Shorter wire runs mean less installation cost, less voltage drop can make for better charger performance over the long haul. The DC wiring is a very critical part of a chargers performance. Voltage drop is determined by the amperage flowing through the cable over the round-trip length of the circuit. This means you add the full length of the negative and positive wires, plus the max amperage that will flow, to determine your voltage drop. I personally prefer as little drop as possible.
Realistically I could have easily wired this with 10GA wire and been at 2. This can potentially leave you with a charging voltage at the battery of just With DC charging sources bigger wire is almost always better. Try to keep the charger as close to the batteries as you can without physically being in the same compartment. The hotter the climate you are in the more important temperature compensation is. Temperature compensation is more critical as temperatures rise rather than fall but both are important.
As the battery temperature goes up, the battery charging voltage must come down. As battery temperatures drop the charging voltage can go up.
The temp coefficient is 0. This is a suitable temperature adjustment for most lead acid batteries, if a bit on the conservative side. I do not like to have unattended batteries having the voltage compensated UP while they are sitting there doing nothing all winter.
It is important, if you want to do this, to physically unplug the sensor from the charger itself not just remove it from the battery terminal. Removing the sensor from the battery, but leaving it plugged into the charger, will still result in voltage being compensated UP, all winter.
In cold climates where you are physically using the batteries regularly compensating UP is good. For storage, I am not a big fan of it. In my opinion the best option for cold weather storage is to fully charge the batteries and then physically disconnect them from the vessel, chargers and from one another. This is the safest storage option. If you are storing in a hot climate, above 75F then you really must leave the sensor connected. Heat is one of the major enemies of all batteries.
If you have them in an engine room, which is not advised, or you live in a warm climate, you really do need a charger that features on-battery temperature compensation to reduce the charging voltage when the batteries begin to heat up. While charging voltages need to be adjusted for ambient static battery temp, the act of charging and discharging can also create heat and the need to adjust charging voltages during charging for heat created internally in the battery.
Earlier versions of temp compensation on some chargers was sporadically successful at best, bordering on dumb , as in not very smart.
With newer technologies these sensors can be accurate to within a degree or two, which is more than enough. If the charger is in a cool spot, and the battery bank is in an engine bay, you can literally cook your batteries. Sadly the term smart charger is bandied about these days like a ping-pong ball.
It is important to mount the sensor directly to the battery post or battery case so it senses the temperature of the bank correctly. A temperature sensor should be mounted to the battery which has the most potential to get warmer than the others. For example, if your battery compartment backs up next to an engine room bulkhead the battery closest to that bulkhead would get the temp sensor.
Any terminal mounted temperature sensor also needs to be connected directly to a negative terminal , and not the positive terminal.
A battery temperature sensor can not be fused and still sense temp correctly. Always keep in mind, when stacking terminals on a battery post, that the highest current potential terminal is always placed on the bottom.
There is also a limit of four terminals per battery post. Use buss bars if you need more than four items on a battery post. Use standard nuts with locking washers or nyloc nuts if you have enough thread left for the nylon in the nyloc nut to thread over. In this photo you can see how the charger is feeding the bank. With banks in parallel or series parallel it is important that the charger supplies it current across the bank. Wiring this way forces the current to flow through the entire bank and helps to minimize any intra-bank imbalances.
This is one of the most often violated rules of charging I witness on boats. It is important to note that this is not just for charging sources such as chargers, alternators, wind or solar but also for the DC loads. Always connect across your bank to keep intra-bank imbalances to a minimum.
As banks get larger there are more precise ways of wiring that can lead to better balancing but doing it this was gets you a lot further ahead than pulling everything off one end.
These fuses are not intended to protect the devices but rather the wiring in the case of a dead short to ground. Because the alternator and charger do not use the same size wiring as the house bank feed to the battery switch, they each need their own fuse to protect the wire. These group 31 wet cell batteries can pump out in excess of cranking amps at 70F. The short circuit current is always multiples higher than the cranking amperage at 70F.
This is the fuse distribution bus discussed in the last photo. The three ANL fuses are bused together with copper bar stock at the top of the fuses. There are many ways to fuse devices and banks like this. For this application I found the bused ANL fuses a good fit.
One of the benefits of a charger like the Sterling is that you can use the charger as a 12V power supply if you disconnect or remove your batteries from the boat during off-season layup. Wiring the charger direct to hard mounted buss bars and fuses, and not direct to the battery posts, means it can still power the vessels DC system even with the battery bank is disconnected and off line.
