Battery Charger Issues

[Seaweed]

Does anyone really understand this whole onboard Battery Charger issue.

I thought I did.

Recently I have just somehow managed to mess up my second battery charger in 5 years.

I had a ProMariner12 for three years. Worked great. No hassles. Then one day the charging LED light refused to come on anymore. Long story short I was never really confident that my batteries were getting fully charged anymore so... out it came and I installed another unit this year to replace this old one. I did keep the old one though... why I don't know I hang on to old stuff.

Long story short... this past weekend after a run to Belleville and back where I had the unit plugged in at my Son's place and I verified by checking the lights .... out we went fishing...no problem. I trailer the boat home. Go to plug it in.... no lights...nothing not a Power light and no Charging light either. I checked all the connections and fuses. Everything looks good. Checked the power cord and it ran a fan fine.

So my question to you folks is.... what the heck am I doing to these charges or are they just a prone to problems?

I run two Deka Marine batteries in a 24v series to a Motorguide 67 Brute Electric motor. This is all that is connected to my chargers. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

I have contacted the maker of the chargers and will post any reply I get from them.

[SteveO]

Another step would be to check with a new battery and see if the light comes on. Even though the battery provides a charge, other measures of its health may cause the charger indicator lights not to come on.

[Seaweed]

The batteries I run are worth $175 buckeroos Steve.

I am looking for cheaper solutions. I don't mind having to buy another battery if it is pooched but .... I want to be sure that is the problem.

Thanks for the input.

[mikemicropterus]

I have had problems with Deka batteries and now only deal with Interstate. There really only 4 manufacturers of batteries worldwide so most are from the same company and have the same problems.

I have run the same charger for 3 years and if it hasn't broken from runs on the St.Lawrence or Big Rideau it won't. I only sell one type for the reasons you have stated too many problems with other brands. I have installed over 15 onboard chargers and have had few if any problems with Guest Pro series, and when I did have a problem they had a replacement to me within a couple days. That was a few years ago and lately have no had any problems.

Is your trolling motor plugged in when charging as I have heard that is a problem. I am moniteering my battery performance when I charge them if the trolling motor plug is in place and if it is disconnected. Nothing to report so far. If you want give me a call I may think of something I didn't mention here.

[PrincePro]

I've been using an onboard Guest Pro charger for my 2 trolling batteries for over 6 years now without any problems. I recently switched to Interstate Batteries after I couldn't get any more than an hour out of the old ones at the beginning of this season and have been very pleased. Good batteries are worth the extra $$ as you know with your Dekas.

The easiest way to test your batteries is to use a car battery charger. At least this way you can isolate the batteries from being the cause. I got mine at CT and it does 12/24V and is what I used the first year with the boat before I got wise and had the charger installed. Always useful to have around. You can borrow mine if you want to avoid the added expense.

If the batteries are okay, power cable in is okay, then I would double check the wiring out to the batteries to ensure that everything is properly wired (Pro Mariner has a Support FAQ but it only lists troubleshoooting for when you have a blinking light). Next step is to call the manufacturer. Pro Mariner has a repair provision in its warranty:

Each serial numbered product has an additional repair adjustment provision after the full year limited warranty that limits the maximum charge for a factory repair to the original consumer to 1/60th of the retail price times the number of months after purchase or up to a maximum of 50% of current retail price, after 30 months of service, plus shipping.

Warranty and repair adjustment calculated from manufacture date if not registered within two weeks of sale.
Warranty void if unauthorized repairs attempted.
Customer responsible for return shipping damage and shipping costs must be prepaid both ways.
Cosmetic repairs done at owner's request and expense.
Purchase or other acceptance of the product shall be on the condition and agreement that Professional Mariner SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND. (Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.) This warranty is made in lieu of all other obligations or liabilities on the part of Professional Mariner. Professional Mariner neither assumes nor authorizes any person for it or any other obligation or liability in connection with the sale of this product.

To make a claim under warranty, write directly to Professional Mariner, LLC, P.O. Box 968, Rye, NH 03870, identifying the product and giving its location. Follow the company's return instructions which will then be provided by the company. Professional Mariner will make its best efforts to repair or replace the product, if found to be defective within the terms of this warranty within thirty (30) days after return of the product to the company. Professional Mariner will ship the repaired or replaced product back to the purchaser at owner's expense.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it turns out.

[Seaweed]

Thanks for the input and the info everyone. I am working with the people at Mariner to see what can be done. I will post all info I get for others to reference.

[Carl]

Hey Seaweed,

I looked up the specs on your charger and it looks like its a 12V charger.

When I picked up my boat, I was specifically told that I could run the charger with my electric motor as I was running a 24V system. They told me that I could run it but would end up blowing the charger fairly quickly.

Maybe I`m wrong about your onboard charger specs but don`t think it's recommended to use a 12V charger on a 24V system.

You may want to look into that.

[Graembo]

Charging a 24V system is simply charging two 12V systems. The onboard chargers are built for 12V batteries, whether a 12V 24v OR 36v system. The differences are the # of BANKS the charger has (ie 2 bank charger works for a 24V system cuz it charges 2 batts, a 3 bank charger works for a 36V system cuz it charges 3 batts).

Another difference is the amps per bank. Ex: an older 2 bank, 10 amp charger charges 2 batteries @ 5 amps each. (takes ~12 hours to full charge from full dead) the newer chargers are 3+ banks with 10 amps per bank (5-6 hour turnaround).

That's how mine's been working for years now. Guest charger with 2 Trojan batteries.

I think micropterous did a big speel on this subject a while back, a search might turn up something.

G

[Seaweed]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am working with the manufacturer to try to isolate the problem.

I will post the results.

[Seaweed]

Well in the long run... forget getting any support from the manufacturer.

I ended up buying a Guest charger yesterday on sale at a local shop... two year warranty and an extra year cause I put in my my Visa Gold card.

Going to install it this weekend.

Overall I wouldn't recommend anyone buy the XPS BassPro model at all and even the ProMariner model ... if you are sure you are not going to really put it through its paces like I did with my weekly tournaments and frequent charges.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Guest charger so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[eye-tracker]

Seaweed be very careful installing guest chargers they are compact and as a result produce a great amount of heat. They will melt carpet and also warp fiberglass. Follow the instructions carefully.

-s