Connecting my new (to me) battery charger

[Theo]

Two ways that I could do it:

 

1. Treat the engine battery and the domestics as two banks and use the feature on my Sterling Pro Charge 20 which allows the charging of two banks.

 

2. Treat the two banks as one and connect the charger to the common side of the split charge relay. My SmartBank Advanced will then charge the engine battery as much as it needs and then connect in the domestics

 

Will these clever bits of digital kit confuse each other as much as they confuse me?!

 

Nick

[Cas446]

I do 2, but I connect my charger to the domestics. When I equalise the domestic bank, I pull the rj45 cable out of the back of the smartgauge to stop the smartbank relay closing thus preventing equalising the starter battery as well. The smartguage alarms but this can be cleared with no fuss.

[by'eck]

Two ways that I could do it:

 

1. Treat the engine battery and the domestics as two banks and use the feature on my Sterling Pro Charge 20 which allows the charging of two banks.

 

2. Treat the two banks as one and connect the charger to the common side of the split charge relay. My SmartBank Advanced will then charge the engine battery as much as it needs and then connect in the domestics

 

Will these clever bits of digital kit confuse each other as much as they confuse me?!

 

Nick

 

Since you have a dual (treble?) output charger then treat the banks separately as in your suggestion (1). This way you won't get any possible volt drop by having a split charge relay in circuit. In any case ensure that any unused output on the Sterling charger is connected to the one with the largest battery load.

[Arthur Brown]

If this is a 20A charger then I'd consider having it all feeding the house battery, 20a split two ways means that each one can peak at 10 A which really goes nowhere in a boat, The starter should need so little if you cruise for a moderate time every week. (an engine start should take up to 10amphours so should be topped up in half an hour on the engine alternator.)

[Theo]

Thanks, all.

 

N

[PaulG]

 

Since you have a dual (treble?) output charger then treat the banks separately as in your suggestion (1). This way you won't get any possible volt drop by having a split charge relay in circuit. In any case ensure that any unused output on the Sterling charger is connected to the one with the largest battery load.

You should not get a voltage drop from a split charge relay.

However, if your system uses a diode-based device, then you probably will.

 

I have the same charge and use method 1, which has worked well over the last 2 years or so.