Battery charger and controler

Rain,
The advantage of the ACR or VSR is that it combines the two batteries when you start your engine, and the voltage of the start battery comes up to 13.7 volts or above. The disadvantage is that it combines your batteries when the Guest charger kicks in, so that the batteries are treated as one bank as far as the charger is concerned. This is sort of OK if the batteries are same brand, same age and same type. If not, there there can be minor issues. There is a way to defeat this relay when you use the battery charger.

Some of us have had problems with the guest chargers and has upgraded thru the years. In fact every one I have had has failed. They are fine for slow charge of the batteries between runs. But you do need to check the voltage output independently every so often.
 
Jay said:

"C-Glory came with a Guest charging system."

I'm curious which Guest charger you have. I have been looking at possibly replacing mine, although it has worked all along, I'm just thinking prophylacticly. My searches have always wound up in the Marinco family and I'm just looking for options.

Bob, do you remember which Guest chargers you had trouble with? You mention they are OK for slow charging, so I'm guessing they were higher amp than my little one, (Guest 2610W, 10 amp).

I rarely use my on-board charger when cruising, but I do watch my volt meter steadily. Rare to get below 12.4 even after a long night on the CPAP and with the Garmin anchor monitor/GPS on. No fridge or AC to run at night but a fair amount of electronics that run when the boat is moving.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Harvey,
That is doing pretty good with overnight and the CPAP..some use less than others. I was corresponding with a fellow who was having a lot of trouble with his, and even a group 31 battery. There is a fair amount of variation by units, heater, humidifier, if an inverter is necessary etc.

I have had several of the Guest 10 (5/5) 2611A units and the Guest 20 (15/5/10),
2621 each of which have gone bad. Often it was just one leg. I went to a higher output Mastervolt recently.

Yes, I do "stress" these chargers more--in that do have higher electrical demands in some of the boats.


On the other hand, I have two of the 2606A portable potted 6 amp chargers, which I often use and never had an issue for years.

I have had Charles, Pro Charge, Pro Mariner, Xantrex, go bad, and even had the circuit board on a full time Magnum and a Trace inverter chargers go bad. (This represents a lot of years and a lot of battery charging!)
 
Thanks Bob, I think my charger is closely related to the ones you were using. (Guest 10 (5/5) 2611A)
It is fine now, but I am looking....

As to the CPAP, It is not all that easy. I use a very old Respironics REM Star Pro, without a heater or humidifier unit, and it runs directly off the 12VDC cig plug. That way there is no inverter loss, or heater/humidifier. I like not using the inverter, but I do miss the humidity. The trip last summer for 7 weeks, eve though I was on the boat and on the water had my sinuses drying out and I wound up using saline nasal spray morning and evening. That worked out quite well.

There are other systems, obviously. My favorite home machine is my ResMed S-9, with the humidifier side system. Another one I like and use for travel is a Transcend. It is small, light, and with a battery pack, included still fits into a saddlebag on my motor cycle. I can charge that battery off the bike system, so it will work for bike cruising.

As to charging my boat batteries while towing, I think I am looking at a very simply system, wired from the boat battery switch running the wire along the stbd side under the gunnel and running the line out through the hawse pipe opening when I want to plug it in. When not, the cord will be coiled up, velcroed under the fore-deck. Thinking it will be a seperate 2 conductor line, not through the trailer light connector plug.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Harvey, the manual is on the boat. I'll check model number for you next time I am there, probably tomorrow since today is movie day and we are going to Anacortes to see "Revenant". I know it is a Guest 20 amp, 5/5/10. It probably came with the boat, which means it is 8 years old. Like everything else on the boat, it has seen little use; the Suzuki 115 only had 26 hours on it when I bought it. Of course that can be an issue worse than wear!
 
UPDATE:
I am on record here advocating the unique features of the Blue Sea Systems P12 line of advanced battery chargers with the ability to place individual batteries (most often the House not the 2 Engine) batteries in Pre-Float mode along with temp and equalization monitoring. And the ONLY 5 year warranty in the marine charging world.

After our Indian Summer excursion yesterday, I noticed that the Blue Sea P12 40-Amp charger was blank…no LED’s on, no status panels on pushing the buttons. It has 120v at the inputs, and I replaced a good-looking 10A fuse by the 10v input box, and called Tech Support without looking at the manual for ‘what’s next.’

After 30 seconds on hold got a live US guy right there in Bellingham, WA. He didn’t ask for my registration or warranty name and info. He said, ‘Well, you’ve done everything right. Sorry, it happens. Now it’s a warranty issue.’ (I felt like, ‘Jim, he’s Dead’ for you Star Trek Fans).

I EXPECTED him to say, “ship this heavy, $700 bullet-proof bugger to us insured with a copy of your dated sales receipt. Our engineers will take a look at it to see if it was lightning etc that’s not covered, or some other excuse, and/or replace any failed parts with parts salvaged from another failed unit, then we’ll ship it back in a couple of months or so.”

INSTEAD, he said, “We’ll send you a brand new unit TODAY, along with a shipping label to return the failed unit to us for free. Call me if you don’t have it in 4 business days. What’s your name and address? ”

NOW THAT’S IDEAL BOATING CUSTOMER SERVICE!!

A $3000 Garmin radar or MFD or a $1500 Coleman RV rooftop AC or a $3000 laptop or anything else you can name has a 1 year warranty on the water, with multiple exclusions, including damage from….water.
My ONLY competing Great Marine Customer Service story is when Smart-Plug (you should all have one) sent a free replacement 50-ft, $300 shorepower cord based on pics of the failed blue LED at the boatside connection, and a free return label.

GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE BOATING WORLD IS RARE AND SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED!
IF YOU HAVE A BETTER STORY THAN THESE 2, TELL US HERE!

John
 
Just for information: Blue Seas suffered a catastrophic fire burning their headquarters and warehouse in Bellingham, nearly completely about Nov 12. As of 5 days ago the customer service lines were back up and running. It is not clear how much of their product was lost in the fire.

Blue Seas is owned by Power Products, now part of Brunswick; Along with Ancor,*BEP, Marinco,*Mastervolt, Progressive Industries, Czone, Del City, Lenco Marine, Park Power, and ProMariner. Seems like almost a monopoly on the 12 volt power game!
 
dgeorges or anyone else using this charger:

10A BatteryLink® Charger (North America) Mod #7605
https://www.bluesea.com/products/7605/1 ... America%5D

I noticed it has a "insulation cover". Where are you mounting this charger? and does it need to be inside, out of the spray possibilities? My Guest is mounted under the Splash well, between the gas tanks, and I doubt it gets spary "much" but it certainly could. I suppose a Pelican box could be rigged to put it into, under there if it needs to stay dry.

Harvey
SleepyC

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hardee":2eswtt6f said:
dgeorges or anyone else using this charger:

10A BatteryLink® Charger (North America) Mod #7605
https://www.bluesea.com/products/7605/1 ... America%5D

I noticed it has a "insulation cover". Where are you mounting this charger? and does it need to be inside, out of the spray possibilities? My Guest is mounted under the Splash well, between the gas tanks, and I doubt it gets spary "much" but it certainly could. I suppose a Pelican box could be rigged to put it into, under there if it needs to stay dry.

Harvey
SleepyC
Click to expand...

I would be very reluctant to place this either in an exposed location or in a tightly closed box--such as a pelican case--because any battery charger needs good ventilation to dissipate the heat. This all in one certainly seems to "simplify" the installation of a charger and combiner. However when you are using the boat heavily--it is often better to use a higher powered battery charger--one which is designed with a fan to despite heat. When you are running a lot of lights, fans etc at the dock--it may be over the rated capacity of the smaller battery chargers, and potentially shorten their life spans. This charger (7605) does not specifically say it is "waterproof"--there is a larger 20 amp charger (7608) with higher rated capacity which is rated at IP 67 Waterproof and might be a better choice both from exposure and capacity standpoint.
 
Bob, thank you for that help. I did look at one of the 20 amp units, but it was 7# instead of the 4 pounds that the 10 amp one is. I also only have 2 batteries and no real need for more. The 20 amp had capability for 3 batteries I think. Over kill for my situation both power and weight wise.

I will go back and look at the 10 amps again. It is really only 3 pounds heavier. I would like to be able to mount it under that splash well again. For the Guest charger there were no switches or anything to mess with and the plug was in the lazurette so it was pretty much a no nonsense device.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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The info on the Blue Seas 7605 and 7608 both show IP67 certification. That to me, sounds like it should be OK to mount outside under the splashwell under the down slopping surface, up of the cockpit sole and in between the tanks. BUT, the dimension drawing notes that it should be mounted vertically. for optimal performance.

Does it sound like it would have adequate "splash, spray and submersion" protection mounted there. (That is where my Guest charger is mounted, and would allow for using the same wire races.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I'm a fan of Blue Sea Systems products. Their support staff have always been willing to take time with a novice like me to ensure I understand without showing their exasperation or need to get on to the next call. I hope they get back on both feet soon. I've also been very happy with Peter Kennedy Yacht Services out of Annapolis for good prices and good advice. He has a fair amount of educational info on his Web site as well.

https://shop.pkys.com/
 
Harvey the manual does say IP 67. So it is splash resistant. mounting Upside down--under the splash well--does not allow as good ventilation as a vertical mount. In your cooler weather up there, it should be OK...
 
Bob, Thanks for the reply. It looks like the 7608 is what I should put in. I thought I saw that it has a integrated 170A Automatic Charging Relay (ACR).

I have 2 Group 29 Interstate deep cycle batteries and they are routinely plugged into BatteryMinder charger maintainers. The Interstates are now 5 years old and are still testing like new.

I am looking at replacing the on board charger due to it's age. I have not had any issues with it, but it is rarely used (like only some of the times I go into a marina for more than one night at a time.)

Not sure I understand a couple of things ( Oh yea and a few dozen more probably :roll:
1. Is that to equalize the batteries if they are not at equal discharge states when the charging starts?
2. Do I need to add a galvanic isolator into the system? I do not have a shore power system, and my current battery charger (Guest #2610W 10amp) plugs into an extension cord when the boat is in the garage.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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hardee":1aw0g0ie said:
Bob, Thanks for the reply. It looks like the 7608 is what I should put in. I thought I saw that it has a integrated 170A Automatic Charging Relay (ACR).

I have 2 Group 29 Interstate deep cycle batteries and they are routinely plugged into BatteryMinder charger maintainers. The Interstates are now 5 years old and are still testing like new.

I am looking at replacing the on board charger due to it's age. I have not had any issues with it, but it is rarely used (like only some of the times I go into a marina for more than one night at a time.)

Not sure I understand a couple of things ( Oh yea and a few dozen more probably :roll:
1. (I thought I saw that it has an integrated 170A Automatic Charging Relay (ACR)), Is that to equalize the batteries if they are not at equal discharge states when the charging starts?
2. Do I need to add a galvanic isolator into the system? I do not have a shore power system, and my current battery charger (Guest #2610W 10amp) plugs into an extension cord when the boat is in the garage.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

Friends_Cal_09_10_Oct.thumb.jpg
Click to expand...
 
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