Question For ThomWV

[ARCWINSTON]

Thom,<br /> I am strongly considering the Xantrex Truecharge 20 Plus for my on-board charging needs. The Xantrex literature states that the unit is specifically for deep cycle batteries. One of the three batteries on my boat (the cranking battery) is obviously not a deep cycle. In your opinion would using this unit connected to all 3 batteries damage either the cranking battery, the 2 deep cycles or the charger? thanks...W

 

[PercussionMafia]

Re: Question For ThomWV

I know I'm not Thom, but I do have that charger on my GB36. It's a good unit and keeps the 5 batteries (in three banks) charged well. It has a selector switch for what type of charge you want to give to the batteries. IMO, it works alright for the price and I've had no problems with it. Keep in mind I have large starting banks for straight compression diesels and the charger has never let me down.

 

[ThomWV]

Re: Question For ThomWV

As GB says, you should find that charger to be well suited to your use, in fact I would go so far as to say that you would be hard pressed to do any better when it comes to a charger. The charger works just fine with either 'deep cycle' or 'starting' type batterys because it senses the state of charge and adjusts the charging rate accordingly. The only caution that I would recommend to you is that you might want to add up the total amp/hour capacitys of your batterys and see if the charger's output is equal to something near 10% of that total. As an example most Group 27 sized deep cycle batterys have a capacity of around 100 amp hours and most starting batterys are down there around 70~80 amp hour capacities (they don't rate 'starting' batterys that way so you have to use rules of thumb to estimate). A total of 270 wouldn't suprise me in your case and the charger's output is about 7% of that, which is just fine. If the relationship dropped down to below 5% you would probably want to go to the TrueCharge 40, but in most cases that isn't necessary.<br /><br />I would also caution you this. While I think that the TrueCharge (or Xantex) chargers are probably the best made on the market it remains that they are not the fully sealed units that you find from other manufacturers. So when you mount the thing it is wise to put it in a relatively dry spot. At the same time those big chargers also get warm when they are running so ample air flow is a must if you want long life from the charger.<br /><br />Maybe I should mention this too. I have used TrueCharge's equipment in my own boats and I have installed them in other folks boats. I have only had one fail (a TrueCharge model 10HW) and that one was mounted in a wet spot but still managed to last 9 years. There is a TrueCharge 20 that I put in a 24' Albemarle back around '94-'95 and it was still in there and running strong when I fished with the owner of that boat last summer. Its a fine charger and you should be well satisfifed with it.<br /><br />Oh, one last thing in case you haven't had a chance to see one of these things up close. The 4 white fittings on the bottom are where the lines to the batterys connect, one is a ground and the other three are + side outputs. You can also plug in battery temperature sensors in the black plugs next to them. Keep an eye out on E-Bay for the battery temperature sensors (they often sell for very little money). Get yourself a pair of them and put one of them on your starting battery. They will insure that you do not over charge the battery. <br /><br />

<br /><br />Thom

 

[ARCWINSTON]

Re: Question For ThomWV

GBWoody and ThomWV,<br /> Thank you both very much for the infomation...W

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Question For ThomWV

Arcwinston - the Trucharge battery chargers are perfectly suited to charging starting batteries. Xantrex markets it as being a charger designed specifically for deep-cycle batteries because of their perception of charging current fundamentals and the charger’s ability to ‘equalize’ flooded batteries. More on charging current in the last paragraph.<br /><br />If you are going with the Xantrex Truecharge 20+ all of your batteries MUST be the same type, i.e. all flooded batteries or all AGMs, etc. Due to design limitations of the charger, you should never mix battery types even if connected to different charging outputs. This is also true for most (but not all) multi-bank chargers.<br /><br />Also, if your two deep-cycle batteries are installed in parallel, you don’t gain anything from using a 3-bank charger like the Truecharge 20+. To realize the benefit of a 3-bank charger you need to disconnect any parallel connection between the two deep-cycle batteries before charging. Since each leg of the Truecharge 20+ is capable of 20-amps, you gain nothing from disconnecting the bats…instead, use it as a 2-bank charger by installing one leg to the starting bat and one leg to the deep-cycle bank, and do not use the third leg. If the two deep-cycle batteries are not connected to each other, then your choice of a 3-bank charger is appropriate. Fwiw, the Truecharge 20+ is the original Truecharge 20 but updated from 2 charging outputs to 3 charging outputs.<br /><br />The Truecharge 20+ is designed to be hardwired in place. If you have shore power ac wired in your boat, install the appropriate breaker + wiring and you’ll be fine. If you don’t, you are going to need to install some ac wire as well. You could creative and install a 3-prong plug to the unit but be sure any extension cord you use is appropriate for the ac amps. If your boat is trailered you may be happier with a charger that has a factory installed ac plug as standard like with Guest and some Newmar (ABC) chargers.<br /><br />Xantrex makes good stuff and I like it a lot, but I disagree it is the best charger. It would be foolish to overlook the Newmar product line. I think of Newmar as a step up from Xantrex. If I think I will be in a situation where I will have a load on my battery bank while charging, I definitely prefer the Newmar. Xantrex is designed in a way that any load on the battery while charging will fool the ‘brains’ of the remote panel…not that it will likely matter much because you will soon learn to trust your charger and probably disregard the control panel unless trouble shooting. Fwiw, Xantrex makes the prettiest chargers available…with lots of stuff that lights up and flashes and beeps and farts and will keeps weekend boaters entertained. With enough beers I can sit and stare at my Xantrex Link 1000 control panel for hours.<br /><br />Lastly, I shoot at about 20% minimum (40% preferred) of the battery bank’s capacity for a charger’s output. I disregard the starting battery because whatever was sucked out of it typically gets put back within minutes of starting the charger. If you have a couple group 27 batteries (typically 80-85 a/hrs each, maybe 90 with some exceptions) you are looking at 160-170 a/hr total capacity for the bank. I would want a charger with a minimum output of about 30-amps. My personal opinion (note: opinion) is that Xantrex over rates the battery bank capacity that their chargers are appropriate for. Consider the huge differences in manufacturer recommendations:<br /><br />Newmar PT-25 25-amp output, Newmar recommended for 50-250 a/hr bat bank.<br />Xantrex Truecharge 20+ 20-amp output, Xantrex recommended for 100-400 a/hr bat bank.<br /><br />Newmar PT-40 40-amp output, Newmar recommended for 80-400 a/hr bat bank.<br />Xantrex Trucharge 40+ 40-amp output, Xantrex recommended for 200-800 a/hr bat bank.

 

[ARCWINSTON]

Re: Question For ThomWV

18rabbit,<br /> thank you also for the info...W