Battery Charger - What is it?

[Rick Johnson]

OK, I cannot find anything on this website and I cannot find anything on the web...  I have a Shipwright 15 battery charger behind the starboard settee (?).  It uses an a/c power cord which is plugged in at the galley outlet.  It looks like it was installed by Catalina but what the heck is it? I wonder if they had run out of real chargers and sent someone to PepBoys?  Does anyone else have one of these?

I've just added 2 6-volt golf cart batteries and will be adding 2 more next month.  I'm thinking I will switch to a Xantrex Truecharge 20+ (or 40), but I'm not sure how these are normally wired or located on a Mk-I boat.  Can anyone offer some suggestions?

Cheers

[Stu Jackson]

Rick

Probably more like Shipwreck!  No way to know who installed it unless you bought your boat new, and I don't think you did.

With your investment in your new golf carts, I agree with the Truecharge approach. 

You can put the Truecharge anywhere, and that location isn't so bad, although you'd get more air around the unit if it was simply under the nav station. 

Wiring isn't too hard:  AC into it, DC out, so just follow the wiring you have and figure out where you want to put the new one.

Your "plug in" existing charger wiring means that the AC is coming into the charger from, as you said, the AC outlet.  You'll need to hard wire the new Truecharge into the AC side. 

So, you can add a new circuit breaker on the AC side of your panel, and connect it to the charger.  The AC wiring comes in and connects to the main AC breaker through the terminal strips glued to the port hull behind the electrical panel.  Take the panel off, and you'll see black, white and green wiring. 

What we did, when we first got our boat, was to draw a diagram of the wiring there, being careful to notice jumper tabs between the slots on the terminal strips, and figure out how it worked.  Once you do that, you'll find it much easier.  Follow the wiring from the shorepower inlet to the panel to the main AC breaker.  Black is hot, white is neutral and green is ground (AC only).

The manual has a pretty good AC wiring diagram to follow, so just match that to what you are seeing in front of you and you'll see it is easier than you thought, just go step-by-step.

[Ron Hill]

Rick : The factory didn't do that installation!!!
I have a Zantrex (Truecharge) 20 mounted under the nav table on the wall toward the hanging locker.  Best to mount it vertically and leave a couple of inches space between the top of the unit and the underside of the table(ventilation).  You have AC power just above and you can mount a "push in/pop out breaker" (Seaward product) like your other ones in a spare hole in your AC side of the Main panel. 

You can run the wiring along side the wiring for the batteries from the battery compartment under the settee seat.  If the conduit under the floor is full, then I put the wires in a piece of hose and wire tied it up to the glassed in conduit.

You'll have 3 + connections, one for each set of golf carts and one for a starting battery.  Just make sure that the negative wire is connected to the furthest negative down stream 6v battery post.  I believe that I used #8 marine grade wire.

Time consuming, but easily done!!   

[Jim Price]

Rick, I have a Truecharge mounted under nav table against wet locker wall.  As others have said, makes for short run to panel and easy (or course EVERTHING is easy on a boat!) run to battery banks using existing conduit to starboard settee.  Truecharge get plenty air in this location.  Also, I have Truecharge monitor panel that I mounted above breaker panel on shelf.  Just made a false trim out of teak to hold monitor and then attached the assembly to back of shelf - looks like it was built in.

[Ted Pounds]

Rick,
Just looking at it I would say it's a dumb, ferro-ressonant charger.  You should replace it ASAP as it will kill your new batteries  .  I, too, am a big fan of the Truecharge.

[Dan K]

I just bourgt a 1986 C34.  The boat sat on the hard for more than a year while it was for sale.  I checked the specific gravity on all of the batteries and found all 1,15 (recharge) even though the boat was docked for the prvious week. It has a Ray Jefferson battery charger (model 155.) I know I'll have to replace all the batteries but should I stay with the 4 6V Trojans?  Also should I I replace the battery charger? 

[Stu Jackson]

Dan

Welcome.  We've got an '86, too.

Whether you keep the existing Trojans or need to replace them, our conclusion is that they are most likely the best bang for the buck and the space on our boats.  Good choice.

I recommend that you consider purchasing a new charger.  See: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=605.0  and the links from that thread.  Also do searches on Charles, chargers and batteries for more information.

A good, three stage new charger could well resuscitate your batteries, and golf cart batteries are a very good way to go.  See Projects: http://www.c34.org/projects/projects-electrical-system-upgrade.html  That Projects section has other good electrical system information.

You might want to consider doing some reading starting with this Guide:   http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=2629.0

Per:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=1506.0  please let us know the rest of your boat info also.

The complete Index to all of the C34 Tech Notes is http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3096.0 

Membership in the C34 IA also gets you: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=2768.0

[Dan K]

Stu,

Great, thanks for the advice and the directions for more information.  I did drop my application for membership in the mail today.

Dan K

[Mike Vaccaro]

Rick,

A properly sized charger should be capable of delivering 6.6% of the total bank capacity in amps.  For 2 golf cart batteries (assuming Trojan T105's), a 14.5 amp charger is required.  If you upgrade to a four-battery bank (440 amp hours), a charger should be capable of delivering at least 29 amps.

An undersized charger is likely to be damaged by overheating over time.  It will work when first installed.  If you have a starting battery and it's a different type of than the lead/acid golf cart batteries (e.g., AGM), ensure that your charger is compatable with both. 

Chargers produce a great deal of heat and should be mounted in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations for ventilation.

Cheers,

Mike