This illustration will better show how to connect charger sources and loads to your battery bank. In most applications, it will be most optimal for battery balance, to connect across the bank. I have used our shops battery testing equipment many times in scenarios like this, and in every example, I see the bank unevenly balanced. The batteries show these imbalances during testing. In a bank of batteries, wired like this, it does matter, over time. The bottom negative wire on that buss bar is for the battery charger.
In this photo I have plugged in the temp sensor and am testing the charger to see if it recognizes the temp sensor. It did. With the Sterling Remote Panel the charger will tell you the battery, charger and transformer temp to within 1 degree. A pretty cool feature. The AC wiring should be sized based on the manual for your charger. It is not suggested to share a breaker with any other device for a fixed mounted charger.
For AC and a single phase charger like this it is:. In this picture I have mounted the charger to a back board which will get mounted to the boat. The wires are affixed to the board with sufficient strain relief to prevent inadvertent loading of the attachment point to the charger.
The ends of the wires are crimped with ring terminals using the proper tool and then sealed with adhesive lined heat shrink. One of the more critical aspects of charger installations, that I nearly always see violated, is the green case ground wire shown. This green grounding wire grounds the chargers metal frame to the vessel and allows your over current protection devices to work properly, if there is an internal fault that shorts to the case.
A fault in the DC side can supply enough current to overwhelm and overheat the AC green grounding wire. It can even do this well before tripping a fuse or breaker.
This green wire gets sized for the DC side of the charger. Follow me on this one. If there is a fault on the DC side of the charger the AC green wires size may not be able to handle this fault and could be undersized in having to handle that fault. This is why the requirement for the chargers case ground is for no less than one size smaller than the DC output wires. You will then program your charger to your batteries using the preset charge algorithms.
As mentioned the Sterling PCU chargers also offer a user defined program that you can self program. Very cool for those applications that need it. A number of years ago the State of California mandated that battery chargers were no longer allowed to float charge batteries. Once charged the charger needs to stop charging or even floating the batteries and go into a sleep mode. For owners who do not want to use the charger as a CEC compliant charger, this can be easily changed by selecting PS mode during the chargers boot-up period.
Some folks incorrectly assume PS mode is a constant float and lacks bulk the absorption stages. What it will not do is go to sleep, after float, as California would prefer. This will avoid putting pressure on the battery ends and forcing battery acid out of the vent caps, as might happen if you carry it in your hands.
Part 2. Clean the battery terminals. Use a mixture of baking soda and water to clean any corrosion off the terminals and neutralize any sulfuric acid that may have spilled on them. You can apply the mixture with an old toothbrush.
Alternatively, you can clean off mild corrosion by using a wire brush. Auto parts stores even sell a special round wire brush that fits over the terminals. Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth right after cleaning the terminals. Wash your hands immediately. Do not touch any white gunk that may appear on the terminals, as this is congealed sulfuric acid. Pour in enough distilled water to reach the fill level on each battery cell. Pouring water into your battery cells disperses hydrogen gas from the cell.
Do not use tap water as it will damage your battery over time. Most U. If your battery does not have flame-arresting caps, put a wet cloth across the top of the caps. Place the charger as far from the battery as its cables will allow. This will reduce the possibility of damage to the unit from any airborne sulfuric acid vapor. Never place the charger directly above or below the battery.
Set the charger to deliver the correct voltage. This is done by adjusting the voltage output selector, usually on the front of the charging unit. If your charger has an adjustable rate of charge you should start at the lowest rate.
Connect one charger clip to the positive post on the battery. This step is the same whether the battery is removed from the vehicle for charging or not. Connect the second charger clip to ground. There are two different cases for connecting the ground.
This prevents arcing at the battery terminal and will not run the risk of causing the battery to explode. Clipping the grounding cable directly to the negative battery terminal can be dangerous.
If the battery has been removed from the vehicle, you should connect a jumper cable or insulated battery cable at least 24 inches 60 cm long to the grounded post. Then, connect the battery charger clip for the grounded post to this cable.
This allows you to be away from the battery when you complete the circuit in case it explodes. It is also a good idea not to be facing the battery when you connect the charger to the jumper cable. Plug the charger into an outlet.
