Converter charger replacement

[JIMRUSSELL113]

I have a 1984 9 meter Trojan, original converter-charger which i suspect is inop. Any suggestions for replacement. All comments appreciated.

[prowlersfish]

I think that would depend on what your needs are . Do you use the inverter a lot ? what loads ? Same goes with the charger part . You maybe better served by a separate charger and inverter or maybe not When mine went out I just replaced it with a charger as I never used the inverter ,I used the gen set when away from the dock .

[Big D]

I don't think he has an inverter, sounds like the typical converter they use to install. Which brings up an interesting topic; has anybody ever considered the difference between a converter and a charger? The typical converter one would find on board was more of a power supply if you will rather than a charger. It's main concern was to supply a regulated voltage for the DC loads on board, battery not really needed. While it was also capable of charging, that function was secondary and usually not as efficient as a dedicated charger. Having said all that, converters have come a long way and now combine charging circuits, smarts, etc. Typical in RVs.

Paul is right; you need to consider that your boating habbits may be different than the owner before you. There are several brands of chargers out there. What you need to consider is your current setup and your future needs. Unless you are willing to change your wiring, you should stick with a unit who's power output will not exceed the ability of your current wiring to carry that load. This is very important for safety reasons. While it may be as simple as sticking to the same output noted on your current charger, you shouldn't assume that previous owners knew what they were doing with any modifications that may have been made. Check your current wire size and length of one of the red charge lines and the ground then determine through a chart the amount of current the wire will handle. This link will take to a page where you can click on "protect your boat with the correct size wire..." click there for a chart http://www.bluesea.com/support/reference

Here are a couple of suggestions for brands. Look for a multi bank "Smart" or "Multi-stage" charger. Cheaper chargers will divide thier rated output between banks. So if it is a 3 bank, 30 amp charger, it would only output 10 amps max per bank regardless of how depleted one bank may be. More expensive chargers can dump all of thier rated output into just one of the banks if needed which is usually the requirement with house banks as the start batteries/banks typically don't need much charging. Most smart chargers will have the ability to program the charge based on your battery type however only the more expensive chargers such as one of the Charles models can be programed to charge a different type per bank at the same time (more $$). In other words, you can have flooded in one bank, AGM in another, etc.
http://promariner.com/products/dry-moun ... cp-series/
http://www.charlesindustries.com/main/ma_imc.html

[P-Dogg]

I recently replaced my factory-original fire-waiting-to-happen battery-electrolyte-boiling ferro-resonant charger with a Promariner 1240P. I couldn't be happier. It can provide its rated output of 40A to each battery, not just 13.33A to each battery. It splits the output among the three batteries so whatever battery needs the juice gets it, until the total output is 40A. You can select between chemistries, but all the batteries have to be the same one -- can't mix AGM and flooded, for example. The original charger was just two bank -- the generator battery would only be charged while the generator was running. Now it is charged like the two starting batteries.

Trojan took a shortcut when they wired my boat, which may exist on your boat too. My charger is located adjacent to the breaker panel. They ran the output from the charger directly to the DC mains. The battery-charging voltage then made its way to the batteries via the wire running between the DC mains and the battery This means that the output of the charger was not fused. I couldn't just fuse the positive connection to the batteries, because the charger needed 50A fuses, which is way less than DC main rating. I ran new wires directly from the charger to the battery, and installed battery-terminal-mounted fuse blocks like these: http://www.bluesea.com/products/2151/Du ... 30_to_300A They are an easy way to satisfy the ABYC requirement to place fuses within 7" of the battery. Ditto on the advice to take nothing regarding the existing installation for granted. Check everything and do the all of the calculations required.

A wire-routing tip: Find yourself an old water ski tow rope, or just buy yourself a length of polypropylene rope. Run the rope the way that you will install the wire. Account for drip loops, terminal connections, and other routing requirements. Then pull-out the rope and measure it to determine the length of wire needed. Polypropylene rope has low friction, so it is easy to pull, and is cheap compared to over estimating - or worse, underestimating - the length of wire that is needed. Pull the rope reasonably taught before measuring it, and you can be assured that you will buy the correct length of non-returnable cut-to-length wire.

[JIMRUSSELL113]

You are right it is a converter according to the manual. It is a Raritan Crown ll B 30 amp. The boat does not have cabin heat or air or an APU. We do occasionally spent the night in it so it is only used for TV, refrigerator and lights therefore i think i need to replace the converter. I have been reading about the progressive dynamics PD2130, but now i will check out the Promariner 1240p, I am sure they make a 30 amp model .

This has helped a lot
Thanks

[P-Dogg]

And welcome to the forum Mr. Jimrussel113!

[aaronbocknek]

I recently replaced my factory-original fire-waiting-to-happen battery-electrolyte-boiling ferro-resonant charger.