Victron blue power charger

[vintagescubaman]

I have a victron blue power charger, I currently have a set of sealed batteries that are probably due for a change soon, what I was wondering is if the blue power chargers are suitable for sealed batteries. There is no adjustment on the charging rate, and the batteries always perform better when charged off the alternators, even when the victron charger shows as fully charged.

 

Does anybody have an opinion on this?

 

Many thanks

[nicknorman]

The manual says 14.4v bulk, 14v absorption and 13.2v float. These figures won't harm a sealed battery but they are perhaps on the low side, especially the absorption. What is probably happening is that the charger is going into float mode (which I guess is what you consider to be "fully charged") early, before the battery really is fully charged, perhaps as a result of the rather low absorption voltage. It seems to be a common problem with some small chargers.

 

Some makes of charger have a minimum bulk and absorb time, so one "workaround" might be, once the charger goes into float, to turn the mains power off and back on again. This might instigate another period of bulk and absorption charging and thus get you nearer to fully charged. Repeat until you are bored. But if it only does a few seconds or minutes before going back to float, its probably not worth it. Worth a try though.

 

Ed: of course continued failure to reach fully charged is bad for any battery so I guess the answer to your question is "no", if that is the only or primary means of charging. But not just for sealed batteries, but for any lead acid batteries.

Edited July 30, 2014 by nicknorman

[vintagescubaman]

Thanks for the info, I did wonder, what sort of charger would you recommend?

[nicknorman]

Thanks for the info, I did wonder, what sort of charger would you recommend?

The only marine charger I have experience of is that fitted in my Mastervolt Combi. Others however recommend the Electroquest ones but I have no idea whether they are prone to the same issue or not.

 

But anyway, before spending money on a new charger, best to check that the issue is diagnosed correctly by taking some measurements, eg after the charger goes onto Float, start the engine and measure the current now flowing into the batteries. That will give a good idea how well charged the batteries were when the charger went into float.

Edited July 30, 2014 by nicknorman