them.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Adding on board charger - help/advice

Multi bank chargers isolate the charging circuits, so it really doesn't matter how the batteries are hooked together, with this one exception. If 2 batteries are hooked in parallel, the bad battery rules, and can take out the good one or prevent it from being properly charged and causing it to take itself out.

Mount it anywhere you want. It helps if you can easily see the indicator lamps.

hope it helps
John

 

[KAR37922]

Re: Adding on board charger - help/advice

Thanks for the input ? Since the boat is in a slip, I?m still worried about the galvanic isolation though. Would the charger have that built in (I guess they would document if it was) or would the dock power outlet have it built in there?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Adding on board charger - help/advice

If you are in fresh water it's not a problem. Check with a marina if salt water.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Adding on board charger - help/advice

Thanks for the input – Since the boat is in a slip, I’m still worried about the galvanic isolation though. Would the charger have that built in (I guess they would document if it was) or would the dock power outlet have it built in there?

All the outputs on a reasonable multibank charger are isolated from each other and from common ground. If the boat is "galvanically" correct, a properly installed charger shouldn't change anything.

If it's in water, just be sure the shore power is GFI protected, to insure safety if something goes wrong.

Just to clarify, the battery isolation is in the design of the charger. A GFI protector compares the current going out the hot wire with the current coming back on the neutral wire, and if they differ by enough current to hurt you, typically less than .010 amp, it will trip. The assumption is that the missing current is going to ground by some other path, possibly you.

hope it helps
John