The charger should be equipped with a grounded plug three pronged plug and should be plugged into a properly grounded outlet three prong outlet. An adapter should not be used. Use an extension cord only if absolutely necessary. If an extension cord is necessary, it should be a grounded three pronged extension cord and be the proper wire size to accommodate the amperage of the charger. An adapter should not be used between the charger and extension cord or the extension cord and the wall.
Leave the battery on the charger until the battery is fully charged. You can tell this by using the recommended charging time for your battery or looking to see if the charge indicator shows the battery has been fully charged. Part 3. Unplug the charger. Once your battery is fully charged, you will need to systematically unhook your components. Start by unplugging the charger from the outlet. Disconnect the charger grounding clip from the battery.
Disconnect from the grounded terminal first. Again, this will be the negative terminal on the battery if the battery was removed and will be the clip attached to a metal component of the vehicle if the battery was not removed. Disconnect the positive clip from the battery.
This will be the clip on the positive battery post. Some battery chargers have an engine starting feature. In either case, avoid moving engine parts if you start the engine with the hood raised or cover removed. Re-install the battery. This will only be necessary if you had to remove your battery for charging. Reconnect the battery cables. Connect to the ungrounded positive terminal first, then to the grounded negative terminal. Usually, those units are 1. Sometimes they have an "analyze" portion when you first connect to the battery to make sure it's not sulfated or shorted.
Boat owners often had no choice but to turn the automotive type ferro-resonant charger off except when they were on board. Even then, the charging voltage was frequently too high and the resulting gassing killed many batteries. Today, quality marine chargers use multi-stage charging, monitor the voltage in the batteries, and may be left on continuously if they are installed correctly.
Determining where to locate the charger is an exercise in compromise so common to many boats. The charger wants to be relatively close to the batteries—but not too close.
One of the most common mistakes in charger installation is locating it directly above the batteries. While keeping the DC cables between the charger and the batteries short is important, batteries give off gasses that cause and promote corrosion during charging. Placing the charger too close to the batteries, where it is exposed to these gasses, will shorten its life, particularly if the batteries are liquid electrolyte. Most chargers must remain dry, but at the same time they need adequate ventilation.
If the charger must be located in a cockpit locker or lazarette, be sure and tuck it in a dry corner—not directly under the hatch. Do not stuff all Coast Guard required life jackets tightly around it or bury it behind other gear. Give it some breathing room so it can stay cool. The ProSport 12 marine battery charger ensures that all available charging amperage is fully utilized to meet the unique demands of each onboard battery.
After the batteries are charged, the charger monitors and maintains the charge only as needed—reducing its AC power consumption. If you have a small boat that by its nature is wet sport boat, fishing boat, personal watercraft and want to install a battery charger, you need to purchase a sealed or fully encapsulated charger. These chargers are designed for use in demanding environments and can operate even when fully submerged however, this is not recommended.
Boats with gasoline engines must use chargers that are ignition protected and conform to the appropriate UL specifications, which include testing in an explosive environment. West Advisor safety tip: Unplugging the shore power cord before working on the AC system is good practice, but please remember to turn off the main breaker inside the boat as well. The right tools for the job: You will need common hand tools, and a quality hand crimper that can handle a variety of terminals suitable for wire up to If wire larger than 10 is needed, you will have to purchase pre-terminated cables or make them up yourself.
A drill motor might also come in handy. Craftsmanship tip: AC wiring is the most dangerous wiring on the boat and preventing chafe is critical. A discarded section of the outside jacket, leftover from stripping out a cable, can often be used as chafe protection. Once the location for the charger has been selected, it may be fastened in place. If the charger weighs more than a few pounds it should probably be through-bolted.
If it is of modest weight, and the bulkhead or structure it is to be fastened to is sufficiently thick, then screws may be used. Be sure to use stainless steel fasteners. The wiring for the charger is fairly straightforward, with the DC wiring going from the charger to the batteries, and the AC wiring coming from the AC distribution panel to the charger, or an outlet box adjacent to it. We will consider the DC wiring first. Good wiring practice is to hook up from the device toward the source. In this case the battery is the source.
You might think the charger is a source; well, that's right but not unless the AC power to it is turned on. Thus, we hook up the source—the batteries—last. Installing a Second Battery. Selecting a Battery Charger. Selecting a Marine Storage Battery. Sizing Your House Battery Bank.
This will have a disproportionately large impact on how well your battery charger works.
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