Another charger question.

[kaelc]

If you are interested in these batteries you can purchase them direct from Wattcycle Canada for quite a bit less than Amazon, I bought 2 of the mini 314’s with Bluetooth for $593.00 each with free shipping for my motorhome, they have a new firmware/software release which allows for parallel setup without any issues. I originally charged them up with my Noco 5Amp charger set to lithium took about 24 hours to get from just under 50% to 80%.
These are really well made batteries and have very good reviews

Nice have you tried them out? My two big buck buddies with batteries need to ditch their battleborn junk and go with these, they have to run their generators every couple of days.

 

[VWT3]

Yikes, 12v I would be consulting with a marine electrician but I'd look at a bigger charger. What are you doing for an inverter? I think victron and others have all in ones but a straight charger a Victron Centaur Charger 12/60(3) might be better?

Have you looked at the wattcycle 314ah minis? 3 would be a close amperage and be pretty light and save on 1/4 the wiring.

Not sure which inverter I have actually. Boats in storage for the winter. I will take a look at the Victron , thanks

 

[MRWood]

Some info from AI. I guess I need to get some kind of charging system.

Do you need a two bank marine charger for 2 12 volt batteries with acr?

While a single-bank charger can work with an Automatic Charging Relay (ACR) system,
a two-bank marine charger is the ideal and recommended solution for properly maintaining two independent 12-volt batteries. A multi-bank charger provides each battery with its own dedicated charging circuit and custom charge profile.

Benefits of a Two-Bank Charger

• Independent Charging: A two-bank charger senses and adjusts the charge rate for each battery individually, based on its specific state of charge. This is ideal because it ensures both the starting and deep-cycle (house) batteries are charged optimally according to their particular needs.
• Optimal Conditioning: Each battery receives the correct multi-stage charging (including conditioning and float modes), which extends battery life and performance.
• Prevents Imbalance Issues: Using a single-bank charger through an ACR can sometimes lead to issues if the batteries have different states of charge, potentially causing the more depleted battery to pull the stronger battery down, which is not ideal.
• Simplicity and Efficiency: Connecting each battery directly to its respective bank on the charger is a "set and forget" solution, ensuring all batteries are charged correctly whenever you are connected to shore power.

Using an ACR with a Single-Bank Charger (Alternative)
It is possible to use a single-bank charger with an ACR, but it is less effective and may require more user intervention. The ACR will combine the batteries when a charging voltage is sensed, essentially treating the two batteries as a single, larger bank.

• Considerations:
  • The single charger needs sufficient amperage to effectively charge the combined capacity of both batteries.
  • This setup can be problematic if the two batteries are of different types (e.g., a flooded start battery and an AGM house battery) because they require different charging profiles.
  • For optimal results, some sources recommend adding a simple switch to disable the ACR when using a single shore charger, so the charger's output isn't split in a non-optimal way.

 

[M1SF1T]

I have a Noco 2 bank charger/maintainer on my boat. You'll get longer life out of batteries by plugging in when your boat sits for long periods.

 

[MRWood]

I have a Noco 2 bank charger/maintainer on my boat. You'll get longer life out of batteries by plugging in when your boat sits for long periods.

Thanks for that. Is this the one that you have?

https://www.amazon.ca/NOCO-GEN5X2-Fully-Automatic-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B08G3STB1N

 

[M1SF1T]

Thanks for that. Is this the one that you have?

https://www.amazon.ca/NOCO-GEN5X2-Fully-Automatic-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B08G3STB1N

I ordered that one first but returned it as it didn't have the changeable leads, only the permanent ring terminal connection.

I then ordered the 2x2 amp which has the leads you can switch out for clamps or ring terminals. Since it's long term maintaining I wasn't worried about the lower amperage... and since I leave the charger at my garage I didn't care about the waterproofing...

 

[VWT3]

Yikes, 12v I would be consulting with a marine electrician but I'd look at a bigger charger. What are you doing for an inverter? I think victron and others have all in ones but a straight charger a Victron Centaur Charger 12/60(3) might be better?

Have you looked at the wattcycle 314ah minis? 3 would be a close amperage and be pretty light and save on 1/4 the wiring.

Opps 320 total for the 4. so as you say the Noco 40x4 is a good option, maybe get a small 10 amp for the starter battery as well

 

[23Hourston]

I cut one the ends off the NOCO 5amp and put a downrigger plug on it. Anytime its parked I plug it in.

That’s brilliant

 

[kaelc]

Opps 320 total for the 4. so as you say the Noco 40x4 is a good option, maybe get a small 10 amp for the starter battery as well

It sounds complicated for not many amp hours. I’d talk to a marine electrician. There is a marine electrical Facebook group where you can plan out your system and get feedback.

I personally would do one battery charger. Noco makes a good “shore” power plug to make it clean if you have a cabin https://amzn.to/4qO5bCp #ad

If you return the 4 batteries and go with a single battery for your house bank you could run a dual channel charger Amazon has an open box noco pro 20amp one for $251 https://amzn.to/4aEbSRL #ad

The watt cycle or any of the lifep04 batteries may require a dc to dc charger, but still a lot simpler then 4 batteries for a house system in my opinion, also the usable amp hour are much higher on a lifep04.

 

[VWT3]

Yes I had the lifepro in my motor home. These were new batteries when I purchased the boat last year so just trying to find a charger that will work for both styles , then upgrade in the future. I’m in the process of buying a Lonestar for the boat and a few other big ticket items this year. Maybe next year. Thanks for the advice !